2 days Ago By By Gary Fauber The Register-Herald
Even if Greenbrier East coach Mike Dotson wasn’t totally happy with the performance, he was glad to see them get back on track. Fighting back from a 1-0 deficit, the Spartans visited Beckley and took down rival Woodrow Wilson 3-1 Tuesday night at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex. The Spartans (7-1-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season, 4-0 at Washington on Saturday.
That was half of the goals they had allowed all year going into Tuesday. “It was nice,” Dotson said. “That's one thing about soccer.
Sometimes you get a short turnaround, short memory. We went (to Washington) and first half we played pretty well, even though we were down. But this was nice to get back out here and play somebody, especially Woodrow, because they give us a good battle every time.
” That was evident from the start. Isabella Umberger bounced the ball high over the head of approaching goalie Grace Boettner and into the goal for a 1-0 lead in the game’s sixth minute. The Spartans answered seven minutes later on a breakaway goal by Kiana McClung for the equalizer.
That goal seemed to get them into a rhythm after a slow start. “I don't know if it was the trip over. You never know what you're getting with high school girls and boys,” Dotson said.
“We did start a little bit (slow), then we were able to turn it on and use some of the speed we have.” The difference in the score came down to a pair of direct kicks for the Spartans. The first was from Caroline Dotson, who fired one in after getting fouled in the 27th minute to put her team up for good.
That’s where it stayed until about halfway through the second half. Greenbrier East’s Ava Workman and Woodrow keeper Mia Seiter collided in the box and Seiter was sent to the sideline. With the starting keeper on the bench, Workman put the ensuing kick in for a two-goal Spartans lead in the 56th minute.
“My girls played hard,” Flying Eagles coach Julie Agnor said. “They won it on the field. We were slowed down for a little while, but we picked it back up.
They never hung their heads. They kept going at it. They connected passes.
They made three ball passes. They showed their ability on the field. I'm so proud of them.
” Woodrow (3-5-1) continues to press on with a young team, and Agnor is happy with the players' progression. “It's a very young team, and for them to step in and play like they're playing right now, I couldn't ask for more,” she said. Dotson was also happy to have Boettner back after missing nearly two weeks with a broken finger.
The Spartans swept the season series, also beating Woodrow 3-0 in Fairlea on Aug. 29. “I think we played OK,” Dotson said.
“We could have played better. Beckley’s always going to give us a good punch, and we have to adapt to that. They did that.
And then I think we played too much one-on-one. We didn't play our soccer. But a win against them here, we know what that means to us.
So, all in all, I think we'll walk out of here happy.” Woodrow will host Pocahontas County Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Spartans will welcome Musselman to Fairlea Saturday at 1 p.m..
