×

Brooke rolls to win over Red Riders

WEIRTON – The Brooke-Weir girls’ soccer rivalry has been filled with many memorable matches, moments and players.

Thursday evening’s match between the Bruins and Red Riders was not the classic match that everyone has come to expect when the two local rivals step onto the pitch.

Game 1 of the season series belonged to the Bruins.

The Bruins scored three goals in the first half and four more in the second half en route to a 7-1 victory over the Red Riders at Jimmy Carey Stadium.

“Right now, at times we are playing very well,” Brooke (4-2) head coach Lee Weppler said. “At other times, we see areas where we need improvement.

“We were able to put pressure on them. We had good build up from the back. We were able to keep possession of the ball. We took chances when we had the opportunities.”

The Red Riders had a hard time getting the ball out of their end of the field.

“We usually step up hard,” Weir (2-3) head coach Jessica Naughton said. “Their first goal, it was deflected in. That was a bummer for us. We got it to 3-1, but we weren’t able to dig ourselves out the little hole we were in.

“No. 11 (Cheyenne Hudson) and No. 22 (Leila Hannaoui) did a good job controlling the middle of the field for them.

“We had four injuries today we were dealing with, but you have to give credit to Brooke. You have to look at the positives instead of the negatives. Aleisa LeSane, we moved her up to forward. We were hoping she would give them some trouble in the back.”

Alyssa Shingle scored the lone goal of the game for the Red Riders off of an assist by Francesca Farran.

Andrea Jenkins filled in at goalie for the Bruins. The junior did not make a save.

Weir used two goalies in the game. Alyssa Kelly started in net, and she made 13 saves before being replaced in the second half by Madison Dalrymple. Dalrymple stopped six shots.

Brooke outshot Weir, 35-1, in the match.

“They won about 98 percent of the 50-50 balls,” Naughton said. “If you don’t win any of those, it is hard to compete. We saw some little glimpses, but today was not our day.”

Weir took 21 goal kicks in the game, while Brooke took just two. The Bruins took five corner kicks, while the Red Riders took two.

Michaela Hinerman scored less than five minutes into the game off of an assist by Cronin to put the Bruins out in front, 1-0, with 35:54 left to play in the first half.

Hannaoui scored the next two goals for Brooke. The freshman’s first goal of the game came with 26:36 left to play before halftime, and she netted her second one of the game just 29 seconds later to give the visitors a 3-0 advantage with 26:07 left to play before halftime.

“They are a good team,” Weppler said. “They have a great coach. They have a good group of girls. They were dealing with some injuries. I think that effected how they played because of the movement of the players. They have some great girls. They are a good team.”

Shingle scored to put Weir on the scoreboard with 1:56 left to play in the first stanza.

Prior to Shingle’s goal, Brooke was outshooting Weir, 19-0. The Bruins had 16 shots on goal, while the Red Riders had zero.

Riccelli, Hinerman, Loughrie and Hudson all collected goals in the second half for Brooke.

“The thing with Brooke and Weir is, I think, the proximity of the two schools that makes such a great rivalry,” Weppler said. “The girls live near each other. Weirton has a traveling team. They play together on the team. They are friends. They hang out together. It’s about competition. It’s a friendly game. The parents and fans know each other. It is a great game for the players. It is good competition.”

Naughton, who played at Brooke, has been a part of this rivalry as a player, a fan, an assistant coach and as a head coach.

“It is great competition,” Naughton said. “It is a great rivalry. It wasn’t a physical game. I actually thought it was going to be more physical. It’s the same type of rivalry as Weir-Madonna. It is a big rivalry. Brooke is my alma mater.

“Half of the girls play together on the Force. That makes it so much more special.”

The Bruins controlled the game from the first whistle to the last whistle.

“We have some girls who were hurt,” Naughton said. “Mikayla Zias is hurt. Morgan Cassels is hurt. It is tough on them. They feel bad that they couldn’t be out there helping their team out.

“Give Brooke credit. It was not our day today.”

The two teams will meet late in the season at Brooke. The game is set for 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15.

“It will be nice to play them again,” Naughton said. “Lee and I have got that going. It will be nice to play a good team right before our sectionals start.”

Both teams are scheduled to return to the field at 11 a.m. Saturday. Brooke plays at home against University, while Weir travels to take on Tyler Consolidated.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today