By Colton Jeffries - cjeffries@aimmediamidwest.com
POINT PLEASANT, W. Va. — It was deja vu at Ohio Valley Bank Field.
The Point Pleasant boys soccer team defeated the Scott Skyhawks 1-0 at home Tuesday evening in the Region IV Championship.
It was a rematch from the 2020 regionals, which saw the Black Knights defeat the Skyhawks 1-0 to advance to the state tournament.
This is the first time the Black Knights have been back-to-back regional champs.
The Black Knights (21-1-2) had the majority of the offense in the first half, but had trouble lining up their shots.
This was fixed as the minutes ticked by in the first half.
Point Pleasant also had trouble connecting with their centers and crosses, running into the Skyhawk (10-6-2) defense and breaking up at whatever chances at shots they had.
As the buzzer sounded at the end of the first half, the Black Knights had four shots on goal to the Skyhawks’ one.
As time ticked away in the second half, it appeared that both teams were preparing for overtime, but with five minutes to go in regulation, senior Jaden Reed caught a center by junior Tyson Richards to find the back of the net.
What came next was surely the longest five minutes of the Black Knights’ lives.
While Scott put on the pressure, they were unable to crack the Point Pleasant defense, sealing their victory as the clock ticked to zero.
Black Knight head coach Chip Wood said the situation was a lot like last year, but some things were different too.
“Some things were flipped around from last year, like last year they were the ones favored, but thank God the results stayed the same,” he said.
Wood also stated how proud he is of his team.
“This is the first time the program has had back-to-back region championships, and this is also the first Black Knights team to go above 20 wins,” he said. “I’m so proud of these boys and it’s just a special time.”
Leading the Black Knights in shots on goal was Richards and junior Kanaan Abbas, who had two each.
The Skyhawks had two shots throughout Tuesday’s game, shot by Isaac Setser and Jordan Smith.
The WVSSAC boys soccer tournament will begin on Friday, Nov. 5, in Beckley.
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