Orndorff scores twice; Frankfort shuts out Moorefield in regional semis

SHORT GAP, W.Va. — After Frankfort won two regular-season games over Moorefield by a combined 15 goals, the Yellow Jackets came out with a defensive formation to begin Tuesday's match.However, the Falcons still found ways to score.Liam Orndorff netted two goals to lead Frankfort's 4-0 win over Moorefield in a Class AA-Region 2 semifinal matchup at the Frankfort Soccer Complex.The top-seeded Falcons (17-1-2) will square off with No. 6 seed Philip Barbour for the region championship back in Short Gap on Thursday at 6 p.m."We really had to work for it," Frankfort coach Jason Vaughn said. "They came out ready to play. I was very surprised they came out and played a much higher defensive line. They made a couple changes in midfield. I thought that was much better for their formation."This really put us to the test. I thought despite that we created a lot of chances, had a lot of possession and put some shots on goal that I thought were going in."Frankfort started to create scoring chances in the first few minutes of the game, but Moorefield's goalkeeper initially kept the Falcons out of the net.Orndorff put the Falcons on the board at the 25:52 mark when his shot went off the fingertips of the goalie and into the net.The Falcons doubled their lead just 19 seconds later as Noah Weaver took advantage of a turnover in the Yellow Jackets' defensive third for his 22nd goal of the season."The boys are always nervous when the game's 0-0," Vaughn said. "It feels like it's in the balance there. Once you get a goal, you can feel like you can kind of relax a little bit."Frankfort had a few more chances in the first half, but Moorefield's defense didn't allow anything else for the rest of the period.The Falcons ended the half with an 11-1 shots advantage.Frankfort continued to dominate possession and attack the goal in the second half.The Yellow Jackets withstood the Falcons' onslaught until the Falcons were awarded a free kick at the 21:26 mark.From about 30 yards away, Orndorff fired the kick right into the net for a 3-0 lead. Orndorff now has a team-leading 34 goals.Cohen Hartman capped off the night after launching a shot into the net with 1:29 left for his 22nd goal of the season."We needed the third one," Vaughn said. "We talked about it at halftime. I thought the third goal was going to kind of define the game. If they go 2-1, they score one early, then you're in for a dogfight the rest of the half."But we got the third, which makes us comfortable.Frankfort dominated in shots (19-2) and corner kicks (7-1).Falcons goalie Jesus Perdew had to make just one save in the first half as the Falcons recorded their 12th shutout of the season.Vaughn lauded the performances from Perdew and the backline, particularly Van Ritchie."I congratulated those guys at the end of the game," Vaughn said. "I thought they were great. I think Moorefield created a couple chances, but they never created two chances in a row. And that was what I was really proud about."We're fortunate to have a defense that's comfortable to control the ball, touch the ball around (and) make passes. And I was really impressed with how the defense moved the ball forward, got it to our wings and got the offense started."Frankfort is seeking its second consecutive trip to the state tournament after qualifying for the first time in program history last season.The Falcons defeated Philip Barbour 5-0 in their second game of the season back on Aug. 22.The Colts held off No. 2 seed Pocahontas County 3-2 in the other semifinal."We've gotta keep putting performances and results out there to justify our position," Vaughn said. "Because we worked hard to gain it through the season, played very well through the season (and) earned this spot as the No. 1 seed."So it's just great to be able to play out here on our field. I think our boys play at a different level here, they're comfortable. They just play better."