By Gary Fauber
Weir’s last visit to Beckley was not pretty.
The Red Riders fell behind 6-0 to eventual champion Berkeley Springs in an 8-6 loss in last year’s state semifinals.
They’re back this year with something to prove.
And they’re halfway there.
Led by Chad Ford’s hat trick, Weir defeated Oak Hill 4-1 Friday in the Class AA/A semifinals at the YMCA Youth Sports Complex.
The Riders (15-2-2) will take on Charleston Catholic at about 1 p.m. today for the state championship.
Ford put Weir up 1-0 with an unassisted goal in the game’s seventh minute. His scored his second goal from 28 yards out in the 23rd minute to make it a 2-1 game.
On that goal, Oak Hill keeper Mark Manning came out to defend and Ford took advantage of the open net.
“Real important,” Ford said of his second goal. “It set the tone. I looked up and their goalie was coming at me, so I knew I had a chance. The goal was wide open. The defender was on my back and the goalie was in front of me.”
Weir used its quickness to take Oak Hill (12-6-2) out of its game.
“They were quick,” senior midfielder Cory Whaples said. “They stepped to the ball really well. If we didn’t pressure them, they were around us before we knew it.”
Trailing 2-1 at halftime, the Red Devils came out aggressively in the second half. They were able to keep the ball on Weir’s end of the field and took more shots on goal than in the first, but nothing found the back of the net.
“Pretty much at halftime we told them what they were doing wrong,” Oak Hill coach Laura Sedlock said. “We told them what they needed to do to protect, to get it out to the wing, apply pressure, more intensity. They stepped up in the second half. It seemed like we had more shots on the goal in the second half than Weir.”
“I’m not trying to discredit Weir,” assistant coach Stephanie Woodson said. “They are a good team, but so are we. We got behind early, and I think if we could have found the net just once in the second half, it could have been a turnaround for us.”
Weir coach Joe Pepe said not being familiar with Oak Hill made things difficult, but he was happy with the way his team adjusted.
“I think we had a little bit of a letdown (in the second half),” Pepe said. “I think these kids really adapted well. We’re really proud of them. They stepped up very, very well to the pressure, and Oak Hill was putting some pressure on us. We told them they were going to have to make some adjustments on the fly.”
Of Oak Hill’s many second-half opportunities, perhaps the biggest came in the 59th minute. Thomas Booth got loose on a breakaway, but Josh Barney, Weir’s sophomore keeper, made two huge saves and got some help from defender Khristian Williams for a third.
“We had the opportunities, we just could not execute,” Woodson said.
Victor Garcia scored his 101st career goal in the 14th minute for the Red Devils. Daniel Garcia’s direct kick caromed off the crossbar, and Victor Garcia was in the right place, putting the ball in the net to make it a 1-1 game.
“When we were warming up, I saw that the goalie had trouble catching the ball,” Garcia said. “So when he caught it, I automatically ran and he dropped the ball. I stuck my foot in there and it was over his head.”
Ford completed his hat trick in the final minute of the game. He now has 36 goals on the season.
Matthew Kopp scored the other goal for Weir.
— E-mail:
gfauber@register-herald.com
Weir 4, Oak Hill 1
Halftime: Weir 1-1. Scoring: Chad Ford, Weir (7); Victor Garcia, Oak Hill (14), Ford (23), Matthew Kopp, Weir (55), Ford (89). Shots on goal: W (Kopp, Ford 4, John Pennacchio); OH (Joel Young 3, Cory Whaples, Thomas Booth, Daniel Garcia, Victor Garcia 2). Keeper saves: W (Josh Barney 7); OH (Mark Manning 4). Corner Kicks: W 3; OH 5. Fouls: W 9; OH 9. Records: W (15-2-2); OH (12-6-2).
