MORGANTOWN – Buckhannon-Upshur keeper Kyndal Davis recorded a shutout and two second-half goals lifted the Lady Bucs to a 2-0 road victory over the University Hawks in their sectional opener Tuesday night at University High School.
Davis turned away all seven shots she faced in the shutout victory.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half.
Chloe Cale put the Lady Bucs on the scoreboard when she played a cross from the left side of the field from Ava Hollen and found the back of the net in the 57th minute.
Catherine Oliveto gave the Lady Bucs an insurance goal with six minutes remaining when she ran upon a long ball from Harley Dean and scored giving the visitors their 2-0 lead.
“We came out a little flat and didn’t connect well, but we settled down in the second half and got it done,” remarked Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Jackie Zuliani. “We were able to find the back of the net on several well-executed plays in the second half.”
The Lady Bucs controlled possession throughout most of the game and owned a 23-7 lead in shots-on-goal and held a 7-0 margin in corner kicks.
University keeper Rachel Works made 21 saves.
“Overall, I was happy with how we played,” stated Zuliani. “We pretty much dominated possession, but took too many outside shots. Works was really good and kept them in the game. She made some fantastic saves.”
The win improved the Lady Bucs to 13-5-2 on the season.
They will visit Bridgeport Thursday at 6 p.m. for a battle with the Indians with the sectional title on the line.
The Lady Bucs suffered their worst setback of the regular season against the Indians in a 5-0 loss back on Oct. 5.
“We need to connect on our opportunities Thursday against Bridgeport if we are going to beat them,” concluded Zuliani. “We can beat them and the girls need to believe that, but we need to play our game. We need to be well-disciplined and work the ball. If we do that, we can get the job done and keep our season alive.”
Bridgeport beat Preston by a 6-1 score in their sectional contest Tuesday evening. The Indians will enter the game with a 17-3 record.
The boxscore:
Buckhannon-Upshur 0 2 – 2
University 0 0 – 0
Scoring
Buckhannon-Upshur – Chloe Cale (Ava Hollen assist), 57th minute.
Buckhannon-Upshur – Catherine Oliveto (Harley Dean assist), 74th minute.
Shots-on-goal – Buckhannon-Upshur: 23; University: 7.
Corner kicks – Buckhannon-Upshur: 7; University: 0.
Saves – Buckhannon-Upshur: Kyndal Davis 7; University: Rachel Works 21.
