Vanja Mueller’s golden purpose lifts MHS ladies to 2nd straight state championship

BECKLEY — The Morgantown ladies’ soccer group captured the 2023 title over Parkersburg South 1-0 in time beyond regulation at Paul Cline Memorial Soccer Complicated in Beckley.

After a scoreless consequence after the regulation 80 minutes of play, the match headed to sudden-death time beyond regulation. MHS discovered the go-ahead, game-winning purpose within the second interval of time beyond regulation when attacker Vanja Mueller pounced onto the ball after a rebounded save and fired the ball off of the underside of the crossbar and into the purpose.

The Mohigans repeat as state champions after their 2022 run, and head coach Bri Frontuto earns her first.

“After the sport after we circled up I advised them they saved their finest sport of the season till now, which was the best second,” Frontuto mentioned. “These ladies battled exhausting for the complete sport and executed on all areas of the pitch. They listened to the whole lot we talked about for the final 48 hours and it was unbelievable work from each single individual on this group.”

For the whole thing of the primary half, and many of the match itself, the Mohigans had the ball within the offensive half of the sector. The Patriots had been struggling to own the ball in anyway on offense and once they did it again the consequence was usually a protracted clearing ball that went proper again to MHS.

Gracie Brown, Ariana Borneo and Lilly Staples managed the midfield nicely all through the match and didn’t permit the Patriot midfielders any probabilities to construct an assault. In the event that they did, a strong back-four for MHS was there in help to clear any threats. The Mohigans outshot PS 11-2 within the match.

“This sport was going to be received within the midfield, and we knew that, I’ve been saying it since Thursday evening,” Frontuto mentioned. “To have the aggressive, gritty play, and hold the ball in our offensive half of the texture almost the entire sport has me speechless. Actually their finest sport this 12 months.”

The second half of regulation was the identical script as the primary, with Morgantown possessing the ball on offense and the Patriots absorbing the strain earlier than making an attempt to interrupt out on the assault.

Just a few probabilities offered themselves within the half for a go-ahead purpose, however MHS couldn’t discover the ending touches contained in the field, and time beyond regulation was reached with zeros on the scoreboard.

No purpose was discovered by both facet after the primary ten minutes, as each groups continued the place they left off in regulation.

With lower than two minutes left earlier than penalty kicks would resolve the winner, Lilly Staples acquired the ball in the course of the sector and made a solo run down the left facet and right into a harmful space. Her shot was saved however rebounded to the ft of right-winger Vanja Mueller, who rifled the ball onto the underside of the crossbar and down into the purpose.

The German alternate pupil, enjoying in her first season at MHS, ended the match and gave her group a 1-0 victory for its second straight state championship.

“Actually, I didn’t assume it was even a purpose at first, so I used to be about to cry,” Mueller mentioned about her championship-sealing purpose. “Everybody simply got here screaming at me and I spotted it was a purpose. Lilly made a very good play to get the ball into the field and I really feel like we had many probabilities to attain but it surely didn’t occur, we deserved that one.”

“I advised them that they earned this spot and alternative,” Frontuto mentioned. “They’ve earned each single factor to get right here and if I may I’d coach all 16 of those ladies once more. Hats off to them for such an unbelievable effort all season.”