John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — For the fifth consecutive season, the Wheelersburg Pirates have earned their way to a district championship game.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
On Wednesday at Waverly’s Raidiger Field, the Pirates (15-1-2) punched their ticket to that level with a dominant 4-0 victory over Lynchburg-Clay in a Division III district semifinal.
The man of the match was unquestionably junior Max Hagans, who tallied a hat trick in the first 50 minutes of the contest.
The left-footed dynamo scored in a variety of ways. His first (22:52 in the first half) came on a loose ball in the box, his second (0:49 in the first) was a rocketed direct kick, and his third (30:33 in the second) was earned on a hustle play on a throw-in from Jackson Schwamburger.
“It’s a great feeling,” Hagans said. “Our goal, and we’ve harped on it all week, was to get out early to a fast start because we know it was a close game last time. We wanted [Lynchburg] to get on their heels early and we did that. That set our team up for success.”
In between the clinic from Hagans, freshman Nick Sylvia scored a crafty cutback in the box for his 39th goal of the season, only four behind the Hagans’ 43 on the season.
“He’s been awesome,” Hagans said of Sylvia. “For a freshman to come into this big of a role that we’ve given him, it’s just great. It takes a lot of pressure off of me and it gives me someone to work with.”
The Pirates didn’t just control the game on the offensive end of the first, but the defensive lineup of Nolan Wright, Gavin Bradley, Miller McKenzie, Clark Weller and at times, Connor Estep, did an outstanding job of containing a Mustangs offense that was averaging over four goals per contest.
When the Mustangs (12-5-3) were able to string together passes, the Pirates’ ballhawking defense quickly de-possessed them.
In the previous meeting between Wheelersburg and Lynchburg-Clay, the Pirates won by a scant 3-2 score, which led ‘Burg to make some defensive adjustments in this matchup. The outside midfield trio of Brody Wilburn, Kayson Whitt and Ethan Hochstetler played a key role in eliminating the outside runs and keeping the Mustangs’ corralled throughout the night.
“The biggest thing was the involvement from our outside mids,” Wheelersburg’s Nolan Wright said. “It was a big game for Bordy, Kasyon and Ethan today. They played amazing.”
Goalkeeper Breyden Byrd for Wheelersburg did gather three saves for the Pirates while Lynchburg’s Kyle Bennington had six of his own.
The Mustangs graduate nine seniors, who leave with an outstanding record of 49-21-7 throughout their four-year careers. In that time frame, Lynchburg-Clay reached district play three times and won its only two district championships in boys soccer — 2019 and 2020.
With the win, the Pirates are one step closer to their third straight district championship. They’ll take on Ironton St. Joseph in a Division III district championship at 11 a.m., Saturday at Jackson.
“It’s important that we come in every day in practice and stay locked in, stay focused,” Hagans said. “Whenever we slip up in practice, it shows on the field. So I think if we stay locked in and focus on the little things, we’ll be fine.”
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