MORGANTOWN — Anthony Vessecchia had the ultimate hat trick Thursday night.
All three of his goals came in the first half and the Morgantown High boys’ soccer team backed it up with stellar defensive play for a 3-0 victory against Hedgesville inside Pony Lewis Field to advance to the Class AAAA state tournament next week in Beckley.
Morgantown High (13-3-4) will join fellow North Region representative Wheeling Park and South Region winners Woodrow Wilson and Hurricane in the state semifinals, which will be played at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex on Thursday. The Mohigans will be in search of their first state title since 2021.
The Eagles (9-6-4) came into the regional qualifier with a well-earned reputation as a physical team with a big back line, but the Mohigans quickly established their quickness advantage to cut the field in half and maintained possession of the ball.
However, rather than settling for working methodically, MHS used long passes over the top to force mistakes and create chances and set pieces, and that is how the all-important first goal was scored in the 11th minute. After earning a throw-in deep in the attacking zone, Cameron Wheeler launched a long throw into the box that bounced right to the cleverly positioned Vessecchia, who deftly headed the ball into the far corner.
Without any sustained pressure or effective counterattacks from the Hedgesville offense, Morgantown continued to surround the ball, anticipate passes, clog lanes, and maintain pressure in the attacking third, leading to another set piece goal. At the 25-minute mark, a corner kick lofted into the front end of the penalty area became a loose ball scramble that bounded toward the near post, which the resourceful Vessecchia headed into the open cage to double the MHS advantage.
Three minutes later, Hedgesville nearly cut into the lead during one of their infrequent counters when an errant clear left a forward open from just outside the box, but the shot sailed wide of diving MHS keeper William Chang, who appeared to have the far post covered anyway.
It was perhaps the pivotal moment in the match, as Morgantown quickly transitioned to offense, took advantage of a mismatch and for a dangerous opportunity at the 18.
Eagles keeper Alex Joe did well to save two point-blank shots, but once again, Vessecchia was Anthony-on-the-spot to bury the rebound for his hat trick and a commanding lead.
In the second half, while MHS smartly continued their ball-hawking aggressive style, earning several superb chances, the final finishing touches weren’t there. But the defense remained unblemished, surrendering nothing resembling a threat, leading to a final whoop from the Mohigans sideline at the final horn.
“We practice set pieces and dead ball plays every day in practice,” Vessecchia smiled after the game, “so we’re all familiar with what each of us can do and where we need to be. Cam’s ability to get throws into the box makes us dangerous every time, and I was excited to get the first one and set the tone. Our defense has been so rock steady, and that just frees everyone up to know that they’ll be strong behind us. It gives us the confidence to be aggressive offensively, and it made a difference tonight.”
MHS coach Sam Snyder admitted that his team wasn’t especially sharp considering the conditions, but they’re wired to play through and still be successful.
“This is tournament weather, no question,” he smiled, “and this group knows how to grind through games like this. I call us the “Captains of Chaos,” because we can create dangerous chances out of so many balls that end up in the box. We just find a way. We have all year, and a strong defense combined with an opportunistic offense will always give you a chance. We’re looking forward to giving it our best shot.”
