Published: November 08, 2008 01:33 am      

Freshman leads Parkersburg into AAA title game

It wasn’t a surprise that Friday’s state boys soccer semifinal matchup between George Washington and Parkersburg would come down to the wire — a September contest between the defending state champion Patriots, and the Big Reds, the 2006 champion, ended with a 1-0 GW victory.

The surprise instead was the play of Parkersburg freshman midfielder Brian Runyon, who scored two goals for his team, including one in the second overtime to give his team a 2-1 victory and a berth in today’s championship against Wheeling Park.

“It was a good experience,” Runyon said. “I had never been here before. I never expected anything like this.”

Parkersburg (13-5-4) struck first in the matchup, which took place at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex, as Runyon scored in the 10th minute from about 12 yards out.

Although never dull, the game remained notched at 1-0 until nine minutes into the second half, when Patriots senior Adam Younis took a ball that deflected off Parkersburg keeper Spencer Griffey, knocking it into the net for his team’s first and only goal of the day.

The score from Younis, whose first goal of the season was the overtime shot in the regional final that sent GW (16-6-2) to the state tournament, marked the end of regulation scoring.

Both teams had their opportunities in the first 10-minute OT period, but it was Runyon who put the game away when he crushed a kick into the upper left corner of the net with 7 minutes and 38 seconds to play.

Parkersburg coach Dan Fosselman Jr. said he was proud of his team’s never-give-up attitude.

“(I’m) real proud of the way our kids never quit,” he said. “The fact that we didn’t give up, we didn’t quit and we kept coming back. We had to weather a few storms. GW came back and they were fighting hard.”

Fosselman attributed the win to the team’s fitness, in addition to depth of its roster, as it had to replace junior defender Zachary Higginbotham, who took a blow to the head.

“I just think we’re a second-half team and these kids just never quit,” he said. “They never gave up.”

Higginbotham, Fosselman said, will be evaluated by the team trainer, who will determine if he takes the field today.

George Washington coach Tom Hopper said he was disappointed with the season’s ending, adding Runyon’s game-winner was the game’s “only good goal.”

Patriots senior keeper Connell Green gave Runyon credit for a great shot.

“It was a good shot and I’m happy for him,” he said.

Parkersburg will take on Wheeling Park, the state’s No. 1-ranked team, for the AAA boys state title at 10:30 a.m. today.

This is the second matchup of the year between the two schools. Their Aug. 23 contest ended in a scoreless tie.

— E-mail:

mjames@register-herald.com