Elkins girls soccer team wins section title with win over Philip Barbour
ELKINS — The Lady Tigers defended home field with a 1-0 win on Thursday to earn the Class AA/A Region II Section 2 title over visiting Philip Barbour.
Elkins’ record as they move to the regional final is 11 wins, 2 losses and 6 ties. The Lady Colts finished their season with a resume of 11 wins, 6 losses and 4 ties.
Elkins will play for a Region II championship on Tuesday, while facing either Liberty or Bridgeport at hosting RCB High School. If EHS wins, they will be one of four finalists to enter the AA/A state playoff tournament, which will be hosted in Beckley.
“It was a back and forth game and both teams had some chances,” EHS coach Scott Cutright said. “The win creates another chance for us to advance, and we look forward to the next chance in regional play.
“We didn’t know which way the advantage could go after a weather delay,” he said. “It’s been our goal to win sectionals, and we look forward to a chance in the region final being hosted at RCB on Tuesday.”
Elkins’ lone goal was put in at 13 minutes into the match by sophomore Hannah Haddix, giving the Tigers a lasting 1-0 advantage. EHS edged Philip Barbour, 9-8, with shots on goal, while the visitors gained a slight 2-1 margin with corner kick tries.
Sophomore Taylor Phillips nabbed 6 saves for Elkins, while PB keeper Cloie Mosesso garnered 6 stops for the visitors. Phillips has been a sparkplug for the Tigers after coming in later in the season after an injury to starter Christine Zurbuch.
“PB’s seniors played pretty tough tonight,” Cutright said. “Cassandra Triplett’s speed is tremendous. She puts defenders in a difficult position. With the amount of goals she has scored, she has been a very difficult player to shut down.”
Triplett has scored 39 times this season, and is Philip Barbour’s all-time leading scorer with more than 120 career goals.
“We had them (EHS) under a lot of pressure and let one get in early,” PB coach Pete Ferguson said. “It was an excellent effort from all the girls to give us opportunities. This year’s senior group is one of the best we have had, and the entire team has given 100 percent.
“Every game this year was a direct reflection of how determined the players were to do things the right way,” he said. “We’re losing one of the best groups we’ve ever had overall, but we started four freshman this season. The seniors will be hard to replace, and we will miss them. We are also glad to have a good returning class for next year.”
Elkins will continue to practice and prepare over the weekend, and into next week. The Lady Tigers will either face Liberty or Bridgeport on Tuesday for the Region II title. Robert C. Byrd High School will host the match, and the winner of the contest will qualify for the state playoffs.