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‘Jacket Weather: Williamstown girls defeat Ravenswood in quarterfinals

By Kerry Patrick 4 min read

WILLIAMSTOWN - After scoring a school-record 41 goals this season, little doubt Ravenswood senior Reagen Durbin is worthy of all-state status.

However, Williamstown countered with its own starlet in senior Addie Richardson, who anchored the scoring in the Yellowjackets' 4-1 win over the Red Devilettes in Monday's Class AA/A, Region I quarterfinal match.

Richardson recorded the opening goal seven minutes into the match and put on a sizzling display of dribbling for nearly the length of the field then cutting through a double-team while dropping the final goal with four-plus minutes remaining in regulation.

"I just try to look for the gaps all the time," Richardson said. "That's the easiest thing for me, at least, is to try and find your between (the defenders)."

Raeley Perdue put the Yellowjackets (7-10-1) in front 2-0 and Kenzy Biddle increased the lead to 3-0 four minutes into the second half.

"It definitely helps us out a bunch when we get up early," Richardson said. "Sometimes, we have the mindset of once the other team scores we shut down. We didn't have that mindset our last game and we've just been trucking through.

"It's really exciting to finally be able to come out here and put it to them first."

Williamstown coach Maddi Leggett will let the girls celebrate the win on its final match at home then make the quick turnaround and prepare for the region's top-seed, Wheeling Central on Thursday. More than a month ago, Wheeling Central won at Williamstown, 5-0.

"Wheeling Central is their own beast," Leggett said. "When we played them the first time, we played a defensive game. Going into the next game, we will go in hoping to score and give them the best run we can."

The Yellowjackets, which lost to Ravenswood in the postseason last year, matched their scoring output in a 4-3 win over the Red Devilettes in a match played back in August.

"I talked to the girls from the beginning that we weren't going to play a defensive game tonight," Leggett said. "They came out very offensive-minded and started right off the bat."

Possessing the ball went a long way toward Williamstown's success.

"We have pushed for possessing very hard this season - almost to the point where everyone stopped dribbling," Leggett said. "

Despite trailing 3-0, Ravenswood didn't back down. Durbin gathered in a ball off a teammate's free kick just in front of the goal line and the shot slippped through the wickets of Williamstown keeper Bella McCloy at the 31:51 mark of the second half.

Williamstown managed to steer clear of danger of a Ravenswood free kick from the sidelines 10 yards out which sailed over to the opposite side for a Yellowjacket goal kick.

"I switched up things at halftime and try to go a little more offensive," Ravenswood coach Jim Bob Durbin said. "We just had a tough time in the midfield stepping to the ball and trying to create opportunities for our strikers.

"We got Williamstown last year, but they got us this year. Maddi has done a great job with the Yellowjackets."

Ravenswood ends the season at 12-8-1, which matches last year's win output. The Red Devilettes graduate four seniors. The bench consisted of just three players, including one partially injured, who were being shuffled in and out throughout.

"I've told the girls this year, and I am going to tell them again - we have to get into the school and start recruiting their friends and get our numbers up," coach Durbin said. "I said, the less numbers, the more conditioned they have to be. So there is more running to do at practice."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

High School Girls Soccer

Class AA/A, Region I

Quarterfinals

Williamstown 4, Ravenswood 1

RAV (12-8-1) 0 1 - 1

WHS (7-10-1) 2 2 - 4

First Half

W: Addie Richardson, 33:43

W: Raeley Perdue, 9:36

Second Half

W: Kenzy Biddle, 36:09

R: Reagen Durbin, 31:51

W: Addie Richardson, 4:10

Next match: Class AA/A Region I semifinal, No. 4 Williamstown at No. 1 Wheeling Central, Thursday

Starting at /week.