HS Girls Soccer: Beckley has started strong through the adversity

The Flying Eagles are 5-1-2 to start the season and battles undefeated Oak Hill Tuesday

pictures courtesy of Heather Belcher

Woodrow Wilson girls soccer head coach Julie Agnor has no plans to join the circus, but she definitely has the experience to be a juggler.

Roster adjustments and unfortunate injuries have already forced the veteran coach to constantly shake up her line-up, not even a full month into the season.

With that being said, the Flying Eagles have responded positively and raced out to a 5-1-2 record.

"We have lost a few positions as far as injuries go," Agnor said. "That has been the most drastic thing that has hit us. I would say we have averaged losing a player every two weeks, but these girls don't quit. We have faced so much adversity and hit walls, but they have pushed through them."

"We haven't let things get us down and we make adjustments on the field," Agnor went on to say. "The girls have been willing to adjust and I think that has been the biggest thing for us. There are girls not playing in positions that they want to play, but positions that they have to play and they are stepping up. That has made the biggest difference in our team."

With defensive players moved to offense and vice versa, one might expect chaos. In reality Woodrow Wilson has netted 32 goals and surrendered only six so far this season.

"We have a solid defensive line led by Jocelyn (Lilly) and Marinna (Walling) who have been our two solid center-backs holding the fort down," Agnor said. "Both of them are very smart players and physical players. They are strong."

Mykayla Thompson has provided a strong defensive effort for the Flying Eagles between the pipes recording 22 saves.

"She has stepped up. The motivation to get to the level she is right now has been really good," Agnor said. "She has worked really hard."

The scoring for Woodrow Wilson has been balanced and spread out across the pitch, much to the delight of the Flying Eagles head coach.

"We don't really have a single scorer only. We have goals from Ale (Cabrera), Carly (Fisher), Sandra (Cisneros), Emilia (Meinke), Emily (Snyder) and Marley (Stoneback)," Agnor said. "I like it that way. That way they never know who is coming right at them."

Cabrera leads the team with eight goals and six assists, while Fisher has six winners and six assists. Cisneros also has six goals and Kyndl Hayhurst has four.

Of the 32 goals scored by Woodrow Wilson, 24 were created by an assist.

Tuesday evening, the Flying Eagles welcome a familiar foe to Paul Cline Stadium when Oak Hill comes to town.

With the classification restructuring this year, the two rivals are now playing in the Class AAAA South region which includes Cabell Midland, George Washington, Buckhannon Upshur, Huntington, Hurricane, Parkersburg, Parkersburg South and Riverside.

Not only will bragging rights be on the line, but postseason seeding will also be impacted by the result.

The Red Devils are 7-0 to start the season and have scored in bunches led by sophomore sensation, Bella Holly with 18 goals. Jada Wilburn has six goals and seven assists, while Serenity Bourgord has five goals.

"They are a very solid team," Agnor said. "We are just looking to press and work hard on them. Not let them get space with the ball and really move the ball ourselves, so it stays off their feet. Every game is important, but this one for sure will kind of tell us where we are in the rankings."

Kick-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the YMCA Youth Sports Complex.