STATE EXTRA: Wilson soccer falls short

RADFORD – Wilson Memorial couldn’t connect the ball with the goal on Saturday as George Mason took a 3-0 win in the Group A semifinals at Radford University.

The two teams met once before in the Region B championship, where the Mustangs pulled off a 3-1 win over the Hornets, the only difference with this game being the size of the field.

The Mustangs didn’t just have horse power on their side. A combination of colossal defenders plus plenty of fancy footwork helped George Mason overcome the swarm from Wilson.

“They [George Mason] aren’t just big and physical,” said Wilson Memorial coach Scott Crist. “They are fast and have tactical and technical skills as well. They’re the total package.”

Wilson held off George Mason for most of the first half, with both defenses controlling the game. The Mustangs only had one shot on goal until their own Violet Miller put one past the Hornet’s keeper at 14:30. Miller’s goal sent the Mustangs into overdrive, gaining five shots on goal by the end of the first half.

The Mustang defense picked off every pass that the Hornets tried and kept them from getting any shots on goal in the first half.

“Any attack we had, they snuffed out,” Crist said. “Everything we tried, they had an answer for.”

With the Mason defense intercepting all of the Wilson passes, the Hornets tried taking the ball one-on-one, but the Mustangs doubled up every time.

“They [Wilson] have some talented players up front,” George Mason coach Jennifer Parsons said. “We worked on our defense all week.”

Not long into the second half and the Mustangs scored for the second time, this goal coming from freshman Leah Roth.

“Overall we played more of our game,” Parsons said. “This big field is better for us so we had the advantage there.”

The Hornets wouldn’t lay down their stingers just yet when they finally got a shot to test the Mustang goal keeper — Wilson’s first shot on goal of the game and George Mason’s first save.

“They’re not only strong defensively, but they are strong everywhere,” Crist said.

The Mustang’s final goal came at 22:30 from Mayssa Chehata.

Wilson got another chance to put one in off a direct kick, but nothing got past the Mason keeper.

“We knew that we would have to play a flawless game in order to win,” Crist said.

The Hornets finished with five shots on goal and seven saves for keeper Brittany Reid, while the Mustangs had 12 shots on goal and five saves for keeper Nicole Mitchell.

Not many tears were shed by the Green Hornet swarm who lose only three seniors and have 15 returning players to look forward to.

“We’ll use this to build for next year,” Crist said.