Westmoreland County boys high school soccer notebook: ‘Great goals’ boost Franklin Regional
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Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 11:01 AM
Franklin Regional’s Danny Christafano
Jovan Sankoorikal (right), shown against Latrobe’s John Massaro, is part of a talented Franklin Regional offense.
Roman Agostoni is approaching Latrobe’s career mark of 52 goals.
Connecting on crisp passes is the key to any good build-up at any level of soccer.
Franklin Regional can make it look easy at times. Take last week’s game against Allderdice. In an impressive, 2-0 shutout in a key Section 3-3A game, the Panthers moved the ball with purpose, sending one-touch crosses to one another without hesitation and then finishing.
One on scoring possession, they hit on five passes before Danny Christafano circled back and scored on a give-and-go.
The offensive flow was like cursive writing.
Together Everyone Accomplishes More pic.twitter.com/RLBysWaMO6
— FR Men’s Soccer (@mens_fr) September 20, 2024
“The boys have been working so hard,” coach Nick White said. “It’s very nice to see them get rewarded. Allderdice is really, really good. It was a great game. The boys really tilted the field in the second half. … Couple of great goals.”
Cruise Lamanna also showed some nifty footwork, back-footing a shot into the back of the net for another goal.
Record chasing
Latrobe senior Roman Agostoni is having a career season, and he could find his way into the Wildcats’ record book.
The standout forward, who has some lower Division I college interest, is up to 18 goals this season and 48 for his career.
The team record for career goals is 52, which is held by his brother, Nolan Agostoni, who went on to play at Washington & Jefferson.
Yeschenko commits
Belle Vernon senior Brandon Yeschenko announced he will continue his soccer career at Pitt-Greensburg.
Yeschenko is a key midfielder for the Leopards. He has 33 assists and 23 goals in his career.
Shortened finish
Plum and Latrobe met last weekend, but inclement weather hindered their playoff-like matchup.
The teams only played 45 minutes — one full half and five minutes into the second — before lightning forced them to cancel.
The game was official after a half.
Scoreless draw
Yough and Waynesburg could not settle their Section 4-2A game last week.
After 100 minutes, the teams played to a 0-0 tie.
Action Jackson
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jackson Vacanti was busy in the Centurions’ 9-0 victory over Chartiers-Houston.
The standout not only delivered a pair of goals, but he also offered five assists.
Thursday soccer
Penn-Trafford (5-3-1, 4-2-1) at Franklin Regional (6-2, 5-1) looks to be the top local game Thursday as the teams jockey for position in Section 3-3A.
Franklin Regional won the first meeting 3-1 in Harrison City.
Greensburg Central Catholic, meanwhile, will try to knock off No. 1 Bentworth on Thursday in Carbon.
Bentworth (9-0, 4-0 Section 2-A) has seven straight shutouts, including a 6-0 win over GCC (3-3-1, 3-1), which has won three of its last four.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Latrobe, Yough
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• Despite bump up to Class 4A, Plum boys soccer again among title contenders
• High school roundup for Sept. 24, 2024: Penn-Trafford nets OT winner vs. Allderdice
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