MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – University High girl’s soccer is synonymous with success. Which is why last year’s sectional defeat at the hands of Morgantown hurt a little more than the typical rivalry loss.
Just a year prior, the Hawks were fighting Cabell Midland the state tournament title game. The Hawks lost that bout, which stung, considering they were the reigning state champions and had upended the Knights 1-0 in the 2016 semifinals.
Fast forward to the present time; those state champion freshmen are now leading the pack.
“The seniors have grown tremendously,” coach Graham Peace said. “They’ve grown up in a program that’s been very successful – we’ve lost eight games (since 2016). They’ve seen that winning attitude and what it takes to win, and have instilled that into the way they play now.
“Because of that, they’re ready to step up and be leaders. We’ve seen them develop from wide-eyed freshmen getting thrown into a competitive environment, and now they’re the leaders helping the new freshmen.”
Before those seniors take the field and prove they’re worth their salt, however, the Hawks have to adjust to losing pivotal playmakers. Departed are 10 seniors – seven of which were starters. That can hurt any team, but Peace notes two of his rising seniors as potential fillers.
“This year I think you’ll see particularly our midfielders, Kassidy Wolfe and Madison Wesolowsky, (step up). Those two have really taken a lead role. They’ve been terrific, especially during these June practices,” Peace said.
“Kassidy is a tremendously skilled player, so she brings a lot of skill at center-mid. She leads by example on the field,” he continued. “Madison is one of the hardest workers we’ve had in the program. It’s a nice combination of skill and hard work between the two of them.”
Easily, the biggest loss for he Hawks comes as Ari Christiansen. Christiansen is leaving big shoes to fill after netting 20 shots and accounting for other standout numbers in 2018.
The midfielder-forward combo averaged one goal per game, making her a threat in Class AAA to contain. Although a Hawk, Christiansen had eagle vision on the field. If she didn’t have a shot, she found a way to get the ball to her teammate, accounting for 11 assists in her 21 games.
She was also accurate and quick on the attack – putting 58 of her 100 shots on goal. That accuracy and vision put her in position to sink nine game winning goals.
“Ari is an incredibly difficult player to replace,” Peace said. “She was a wonderfully skilled forward who scored 20 goals for us every year. (We) could count on her providing the offense.”
Although Peace knows the team’s current weaknesses in the rebuilding phase, there are silver linings. The way he put it, the downside of losing a large chunk of players is saved by the fact that the field is wide open for the taking.
“We told players in camp that every position is open right now. We’ll see who grabs those positions – it’s up to them to find out who’s ready to step up and fill that offensive void,” he said.
So far, his team looks to be on the right path. The atmosphere among the girls is great, they are listening intently and doing what Peace and his assistants are telling them, and the energy is electric.
“It’s been a great three weeks. We’ve come together as a team and bonded,” Peace noted.
Another major hole the Hawks needed to fill was within the coaching staff. Although sometimes difficult to get used to a new face and tactics, University looks to be in good hands.
Hannah Abraham, a West Virginia graduate and four-year starter for the Mountaineers women’s soccer team, is taking over for Kat Devlin. Although Abraham is known within the soccer circuit for her time at WVU, her and Peace have a background together.
“It’s a great reunion. I coached Hannah (in club soccer) when she was a young player in town,” Peace said.
Abraham brings with her not just a deep pool of skill and soccer IQ, but passion for the sport and the natural ability to lead.
“Hannah is a fantastic role model for these players,” Peace said. “She’s a wonderful person with a great attitude, and she’s going to be a great resource for these girls.”
As the three week practices close and the team finds their footing to rebuild the team, Peace and the Hawks aren’t looking too far ahead.
“As an outlook for the season, we know Morgantown High is going to be superb and Wheeling Park is going to be incredible. We look forward to the competition. It’s always good to play great teams, and it’s wonderful having a state championship team across town. We’re looking forward to it,” Peace said.
“We’ve had a really good run in the last four years and have lofty goals every year, but really we’re rebuilding the team this year. We’ve lost a lot of talent over the last couple of years, so we’re not looking at the state tournament at this point in time – we’re just trying to be the best team we can be right now. We’ll keep building and see how we look at the end of the year.”
Twitter @andrewspellman_
