PHS girls
soccer bound for state
By
Friday, October 26, 2007
HUNTINGTON — The defending state champion Parkersburg High
School girls slid past Winfield 1-0 to advance to the state tournament for the
third straight year, while the two-time defending state champion Parkersburg
boys were defeated by Hurricane 3-1 in the Region 4 finals at Huntington High
School on Thursday.
A first-half goal by the Big Red girls (
Winfield 0
Early in the first half, a muddy and puddle-strewn field made it difficult for
either team to move the ball effectively. When a Big Red pass landed in a
puddle on the 18, it set the ball within the reach of Chelsey
Maiden, who quickly sent a pass to Alex Bush.
Bush reached out with her left foot and gave the ball enough momentum to skid
into the right corner of the goal past Winfield keeper Ellen Lawman. The shot
was just inside the left post, well out of reach of Lawman, who dove, but was
unable to come up with the save.
“It was lucky,” Bush said of her game-winning goal. “ I
just kind of placed it on the ground with my left foot because I knew that it
would skid and thought it would have a better chance of going in than if I put
it in the air.”
The game play was greatly slowed by the wet field. Though the rain stopped just
before play began, standing water made it very difficult for the Big Reds to
make quick, accurate passes.
“We couldn’t move the ball very well,” PHS coach Mike Lockney explained.
“Anything we played on the ground, the pass just died, the timing just wasn’t
there.
“I’m very proud of how the players just kept with it and controlled the ball.”
The defensive effort for the Big Reds held on for the shutout and once again,
Emma Levin-Nielsen stepped up to thwart several attacks from the Generals. In
goal, Kelsey Graham made sure the net stayed clear with three keeper saves, but
Tara Cheeseman was another defender that kept the
Generals from attacking from the outside.
The Big Reds will face