Photo by Kim North Wheeling Central’s Matt Criniti (14) dribbles the ball up the pitch Monday night against Wood County Christian in a W.Va. Class A-AA Region I semifinal at the J.B. Chambers Memorial Recreation Park Turf Field-16th Street Complex in East Wheeling. The Maroon Knights won, 7-1, to advance to Wednesday night’s championship match, also in East Wheeling.

EAST WHEELING — The Wheeling Central boys’ soccer team is on a mission. It has one step to go to reach that destination — Beckley and the W.Va. state soccer tournament.

After being postponed from Saturday afternoon, the top-seeded Maroon Knights (17-3-1) rolled to a 7-1 victory Monday night against No. 5 Wood County Christian in Class A-AA Region I semifinal at the J.B. Chambers Memorial Recreation Park Turf Field-16th Street Complex in East Wheeling.

With the victory, its second over the Wildcats this season, Wheeling Central will host Williamstown Wednesday night back at the East Wheeling facility. The start time is 7 o’clock. The No. 2 Yellowjackets slipped by No. 3 Weir, 3-2, also on Monday night in Williamstown.

“The wait is always worth it when you win. A little frustrating the way it was there,” Wheeling Central head coach Brian Komorowski said. “The difference between tonight and the first match was finishing and confidence. Once we got the first goal it was just like a snowball. We knew we were going to keep on rolling.

“We played very well tonight.”

As for Wednesday’s opponent, Komorowski said, “they are a good team. It should be a good match.”

Seven different Maroon Knights logged goals, with Luke Magruder getting the scoring started late in the 14th minute when he pounded a loose ball into the twine. It was the Maroon Knights’ fifth shot on goalkeeper Andrew Seigneur, who stood tall at times between the posts.

“That’s phenomenal to have seven different guys score, and we probably had four or five different guys with assists,” Komorowski said. “We completely dominated the game, which is what we wanted to do.”

Seven minutes later, Matt Criniti banged another loose ball past Seigneur for a 2-0 reading. It was Criniti’s goal late in the first overtime that lifted Wheeling Central over Wood County Christian, 1-0, in an OVAC semifinal earlier this season.

J.D. Schoolcraft made it 3-0 in the middle of the 34th minute as the Maroon Knights held a 3-0 lead after a dominating first half.

Ray Konkolesky was called upon to take a penalty kick after Magruder was tripped in the box. The senior didn’t disappoint as he buried the ball in the right side of the net as Seigneur broke the other way, the margin growing to 4-0.

It reached 6-0 on goals from Mason Smith and Maddox Ochap before the Wildcats’ Cameron Coppernoll lobbed a ball towards the net that somehow found its way past Wheeling Central goalkeeper Tino Sperlazza and into the cage in the 59th minute. It was the first shot on goal for the visitors.

Junior Jaden Bosley capped the scorefest when he went top shelf from the right wing in the 75th minute.

“It’s huge to be able to play the regional championship match at home,” Komorowski stressed. “Playing in front of the (home) fans … it was a great crowd tonight. They were energetic and playing in front of your student body helps. It gets you up and is one of the greatest experiences in high school.”

Wheeling Central lost in the sectional finals last year to Trinity Christian after making a trip to Beckley two years ago.

“The goal has always been to get back to Beckley,” he noted. “We’ve only got one more win to accomplish that, then, once you’re there anything can happen.”