The Magnolia Lady Blue Eagles ended their 2009 season, losing 5-3 against Wheeling Central in the Class A-AA Region One, Section One Championship on Sonnebourne Field at Wheeling Park Oct. 22.

Central took a 2-0 lead at the break, with the second goal coming with only one minute remaining in the first half. They scored again three minutes into the second half to take a commanding 3-0 lead. At the 25 minute mark of the second half, the Lady Knights struck once again for a 4-0 advantage.

However, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and the Eagles’ Head Coach Kandi Loy had her players ready to make a run. First, the 2008 top scorer, Dallas Mullett, blasted a shot that the Wheeling Central keeper couldn’t reach. Three minutes later, this year’s leading scorer, Stina Petersen, split the goal posts just out of the reach of the Central keeper to cut the Knights’ lead in half with plenty of time on the clock.

The energized Eagles played their best when the game was in jeopardy and scored when their junior captain, Kari “Duckie” Forrester, hauled in a rebound shot and drilled it in the back of the net to close the gap to one goal with four minutes left on the clock.

The cardiac kids had the Blue Eagle faithful up and cheering, but one minute later, Central scored an insurance goal and that was all she wrote.

“The Lady Eagles gave it their all,” said Loy after the game. “These girls have a lot of heart. No mater what the situation, they never got down on themselves the entire season. Getting down like we did in this game got the girls down a little, but they did a good job working to get back into it.”

Gabby Hostetler batted away 21 Central Knight shots.

Magnolia Boys

The Magnolia Blue Eagle Boys’ Soccer Team has won only a pair of wins all season, but that didn’t break their spirits heading into sectional play with Morgantown Trinity Oct. 21 at Morgantown High School.

The Blue Eagles lost, 3-0, in some measure because of the absence of key starters who were out with the flu or injuries: Daniel Mateer, (stopper); Chase Cain, (forward); and Andrew Stackpole (defense).

Both Trinity and the Eagles played most of the first half in the middle of the field, but the Eagles had the first opportunity to score. James Long and Juan Carlos Ramos went after a loose ball at the top of the 18 and the Trinity keeper came out for the save. However, he muffed the ball and the Eagles took the loose ball in the net for a goal. However, the center referee called it a dead ball, believing that the keeper had control.

Each team took 10 shots on goal, with Magnolia’s Michael Jones saving five and Trinity saving three. Jason Long had several non-goalie saves for Magnolia going into the break, with neither team scoring in the first half.

Following the break, the Blue Eagles were pumped, staying right with the Warriors, and knowing they should have been on top, even without three of their starters. However, the zeal of the Eagles deflated quickly in the second half, as the Warriors scored on their first shot opportunity with an outstanding one-touch shot.

Trinity scored two more times in the second half to gain the victory and a shot at Tyler Consolidated in the sectional finals.

“I am really proud of the effort this team continues to give,” said MHS Head Coach Matt Quinet. “I know I sound like a broken record, but the boys have been improving each week. We have been in every game we have played, but one. Probably the most satisfying thing is that they are nice young boys that like each other and it has been a pleasure to have been their coach.”

Only senior Juan Carol Ramos will be lost to graduation next season. The Columbia exchange student led the team in scoring and broke the school record with the most goals in a game – eight. The Blue Eagles will return a lot of fire power next season, including Mateer, Jason Long, James Long, Michael Jones, Trevor Long, Isaac Howell, Ethan Arman, Kyle Lancaster, Eric Piekarski, Evan Heslop, Mitchell Goodwin, Jesse Clark, Mikal Raber, and Andrew Stackpole.

Magnolia Girls 3,

Tyler Consolidated 0

In the opener of the sectionals, Magnolia hosted Tyler Consolidated, a team that the Lady Eagles split with during the season.

Both teams played the better part of the opening half in the middle of the field. However, Petersen and Magnolia senior captain Brittany Leek planted the Knights’ keeper, Emily Wildman, with multiple shots. However, the Knight defense rose to the occasion and made a couple nice non-goalie saves to keep the score dead-locked at zero.

Forester, the Eagles’ talented midfielder, got into the shooting act, as did Mullett, Leek, and Petersen. However, Wildman blocked each shot that came her way. On Wildman’s last block, she swatted the ball behind her in the net, forcing a corner kick.

Mullett took the kick and placed it perfectly close to the net, but out of reach, and Leek kneed the ball over Wildman’s head for the game’s first goal, at the 14 minute of the first half.

Later, Petersen made a steal and pushed it to Mullett who blasted a shot from 25 yards out that hit the top of the cross bar and kicked in for an apparent goal. However, the referee was blinded by strong sunlight and did not allow the point. The Eagles got off three shots in close, including the last one that went overtop of the goal for a goal-kick.

Leek and Petersen continued to lay in shots, but the Lady Knights made outstanding non-goalie saves. Although energized by their defense, the Lady Eagles’ Alli Childers was on her game with a couple of nice saves.

Later, the Knights attacked the Magnolia keeper, but each time the shots were either too high or wide, and Magnolia emerged from the flurry of shots without giving up any goals.

After a Knights’ corner kick, Hostetler took one for the team for a non-goalie save. During the next few minutes, each team played most of the time in the middle of the field and Consolidated had a couple nice shots. But Childers turned one away, and another nice shot attempt was a little wide.

Magnolia got another nice opportunity to score off a direct kick from Mullett to Petersen, but Wildman was there to push it away, as well as another shot from Mullett.

Discouraged that they pounded Tyler with everything they had and couldn’t score. Petersen stole a pass and made a couple moves before placing it in the back of the net for Magnolia’s second goal of the match.

After the ensuing kick, the Blue Eagle midfield of Forrester, Kayla Robinson, Sydney Smith, and Brittany Carr contained the Knights for Mullett, Petersen, and Leek to do their thing.

But, again the Knights shut the door on Magnolia with breakaway goalie saves, as well as some non-goalie saves. The match stayed that way for the remainder of the game, except for one of the classiest goals of the season by Magnolia.

Following a nice effort by the Eagle defense that knocked away a flurry of Knight shots, Petersen took a pass from the midfielders and crossed the ball to Smith, who one-touched it into the back of the net for her second goal of the season, putting the home team ahead, 3-0.

The defensive unit of Hostetler, Nicole Schoolcraft, and Ashley Villers, along with Robinson, Robyn Daughtery, and Childers took everything the Lady Knights could muster and gave way to the midfielders as forwards.

Both teams’ midfield and defensive units played extremely well, as did each goal keeper. But, the Blue Eagle squad would not to be denied and moved on to the sectional championship against Central.

“We played well, and we hope that we can do just as well in the sectional championship,” added Coach Loy.

Magnolia loses Villers, Leek, and Childers to graduation next year and Petersen will be going back to Norway. However, a talented group of underclassmen will return next season: Mullett, Hostetler, Forrester, Schoolcraft, Robinson, Smith, Carr, Daughtery, Hillary Malec, Megan Veyon, and Brittany Cutaback.