BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Two first-half goals gave Bridgeport a lead they would not relinquish in a Big 10 soccer clash Thursday. At the final whistle, the Indians came away with a 4-1 win over the Buckhannon-Upshur High School soccer Buccaneers.
“This is one of those games where the final score doesn’t really show the flow of the game,” B-U head coach Mike Donato said. “Bottom line, we did surrender four goals, but we created plenty of quality scoring chances and had opportunities to get back into this game.”
Bridgeport’s Tristan Nolte won a ball in the middle of the field and hit a shot far post to open up the scoring in the 17th minute. The Indians doubled their lead before intermission on a Broc Oliverio goal in the 34th minute.
Oliverio struck quickly after halftime to give the home squad a 3-0 advantage, but Ryan Hurst put the Bucs back in the hunt when he won the ball and dribbled in from the left, finishing at the far post to cut the lead to 3-1.
The Indians added a little extra insurance four minutes later, when Sam Stauffer put a shot inside the far post to wrap up the scoring for the day.
Logan Kelley made six saves in goal for B-U, while Philip Malenich had three for Bridgeport. The Indians put 10 shots on goal to Buckhannon’s four and held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Bucs will conclude a five-game road stretch at University on Saturday. They will be at home Tuesday for a Senior Night match against Lewis County. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.