WEIRTON — Two of the top girls soccer teams in the OVAC met Saturday afternoon inside Jimmy Carey Stadium.

Weir was looking to rebound after a loss at Morgantown, while Big Red was looking to keep its undefeated season intact.

Big Red struck first to take the lead, however, the Red Riders responded and recorded a goal in each half to rally for a 2-1 win on senior day to knock Big Red from the ranks of the unbeaten.

“It was a good game,” Weir (6-2-3) head coach Jeremy Angelo said. “They got the first goal, but we fought back and got a couple in the net.

“In the second half, we took over. We had the ball more in their half of the field.

“Big Red is good up top. They have a lot of pace. They can stretch the game. We made them work for it.”

After scoring the first goal of the match, Big Red had a difficult time getting anything going on the offensive end of the field.

“It is always battle, especially playing at Weir” Big Red (8-1) head coach Annie Cutri said. “They have a bigger field. We’re used to playing on smaller field. They are a physical team. We didn’t match them. That killed us. We did not win the 50/50 balls.”

The hosts scored on a breakaway in the first half to knot the score at 1 before breaking the tie with a goal off a corner kick in the second.

“We knew Weir likes to get a lot of people in front of the goal on corners,” Cutri said. “They try to create chaos in front of the goal. We couldn’t clear the ball out, so chaos happened.

“We could not get rolling. We just were not on (Saturday) the way we normally are on offense. We just were not clicking today.

“You either win, or you learn from a loss. We have got a lot to learn from this loss.”

Big Red was the latest tough team the girls from Hancock County have faced this season.

Myleigh Clevenger and Bianca Pittman each netted a goal for the hosts, while Lexie Fayak collected an assist. Rayna Hoover made five saves in goal for the victors.

Gianna Thomas tallied the lone goal of the match for the visitors off an assist by Lucy Saccoccia. Mady Thacker made five saves for Steubenville.

Weir outshot Big Red, 12-6, and the Red Riders had a 7-6 edge on shots on goal. Weir’s offensive pressure resulted in Big Red having to take nine goal kicks, while the home team took six. The hosts had a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.

“We created a bunch of chances in the second half,” Angelo said. “One of our least likely players came away with the goal. Bianca scored her first goal of the season. We can build off that.

“She had girls out, and half our girls are sick. Our girls have battled well. We have played a lot of games lately, and I think it has taken a toll on them. Fortunately, we have some time off before we play our next game.”

Thomas opened the scoring for Big Red with a perfectly-placed shot into the upper corner on the far side of the goal to give her team a 1-0 advantage with 17:28 left to play before halftime.

The winners responded when Clevenger found the back of the net off of a feed from Fayak to tie the score at 1.

The score remained deadlocked at one for nearly 16 minutes into the second half before a scrum ensued in front of the net, and Pittman was able to knock the ball into the net to give the Red Riders a 2-1 lead with 24:03 remaining to be played.

Hoover and the Weir defense kept Big Red at bay the rest of the way.

“We kind of new what they were going to do,” Cutri said. “They pass the ball well. They like to control the middle of the field. We like to control the middle of the field. We just could not break through today.

“We knew 8 (Fayak) has a lot of speed. Their sweeper is quick. They’re just a solid team.

“I love coaching against Jeremy. Kudos to him and his team.”

Cutri played against Angelo when she played at Big Red and he was the head coach out at Edison.

Prior to the start of the match, Weir honored its seniors — Jenna Costello, Gabrielle Spickard, Catherine Goldowski, Gigi Paladina, Gabrielle Noel, Sarah Stewart, Jaidyn Kelly, Melia Palvis, Melina Upright, Fayak and Hoover.

“It was nice to get a win for the seniors against a good team and against a rival,” Angelo said.

Big Red is scheduled to play Beaver Local today on the road.

Weir is slated to play Wheeling Park at 6 p.m. Thursday at home.