St. C keeps rolling, tops Huskies in tourney opener
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE - As the top seed in the Ohio Division IV girl’s sectional soccer tournament, Wes Stoner had the choice of playing a first-round game or taking a bye which would have left his Red Devils off the pitch for 18 straight days.
The veteran Red Devils boss made a wise decision in opting to play as he watched his team score goals on six of its first seven shots Monday night and they never looked back in blanking visiting No. 14 Harrison Central, 9-0, on the artificial pitch at Red Devil Stadium in the East 1 Sectional Final.
"We played well. We're kind of in good form right now, so it was good to see us play like we did," Stoner said. "I can't complain one bit."
The match was called at the 40-minute mark due to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s mandatory mercy rule.
"Playing 40 minutes was better than not playing anything," he said
Five different Red Devils found the back of the net, led by Elizabeth Morgan's three goals. Ashlynn Lednik and Emma Gasber added two each, while Regan Gaiser and Molly Schultz also tickled the twine.
Seven St. Clairsville players logged, with Sheinak Palmer charting a pair. Gasber, Isabella Cunningham, Schultz, Gaiser and all three Morgan sisters - Elizabeth, Felicity and Isabelle - all had one.
All the while senior goalkeeper Kiya Kyer was the loneliest person in the stadium as she wasn't called upon to make one save in notching her program-record 34th shutout and eighth of this season.
"Our defense played great again," Stoner said. "We possessed the ball really well and never let Kiya touch it. That's how we prefer it, but we know it's not going to stay that way.".
Stoner knows the matches will get tighter.
"Kiya will be ready to go whenever we get tested," he said. "She's a competitor."
With their 11th consecutive victory, they last lost on Sept. 1, St. Clairsville (16-2) will host No. 11 Indian Creek on Monday, Oct. 26 in a district semifinal. That winner plays for the district title on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at a neutral site.
"We had six seniors and seven freshmen this season," Harrison Central head coach Mindy Madzia said. "The younger girls just need to get stronger. Their game is there. They just need to build some confidence. Wes does a wonderful job with his girls. I hope they can go all the way."