Pine-Richland girls soccer coming together under new coach

By: Shawn Annarelli
Thursday, September 10, 2020 | 10:11 PM

With Villanova commit Megan Donnelly leading the offense, four-year starting goaltender Katherine Kelly in net and nearly a full cast of returning starters, Pine-Richland feels good about its chances to build on last season’s playoff appearance.

Their new coach, Rachelle Dixon, also has them thinking positively.

“Coming into a new program, I wanted to make sure we had similar goals,” Dixon said. “You want to make sure everyone feels like they have an important part. If you want to move in the direction of winning the section and winning WPIAL and beyond, you need to have those types of relationships. We have to be in a good place off the field to be successful on it.”

Dixon learned before the team’s first practice that the seniors were on the same page, in part because they already discussed small changes to the program and approached her with ideas.

“I am beyond grateful for them,” Dixon said. “From day one, the seniors pulled me aside to talk to me. They were unified, and they knew what they wanted to do. That’s what every coach wants.”

One change was to the ‘Little Sisters’ program, in which seniors would take a freshman under their wing for the season. This senior class expanded it to every grade level for what is now called ‘Little Families,’ and each senior has three to four sisters.

“From the beginning, we established a really a positive, inclusive environment on the team,” Donnelly said. “I think we’re definitely connecting more as a team this year because of it, and I think it’s also helped us get more comfortable with (Dixon). I think that will help us on the field.”

Donnelly led Pine-Richland with 19 goals last season.

She’ll be joined on the attack by sophomore Ava Boyd, who tallied 10 scores in her freshman year, and sophomore Manon Prokesch.

“They are tough to play against,” Kelly said. “Megan and Ava have great shots and work so well together. Manon has a good foot and is playing well, too. It’s great practice for those really tough games we know we have coming up.”

Kelly recorded seven shutouts last season.

She has faced the Rams’ starting forwards in every practice with a rotation of defenders, including junior Rachel Bashe, sophomore Gianna Koss and freshmen Abigail Rosenwasser and Brooke Lindrose.

“I’ve played with Kat since I was 6 years old,” Donnelly said. “You never have to worry about her back there, because she really doesn’t make any mistakes. You can depend on her.”

Pine-Richland’s midfield will be led by senior Katherine Rishel and juniors Jaclyn Murray and Jennifer Betush.

“Katherine Rishel is another amazing leader on the field, and she can play defense too,” Dixon said. “But we have more senior leaders like Anna Staresinic and Nell Barton, and this team wouldn’t be the same without every senior taking on their own leadership role.”

The Rams hope their senior leadership, returning key players and stronger bonds throughout the team will lead to a breakout season.

“I feel this team can go pretty far considering we didn’t lose too many starters like Izzy Boyd from last year,” Kelly said. “There aren’t too many changes (to our lineup) and we’ve grown closer, so I think we can be a good playoff team.”

Tags: Pine-Richland