Published: November 07, 2009 01:02 am      

Heartbreaker

PikeView falls in overtime to Weir

BECKLEY — It was a cold yet bright morning at the Beckley YMCA Soccer Complex. In this setting was born a new hope in the form of the PikeView Panthers, who in their third season of existence were making their first appearance in the West Virginia state tournament.

The Panthers themselves had more than hope, giving Weir everything they could handle in 80 goalless minutes and forcing overtime. But they could not prevent Lindsay Thorp and Milena Maragos from getting a goal and an assist each in the first extra period as the Red Riders beat the Panthers 2-0 Friday at Carter Field.

"I think the girls probably gave — if not their best — one of their best efforts of the season," said PikeView head coach Sam Hill. "We talked about coming into the game giving ourselves an opportunity to get a result. For 80 minutes they did that and that’s all you can ask for."

"It’s hard to do all the conditioning and this is why," said Weir head coach Chris LeFever. "Today is why because when you get into that over 80 minutes, you’ve got to be in condition and today it paid off."

The game opened with the teams spending the first 10 minutes feeling each other out. Slowly Weir began to take over and unveiled their strategy. Playing an offensive-minded 3-3-4 formation, they focused on getting the ball in front of the goal outside the PikeView box.

The Red Riders put five shots on target, but PikeView goalie Amanda Presley stopped all of them and the Panthers’ defense followed her lead.

"My mindset was pretty much the same as it is every game, go out there and focus and do what I know I’ve got to do and get the job done because they’re counting on me as the last defender," Presley said.

Then PikeView turned the tables, taking the fight to Weir. The Panthers focused on playing the ball wide, then crossing to a potentially open player in the penalty area. This tactic only produced two shots on goal, but PikeView forced Weir keeper Taylor Gianangeli to work hard as she handled the ball 12 times in the first 40 minutes.

As morning morphed into afternoon, PikeView proved they were for real — and Weir knew it. In the first minute of the second half, the Red Riders had their best opportunity of regulation. Nikolette Robinson crossed the ball from the right side deep into the PikeView box. Kassandra Robinson met it, but Presley was there to make the stop.

Weir controlled the majority of the second half, concentrating their attack on the left side of PikeView’s defense. But defenders Deidra DeMoss, Maggie Dillon and Tara Hazelwood thrived on the challenge, only allowing the Red Riders one more shot on goal for the rest of the period.

"I think just having faith in yourself and in your teammates was a big key," Dillon said. "You’ve just got to have faith in everybody."

The Panthers actually got more shots on goal — five — than the Red Riders in the second 40 minutes and continued to force Gianangeli to work hard. As she had in the first half, Gianangeli kept PikeView off the scoreboard. She ended the game with eight saves on eight shots and handled the ball 26 times in the game’s 100 minutes.

"I knew I could depend on my defense and also on my offense to score," Gianangeli said. "It was a little bit nerve-wracking, but otherwise I knew my team could pull through."

The overtime started with Weir controlling the flow. Seven minutes in, they were finally rewarded. Maragos rolled a pass through the PikeView defense. Thorp ran onto it and rolled it past Presley for the game’s definitive moment.

"I didn’t have the ball and I just saw the big opening and I was calling for it," Thorp said. "She passed it to me and one of the things our coaches told us all the time was location. So I saw it and I saw the left side was wide open ‘cause the goalie was coming over to my side and I just put it in right there."

It took the Red Riders just one minute to put the game away. This time Thorp made the pass to Maragos from the right side into the box and Maragos finished with a perfect rolling shot in the lower left corner. Even though they had another 10-minute overtime period, PikeView never recovered.

"Lindsay sent it and I had my back to the goal and I whipped around and I just saw the open corner," Maragos said.

"I think just the fatigue of the game eventually got us and once that first goal went in it’s hard to pick yourself back up from that knowing that you don’t have a lot left in the tank," Hill said.

Weir (16-3-3) will play Charleston Catholic, who blew out Grafton in the first semifinal 7-0, in the state championship game today at 11 a.m.

"This goes all the way back a whole year," LeFever said. "We got beat 2-0 and we didn’t come out and give our best game last year. We all know that. We played them earlier in the season and we tied them 1-1 at our field. Ever since then it’s all about going back to Charleston Catholic and getting our second shot at them."

PikeView ends their historic season with a 15-7 record and a championship pedigree to build on. They also lose just one senior, Hazelwood.

"Just the great relationship that I’ve built with all of these ladies and just being able to come out here and do something that I know I’ll be able to keep with (me) the rest of my life and just something that’s been so special and being able to do it with people that I love was just the best part of it all," Hazelwood said.

With youth and experience on their side, the Panthers appear to be the early favorites for a return to the state tournament next year.

"Having everybody else anticipating coming back, some of the new players we anticipate having next year," Hill said, "we do think that this can be a building block for better things in years to come."

—Contact Jed Lockett

At jlockett@bdtonline.com



Goals—Weir, Lindsay Thorp (87), Milena Maragos (88). Assists—Milena Maragos (87), Lindsay Thorp (88). Halftime—0-0. Regulation—0-0. Shots (On Goal)—PikeView 11 (8). Weir 18 (10). Saves—PikeView 8 (Amanda Presley 8). Weir 8 (Taylor Gianangeli 8). Corner Kicks—PikeView 3. Weir 4. Offsides—PikeView 1. Weir 2. Fouls—PikeView 1. Weir 12. Cards—None.