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Parkersburg High girls too much for Lady Warriors

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times Parkersburg’s Madison Spears, left, battles Warren’s Emma Rader for the ball during a high school girls soccer match Tuesday in Vincent. Parkersburg won, 1-0.

By Ron Johnston

The Marietta Times

rjohnston@mariettatimes.com

VINCENT — Madison Spears is rapidly making a name for herself.

The freshman striker’s late second-half goal snapped a scoreless deadlock, and enabled Parkersburg High to defeat host Warren High, 1-0, in girls’ soccer action Tuesday night.

“That’s Madison’s fourth goal of the season,” said PHS head coach Eric McCoy. “She’s the one who put the ball in the net, but it could’ve been any one of them.”

Big Reds’ senior Kacee Roberts was credited with an assist on Spears’ match-winning net-bender.

“We needed all 80 minutes for that one,” said McCoy, whose red and white booters improved their record to 2-3 on the season. “I feel like we had five or six chances where we could’ve put one in, but it doesn’t matter unless you do.”

“Give Warren credit,” McCoy added, “because they kept at it, and I’m just glad we got one (goal), because I know we had the chances, and we were working hard enough.

“It was just a great team effort. Everyone was working together and trying to accomplish the things we talk about and work on in practice. I would’ve liked to have seen a few more go in, but it’s a win.”

PHS had several opportunities to get on the scoreboard in the first half but lacked a finishing touch. On one chance, it had an open net — and missed.

“Sometimes, not everything goes your way,” McCoy said. “I’m really proud that we had the mental toughness to stick with it and to keep going and to keep going. It would’ve been really easy for some of our players to hang their heads and think that the goal was never going to come. But they didn’t do that.”

PHS junior keeper Sophie Thompson was credited with a clean sheet. She finished with four saves, all near the end of the match.

Warren fell to 1-2 overall. The Warriors only took one shot in the opening half. But after PHS scored in the second half, the royal blue and white came oh-so close to getting the equalizer.

With about 7:23 left in the contest, Warren junior mid Taylor Vickers attempted a direct kick, which was saved by Thompson.

“Vickers had that great shot on the free kick,” said WHS boss Andy Pinkerton. “And Taylor Sloan tried to get the deflection but she kicked it right back to where the keeper was lying on the ground. It was a great effort.”

Not long afterward, Vickers went one-on-one with Thompson but couldn’t slip the ball by the Big Reds’ goalie.

“She (Vickers) had a breakaway,” Pinkerton said, “but she had a mis-touch.”

Pinkerton said that he was very pleased with Warren’s defensive effort.

“The defense, we were pretty happy with,” Pinkerton said. “Sommer Saboley played lights-out, and (Emma) Rader did very well. And Madison Miller again played light-out (between the pipes). She came up with some crucial 50-50 balls. She came off the line and played phenomenal.”

Miller, who finished with five saves, never had a chance on Parkersburg’s goal.

“We had one slight mistake when we let them through to get a free shot on us,” Pinkerton said.

Added the Warren coach, “We’re making strides. We just have to get on the same page offensively.”

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