A view of a pair of elimination round games being played simultaneously on Saturday afternoon during the 2019 Point Pleasant 7-on-7 soccer tournament being held at Ohio Valley Bank Track and Field in Point Pleasant, W.Va.
Bryan Walters|OVP Sports
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — All’s well that starts well.
The inaugural Point Pleasant 7-on-7 soccer tournament proved to be a huge success this past Saturday as 31 teams participated in a total of 54 games over an 11-hour cycle — most of which came injury-free.
By day’s end, defending Class AAA champion George Washington showed its true strength as the GWHS Grey team defeated the GWHS Maroon team by a 4-2 margin in the championship contest.
GW Grey defeated Fairmont Black by a 5-2 count in the first semifinal, while GW Maroon also won by a 5-2 count over Parkersburg Red in the second semifinal.
Point Pleasant Black went 3-1-0 overall and won its pool after posting wins over Parkersburg White, Brooke Gold and St. Albans. The PPHS Black squad lost 1-0 to the GW Maroon squad in sudden death during the quarterfinal round.
The Point Red team went 2-1 overall after claiming wins over Point Grey and Fairland Black. The Red squad also dropped a 2-1 decision to Fairmont Black. Point Grey went 0-2-1 after earning a 1-1 tie against Parkersburg South.
Gallia Academy earned a 1-1-1 overall mark and rebounded from a 10-0 loss to GW Maroon in its opener with a 1-1 tie against Fairmont Black before finishing the day with a 6-1 win over Fairmont White.
Woodrow Wilson claimed the girls championship with a 4-3 victory over Philip Barbour. WWHS led 3-0, but PBHS rallied to tie things at three while forcing a shootout. Woodrow Wilson ended up winning the extra session for the championship.
Point Pleasant had the lone area girls entry and finished 1-3-0 overall, with the lone win coming against Cabell Midland Red by a 2-0 count.
Overall, Point Pleasant boys soccer coach and tournament organizer Chip Wood thought the event was a success — and more for just his own kids.
“It’s a really good experience for the kids to play 7-on-7 because they get a lot of touches against other good players from around the area,” Wood said. “It’s also very fast-paced, so the kids have to think and move quickly on a shortened field.
“The weather cooperated and we ended up having a great tournament with a lot of participation from around the region. It’s something we’ll definitely look into doing again next year.”
Visit pointsoccer86.com for a complete results from the 2019 Point Pleasant 7-on-7 soccer tournament.
Bryan Walters can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2101.
