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(BUCKHANNON, W.Va)---The West Virginia Wesleyan Lady Bobcats finished out the WVIAC tournament in style with a convincing 4-0 win over the Concord Lady Mt. Lions to claim their third consecutive tournament title Sunday afternoon at Wood Street Field.
“It was a very gratifying win,” remarked head coach Glenn Francis. “Both on a professional and personal level. Soccer is a matter of match-ups and I thought we came up with a good game plan and executed it to neutralize Concord.”
Concord hoped to use the momentum they gained after knocking off the top-seeded Davis and Elkins Senators, but the Lady Bobcats were the far superior team, dominating on both sides of the field.
Wesleyan dictated play in the first half and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a goal from senior Ashley Dragos and two goals from junior Meghan Zayas.
Dragos opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Senior midfielder Brittany Clark made a strong run down the left side of the field and crossed the ball to Dragos who was wide open on the back post. Dragos took a controlling touched and blasted the ball past Concord goalkeeper, Kacey Hildebrand.
Zayas’ first goal followed just three minutes later. After dribbling the ball past two Concord defenders, she took a strong right-footed shot that beat the goalkeeper to the right side.
Zayas found the initiative again late in the first half and once again found the goal, this time pushing the Lady Bobcats ahead 3-0. Senior Jill Morrison found Zayas making a run through the midfield and was able to beat the defense with one pass. Zayas took an arcing shot that sailed over the goalkeeper’s head and dropped in the back corner of the goal.
The Lady Bobcat’s defense stifled the Concord forwards in the first half, not allowing a shot. The only real opportunity for the Mountain Cats came with five minutes remaining in the half. A corner kick from Alyssa Hessian found Lindsey DaVaughn open in the box, but DeVaughn’s shot was blocked by Aleisha Rees and cleared from danger.
The Lady Bobcats continued to control the game in the second half and extended their lead at the 49 minute mark with Morrison finding the back of the net. Emma Levin-Nielson played a ball out of the midfield to a charging Morrison, who was able to fight off two defenders to reach the ball first. Her first shot was saved by Hildebrand, but Morrison collected her own rebound and placed the ball in the back of the net.
Up by four goals, Francis allowed some of his younger players accumulate some quality minutes.
Twenty-six Lady Bobcats saw playing time and all helped contribute to a well-earned win.
Wesleyan outshot Concord 15-4 in the game, with all of Concord’s shot coming in the second half. Wesleyan also had the edge in corner kicks at 8-2.
Lauren Hessian and Madison Edwards split time in the net. Hessian turned away four shots while Edwards wasn’t credited with a save.
Hildebrand had five saves for Concord.
Francis claims his third title I his fifth year at the helm of the Lady Bobcats. They defeated Wheeling Jesuit in 2007 and Concord in 2008. The win also propels Wesleyan to its third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
Their opponent for the first round it to be announced on Monday night at 7 p.m. The selection show can be seen www.NCAA.com.
WVIAC Women's Soccer Tournament
November 2-8
all matches hosted by the higher seed
Monday, 11/2 (first round)
#4 Concord 2, #5 Alderson-Broaddus 0
#3 Wheeling Jesuit 2, #6 Seton Hill 0
Friday, 11/6 (semifinals)
#4 Concord 3, #1 Davis & Elkins 2
#2 West Virginia Wesleyan 2, #3 Wheeling Jesuit 1
Sunday, 11/8
#2 West Virginia Wesleyan 4, #4 Concord 0
WVIAC Women's Soccer Tournament Champions:
1997: West Virginia Wesleyan
1998: West Virginia Wesleyan
1999: West Virginia Wesleyan
2000: Wheeling Jesuit
2001: West Virginia Wesleyan
2002: Concord
2003: West Virginia Wesleyan
2004: Wheeling Jesuit
2005: Wheeling Jesuit
2006: Wheeling Jesuit
2007: West Virginia Wesleyan
2008: West Virginia Wesleyan
2009: West Virginia Wesleyan