Parkersburg South girls defeat Brooke, 4-2
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PARKERSBURG -- On a night dedicated to the senior members of the Parkersburg South girls soccer team, two players from that graduating class rose up to the occasion as the Patriots defeated Brooke, 4-2, Saturday at Erickson All-Sports Facility.
Mackenzie Mott, who opened the season as South's frontline keeper, received a rare start at striker and responded with a hat trick.
Teammate Mia Miller was spot on with her free kicks and managed to a score a second-half goal on one from 35 yards away when her attempt clanked off the underside of the crossbar.
With South making one last charge in the final 30 seconds of regulation and looking to add a fifth goal, Mott snuck between the hash marks and received a pass just inside the box. Her shot on goal was denied as Brooke's second keeper of the night fell to her knees and collected the save -- one of 23 made by the Bruins.
"Yeah, I thought I had it, but my legs were feeling pretty tired," Miller said.
South improves to 14-4 with one road game Tuesday at George Washington remaining to close the regular season. The Patriots shrugged off four early offside calls and kept attacking Brooke's defense.
"Mia has been much better this year getting her free kicks on frame," South coach Ron Bucholtz said. "Last couple of years, it was hit or miss, We know she has a howitzer there. Her sights were never dialed in, but she has it dialed in this year.
"(Mackenzie) stepped up nicely. We are trying some different things. It's senior night and I wanted to give her a chance to play in the field. We know she is a great field player. We are glad to see her step up. She controlled the ball nicely."
South scored the first two goals of the match. The Patriots took a 1-0 lead at 27:04 of the first half when Mott split two defenders down the middle the field, and ripped a shot past Brooke's starting keeper Frankie Neff.
Mott found herself in a familiar part of the field when she received a centering pass from Regan Shockey and used her upper body to steer the ball into the back of the net for a Patriot 2-0 lead at the 21:51 mark.
Recently, Mott was battling back issues. She says everything is turning out fine in time for the postseason.
"At the beginning of the season, we were gearing ourselves for this point of the year and I think we are ready for the postseason," Mott said. "We're connecting well, scoring goals and getting along. I think we have a shot."
Brooke's lone score on the night, junior Ella McCullough, scored the first of her two goals in the final two minutes of the first half on a shot attempt some 30 yards away.
South 11 nine shots on goal in the first half against Neff then pelted the Bruins' second-half replacement Hannah Buterbaugh with 16 shots on goal in the final 40 minutes.
As the designated player on free kicks sine her sophomore year, Miller had two in particular (one in each half) get snuffed off by Brooke's respective keepers. However, Miller delivered a beauty to open the scoring after a halftime which featured the recognition of the team's six seniors. Prior to Miller's goal at 25:24 in the second half, the Patriots had already sent seven shots on goal.
"My coach has been telling me to keep my kicks down -- I listen to him sometimes but when I don't and keep it up then it's not very good," Miller said.
For South's final goal, Mott showcased her foot skills. After receiving possession deep into Brooke territory and being heavily defended, she dribbled to her left then switched directions and used her right foot on a shot which found an open net in the far corner at the 20:27 mark.
McCullough capped the scoring with a goal off a free kick which sailed over the South keeper's reach with 2:27 showing on the clock.
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com