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WHEELING - Two soccer teams that have had a lot of success this season met on the pitch Thursday at Wheeling Island Stadium as the Wheeling Park Patriots (12-4-1) defeated the Parkersburg Big Reds (14-3-2) 7-0.
Park picked up their play as the game went on, leading 3-0 at halftime and piling on four more goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
"Parkersburg is a very good team, they gave us trouble in the beginning," Wheeling Park head coach Tom Smith said. "We made some adjustments. We came out flat, they came out with a lot of pace. The adjustments were moving the ball in the midfield and then working it up the forwards, everybody contributing."
"For the most part, you can tell that we're a team that's pretty worn down and worn-out right now," Parkersburg head coach Jarric Hoskins said. "I thought our movement to the ball could've been a lot better, we played one step behind, like we were a step slower than they were. They possess the ball very well, they weren't waiting, they play the ball off, continue the run, made a couple 1-2 passes. They move the ball very quickly, and at times we were just a step slower.
Nearly 10 minutes went by without a score Thursday before the Patriots' Brenna Tipton broke things open with a high lofted shot from the right wing that scraped the outstretched fingers of the Parkersburg keeper but fell in for a goal.
The Big Reds keeper, Kaleigh Rexroad, made a remarkable diving save in the 14th minute, leaping for a midair snag on a uncontested shot by Park's Julia Dunaway after a breakaway.
Dunaway and Rexroad faced each other again in the 28th minute, Dunaway firing a cross shot from the right wing that Rexroad had to once again lay out to get a hand on.
Rexroad, a senior, had seven saves on the game.
Dunaway finally got one to go in the 29th minute after a pass from Sarah Craycraft put her out in front of the defense for a one-on-one look at the goal.
Parkersburg threatened in the 34th minute, the Big Reds' Adriana Medina lining up a rare uncontested look from the left wing but pushing the shot wide of the frame.
Julia Dunaway made it 3-0 in the 35th minute after capitalizing on another mano a mano situation. Rexroad got a hand on the shot but there was too much velocity behind it, and the ball carried into the back of the net.
Out of the break, Tipton once again got the scoring started, crashing down for a try after a shot had clanged off the goal post.
Wheeling Park's keeper, Hailey Hastings, kept the Patriots' scoreless sheet in the 51st minute by making a diving stop against a Big Reds penalty kick.
The Patriots carried that momentum into a score less than 60 seconds later from Katelyn Smith on the left wing.
Dunaway scored one more goal right before being subbed out in the 60th minute to make it 6-0. Caroline Lecuyer put the cap on the night with a goal in the 61st minute.
Parkersburg has one more game left in their regular season, vs. Morgantown on Oct. 15, while Wheeling Park has two games left on their schedule.
"Our main focus right now is getting some girls healthy, getting our legs back under us," Hoskins, whose Big Reds were missing multiple girls with injuries, said. "We're pretty worn down. I think that kind of showed tonight in our effort in spots. We had our opportunities, just played a little slower, didn't get the ball off our foot. Park was simply the better team tonight, credit to them. They moved the ball really well, they have some really good players."
For Park, they are searching for improved consistency heading into the postseason.
"We have pockets of time where we play just how we want to play, and there are pockets of time where we're not focused," Smith said. "It's a matter of getting completely focused for the entire duration of a game, not 60 minutes of a game and there's a 20-minute interval where we're not playing how we're capable of. It's about consistency at this point."