PHS downs Patriots, 1-0

By MATT LOCKE, Sports Writer

PARKERSBURG— A close soccer match between inter-city rivals Parkersburg High and Parkersburg South High was decided when Ryan Grant’s shot on goal found the left corner of the net in the 11th minute Tuesday night to give the Big Reds a 1-0 win at Stadium Field.

Evan McGee sent the ball over Grant’s right shoulder and Grant settled it to set up his break for the net. Grant was a half-step past the closest South defender and put it just past diving Patriot net minder Derik Ayers with 18:36 to play.

The Patriots (2-2-1) were on the attack in the first half, securing six shots on goal to the Big Reds’ (4-2) three, but most of the play stayed between the 18’s. Strong defensive efforts on both sides of the ball forced the midfield to become the battleground.

For the Patriots, senior Craig Zell stopped several Big Red offensive efforts while Doug Teter was a strong force in getting the ball past midfield. Teter’s speed and persistence kept the Big Reds in check while his style forced play to the outside.

PHS held a strong defensive front as well, led by senior striker Tim Stephens and supported by a wealth of talented midfielders. Grant proved to be a key in pushing the ball into Patriot territory while McGee made his presence known with good touches and the pass that proved to be the difference.

The Big Reds competed without the strong offensive presence of Cody Brown, who took a red card Saturday in PHS’ win over Huntington, and captain Michael Pitrolo was battling the flu.

“We knew the defense was going to have to win this game,” PHS coach Don Fosselman said. “We were either going to tie it or it was going to be 1-0, because we didn’t have Cody (Brown) and Michael (Pitrolo) was sick.”

In the first half, Ayers was the secret weapon for South. Ayers kept the net clear with three diving plays, including a Big Red header looked sure to duck under the cross bar for the first score, but Ayers’ diving play kept the game even at zero.

“I thought we played tremendously hard and I’m real proud of that,” South coach Bill Matthews said. “I can’t falter the effort, the defense really stepped it up. Derek (Ayers) made some great saves in the first half.”

Parkersburg picked it up in the second half, with more touches were finding their way downfield, and Zell was the last person between the Big Reds and the Patriot keeper too many times. Junior forward Kieran Spader proved to be a threat to the Patriots in the second half, with two of his shots barely missing the outside post as he proved to be an effective possession player as well.

South had a hard time breaking the defense in the second half, taking only three shots on goal to six for PHS. Parkersburg streaked to the outside more in the second half, breaking down the Patriot front and eventually finding one golden opportunity.

“I played every player on our team tonight except the backup keeper,” Fosselman said. “As a coach, you can’t be any prouder, they stepped up against a very good Parkersburg South team.”

The teams will face off two more times this season, once in the regular season and once in the post-season.

“We’ll have to be ready for (Brown) next time,” Matthews said. “The effort was there, we just didn’t score. They’re the defending state champs, but we’ll see what happens. We’ve got two more chances.”

The Big Reds travel to Riverside today and host Greenbrier East Saturday. South heads into a Friday night match at Jefferson, followed by a Saturday morning match at Martinsburg.

Contact Matt Locke at mlocke@newsandsentinel.com

Wednesday, August 29, 2007