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CHILLICOTHE — Wheelersburg sophomore Makenzie Mullins admits that she struck the ball wrong on a corner kick with just under 10 minutes to play in Saturday’s season opener.
But sometimes, you’re just living right.
Despite her error, Mullins’ kick bent and sailed into the upper hand corner of the netting to, eventually, mark the game-winning goal in the Pirates’ 4-3 victory at Unioto.
The score came with 9:29 remaining and was Wheelersburg’s fourth goal scored by an underclassmen.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“We’re a well-balanced team because we have nine seniors on the roster,” Wheelersburg coach Kevin Powell said. “But the freshmen that came in are very good and the returning sophomores gained a lot of experience last year. So the combination of youth and experience work well together.”
Meanwhile, the Pirates (1-0) had a first-year senior in between the pipes.
Emma Smith made her first career start and posted five saves while keeping the Shermans off the board when it mattered most. Smith has made a name for herself on both the basketball court and softball diamond. But Saturday was her first-ever action on the pitch.
“Emma is a fantastic athlete and a good young lady,” Powell said. “Her willingness to learn and be coachable is what you want. She’s still figuring everything out, obviously. But for somebody that’s never played the game in her life to come in and make several quality stops against a good program like Unioto, that’s amazing.”
Wheelersburg struck first at the 31:44 mark in the first half when Kenzie Piguet found Ella Hochstetler for a score and a 1-0 lead.
However, Unioto (0-1) countered with a goal of its own less than two minutes later when Aidyn Danison was fouled in the penalty box. That made way for Taylor Wellman to calmly tap it into the netting on a PK, forcing a 1-1 tie with 30:18 to go.
It didn’t take long for the Pirates to retake a lead, courtesy of Ella McGraw. The freshman beat the keeper with 26:29 left to play, making it a 2-1 tally.
PHOTOS: Images from Wheelersburg’s win over Unioto
But, as they did throughout most of the evening, the Shermans fought back.
At the 11:11 mark in the first half, Ella Pelfrey’s wish was granted. Finding herself in front of the goal without a defender marking her, Pelfrey received a pass from Reghan Bee and tapped it in, making it 2-2.
“Our coverage in the middle of the field was a little lacking,” Powell said of the team’s defense. “Part of that was because we had some different people in different spots. So we’ve had to shift around. But getting more crisp passes and a little better spacing in the middle of the field, if we can improve on both, we’ll be much better going forward.”
Just before halftime, with 3:31 left, Makenzie Mullens put ‘Burg back in front with her first goal — providing the eventual halftime score of 3-2. But with 26:40 left in the game, Wellman got another chance to score on a PK and took advantage of it, making it a 3-3 deadlock.
Mullens had seen enough, though.
With 9:29 to go, she took matters into her own hands on the aforementioned corner. In the waning moments, Unioto had several looks at the goal. But Smith was there to parry away danger and preserve a season-opening victory.
“Our girls were very resilient,” Powell said. “Their one focus this year has been conditioning and I think our fitness level helped us overcome today. We didn’t let up any and kept pressing. Overall, I just thought we played with a lot of heart.”
While Unioto continues to look for its first win on Wednesday at Fairfield Union, Wheelersburg has a break in action. The Pirates won’t be back on the pitch until Aug. 27 when they host Waverly to begin Southern Ohio Conference play.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Powell said. “We have young girls who are contributing already and, like I said, we have a mix of youth and experience. It’s just a matter of staying focused and staying healthy.”
BOYS SOCCER: Wheelersburg 3, Unioto 1
CHILLICOTHE — After the girls polished off a win over Unioto, Wheelersburg’s boys followed suit.
The Pirates (1-0) received an early score from Nick Sylvia, off an assist from Evan Mitchell, at the 29:05 mark in the first half. Sylvia then repeated the feat minutes later for a 2-0 score.
Unioto (0-1) then got on the board with a goal from Luke Mautz on a PK at the 21:47 mark to cut the deficit in half.
But Ethan Hochstetler’s score with 17:07 left in the first half polished off the night’s final.
Wheelersburg is back in action on Tuesday at Portsmouth West while Unioto attempts to bounce back on Wednesday at Fairfield Union.
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