BECKLEY -
The Morgantown High School girl's soccer team did not have an easy run
in the 2011 state tournament. Just four teams make it to Beckley for
States each year. When the pairings were released, the Mohigans were set
to play Bridgeport, the team Morgantown opened the season against. The
same team Morgantown beat 6-0. The rematch was nothing like that first
game. Both Morgantown and Bridgeport played the best games of their
season. The first round state tournament contest went into double
overtime. The Mohigans scored with 38 seconds left in the second
overtime, on a controversial call. Maggie Snively, playing directly in
front of the net and the goal keeper, headed the game-winning goal in.
The line judge actually signaled an interference call, which would have
taken the goal off the scoreboard, but the line judge and the head
referee spoke about the call. The head referee emerged from the meeting
announcing that the goal would stand. Morgantown beat Bridgeport 1-0.
The first round win sent Morgantown to the state championship. The
Mohigans finished runner up in 2001, but had never won a class AAA state
title. Morgantown and Winfield met on the pitch to determine a champion
and the game was déjà vu for the Mohigans. After regulation, the score
was tied at 0-0. After 30 minutes of overtime, the scored was still tied
at 0-0. All Morgantown needed just one goal. It came in the first round
of penalty kicks. The Mohigans won out 3-2 over Winfield in penalty
kicks, taking the 2011 AAA State Championship 1-0.
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The Grafton High School girl's soccer team is familiar with the state
tournament in Beckley, very familiar. The Lady Bearcats were there just
last year. The 2010 squad was very talented, including West Virginia
State Player of the Year Valerie Barlow. That team made it to the
championship game, but fell 3-0 to Charleston Catholic. Heading to
Beckley for the second year in a row, Grafton knew what it was getting
into. The Lady Bearcats escaped the first round with a 3-2 victory over
Weir. Obviously good enough to advance to the championship game but the
Lady Bearcats' opponent Sissonville had grabbed a decisive victory over
Shady Spring 6-0.
A big win for Sissonville did not
intimidate Grafton. Emily Moon scored the first goal of the game for the
Lady Bearcats. It was not a shutout or a big win, it was a nail biter.
The thing about a nail biter, one team still wins. Grafton won it's
first AA/A Soccer Championship in school history, beating Sissonville
3-2.
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