MORGANTOWN — There would be no repeat upset in 2018.
A year after the Buckhannon-Upshur High School soccer Buccaneers sent University packing in the postseason, the Hawks reclaimed the sectional title with a vengeance Thursday evening, throttling B-U 9-0.
Joseph Biafora was on a mission for the state’s top-ranked team. The striker didn’t just score a hat trick in the first half, he accounted for all four of University’s goals in the opening stanza.
Biafora added another goal in the second half — five goals is known as a ‘glut’ is soccer vernacular — to complete a truly impressive performance. Mason Shockley scored twice, while John Jones and Riley Nett contributed one goal apiece for the 9-0 final.
“Simply put we got beaten by a really good team,” B-U head coach Mike Donato said after the game. “Early on we were able to hold possession and create chances, but we couldn’t take advantage. University is a very quality team and they put that on display tonight. We knew we couldn’t make many mistakes because they would be able to take advantage of that, and they did.”
Despite the final score, statistically the game was far closer. The Hawks outshot B-U 11-7 and controlled just a 7-5 edge in corner kicks. Logan Kelley made three saves for the Bucs, while Tim Bailey had seven for University.
The Hawks stayed unbeaten at 20-0-1 heading into regionals.
Buckhannon-Upshur, meanwhile, finished the season at 9-10-3. They’ll say goodbye to a handful of seniors: Alek Seech, Coleman Shreve, Mark Burnside, Cam Ware and Guilherme Fleury Moura.
Donato spoke of the many successes and relentless work ethic of the 2018 team.
“I can’t thank these boys enough for a great game and season,” he said. “No matter what the score showed there was no quit and they played it out to the end.”
