Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SOUTH WEBSTER — Despite playing to a scoreless tie through nearly 60 minutes of action, Wheelersburg striker Nick Sylvia ultimately proved to be inevitable.
The junior scored a pair of goals within a three-minute timespan to give the Pirates (8-1, 5-1 SOC II) a 2-0 victory over South Webster in a key Southern Ohio Conference matchup on Tuesday night.
“First things first, all glory to God,” Sylvia said. “We wouldn’t be here without Him and we wouldn’t be able to do the things we’re able to do if it wasn’t for Him. We base everything we do off of Him, and I think that’s why we’re able to be as successful as we are.”
The game began in a consistent rain, keeping both offenses at bay throughout the opening half. South Webster (5-3-1, 4-3 SOC II) had a pair of clean looks at the goal, but junior goalkeeper Breydan Byrd made a pair of saves for the Pirates to keep the clean sheet in the early going.
Byrd was also aided by a big block from Carter Porter to cut off the best look the Jeeps’ attack could muster.
“It’s definitely tough to catch a ball in the rain at times, but the main thing is you just have to keep your body in front of it and trust yourself,” Byrd said. “But I’m also lucky to have the guys in front of me on the back line and I trust them. They step in front of shots, take them to the body, win the ball in the air and head it out. [South Webster’s] Hunter [Barnard] managed a couple good shots, but our guys did a great job defending them.”
The Pirates had one chance of their own in the opening half, but South Webster’s Aiden McGraw made a sprawling save to keep the game tied at the break.
Early in the second, the weather finally broke for the first time, opening the game up for the Pirate attack, led by midfielders Evan Mitchell, Carter Rawlins, Brody Wilburn and Miller McKenzie.
With 22:27 to play, that group put together a forward push, finding senior Ethan Hochstetler who was able to link up with Sylvia, who smoothly split a pair of defenders before finishing into the side netting for his 21st goal of the season.
“I get the credit for the goal, but I can’t do what I do without those guys,” Sylvia said. “They do such a great job doing everything to set me up for a goal. Honestly, I didn’t think they were going to get the ball to me, but somehow they did and I got a goal out of it.”
After allowing the goal, the Jeeps looked to push forward harder, leading to another opening for Sylvia, who was tripped in the box with 19:39 to play. That led to an uncontested attempt from the penalty spot.
The junior calmly slotted it past the diving keeper to put the game out of reach and bring the Pirates within a game of Minford in the SOC II standings.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“We needed this one so much, especially since it keeps us in the hunt for a conference title,” Sylvia said. “It gives us momentum moving forward, and that’s what we really need right now.”
Wheelersburg returns to action on Thursday at Waverly, while South Webster hosts Ironton St. Joe in non-divisional SOC action that same evening.
SPONSORED BY GLOCKNER FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS
