Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic junior unleashes ‘screamer’ of a goal

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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It started with an innocent throw-in by Greensburg Central Catholic deep in Ligonier Valley territory.

It ended with junior Jackson Vacanti delivering a nominee for goal of the year.

His game-winner that propelled the Centurions to a 2-1 victory came with seven seconds left in regulation.

GCC coach Ryan Kanner called it “a screamer.”

Vacanti took possession, somehow looped the ball over a defender’s head, then struck a high, arcing shot that connected right top shelf from 29 yards out.

Ligonier Valley tied it 1-1 on a penalty kick. Soon after, Vacanti made sure there was no overtime.

“I was going to throw it in, but I quickly gave it to Grant Brewer so he could throw it in to me,” Vacanti said. “As I received it, I knew I didn’t have much time, so I flicked it over a defender to create an open shot, which I smashed off the volley with my laces. Niko Miller told me after the game he heard me say, ‘Ohh my.’

“I worked hard on my shooting all summer, so it definitely felt good to put that one in the back of the net.”

Here’s the clip of Vacanti’s game-winner ????????@BillBeckner @pghsoccernow @pghsoccernow @WestmorelandSN @TribLiveHSSN pic.twitter.com/At6VvXVcUS

— Greensburg CC Boys Soccer (@GCCBoysSoccer) September 29, 2023

Vacanti showed more flair for the dramatic a couple of games earlier when he netted a golden goal as GCC edged California, 4-3, in overtime.

He earned the team’s player of the match and accompanying Centurion helmet.

Record breaker

Belle Vernon junior Trevor Kovatch etched is name into the program record book Tuesday night when he surpassed Markello Apodiakos for the most goals in a season.

Kovatch scored seven goals in a game for the second time this season as the Leopards flattened Brownsville, 10-0. His fifth goal have him 38, one more than Apodiakos scored in 2017.

Kovatch had 40 goals now with an eye toward the all-time mark of 99 set by Daniel Sassack.

Kovatch’s teammate, Brandon Yeschenko, tied a record on Kovatch’s big night. He had five assists, which equals the BVA single-game mark set by Josh Page in 2011.

Menacing presence

Watch Yough play and your eyes are immediately drawn to the back line and goalkeeper.

Not many teams have players with the size of Austin Matthews and Zander Aird.

Matthews, a senior defender, looms large at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds. He also is a basketball standout for the Cougars.

Aird, who plays point guard in basketball and is one of the top hitters on the baseball team, is a burly, 6-foot, 185-pound goalie.

Goal oriented

Two Westmoreland County teams are leading their classifications in scoring.

Jeannette has the most goals in 2A — and the WPIAL — with 87. Norwin, meantime, has 58 goals to lead 4A.

Top-scoring teams in the other two classes are Hampton with 55 (3A), and Bentworth with 85 (A).

One left

Only one boys team from Westmoreland County made the TribLive HSSN rankings this week.

Burrell squeezed its way though to get the No. 5 spot in Class A. The Section 3-leading Bucs (10-1) have won 10 in a row since a 1-0 loss to Springdale, the team they replaced in the top 5.

Playoff teams

So far, four Westmoreland teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs with about a week left in the regular season.

They are: Latrobe in Class 3A; Belle Vernon and Mt. Pleasant in Class 2A; and Burrell in Class A.

The top four teams in each section, and ties that cannot be broken with head-to-head competition, qualify.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.