Soccer Bucs battle Lewis County to 1-1 tie

TENNERTON – A winner couldn’t be produced between Buckhannon-Upshur and Lewis County in boys’ soccer action Tuesday on the turf of Freal “Red” Crites Memorial Stadium as the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie.

Lewis County scored first in the 19^th minute as Zane Richards took advantage of a poor defensive clear by the Bucs and chipped it in over B-U keeper Dalton Auvil’s head.

The Bucs tied it 11 minutes later when Josh Gregory dribbled around a Lewis County defender and scored with a shot outside the penalty area past Lewis County keeper Landyn Taylor.

Neither team could score the rest of the way.

“It was another slow start but we started to gain control and maintain possession as the game went on,” noted Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Mike Donato. “Even though we couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities we got in the second half, I thought our run of plays was better. We made better decisions with the ball and looked to possess and not just rely on through balls and dribbling. We still have some work to do to find an identity going forward but I am pleased with the steps we took tonight.”

B-U owned a 9-5 advantage in shots-on-goal but trailed in corner kicks by a 4-2 margin.

The Bucs were guilty of six fouls while Lewis County was called for nine.

Auvil made three saves in net for the Bucs while Taylor stopped eight shots for Lewis County.

The Bucs are now 0-2-1 on the year.

They will be back in action Thursday at Wheeling Park for a 5:30 p.m. start.