Gateway girls soccer makes final push toward playoff berth

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 6, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The Gateway girls soccer team hopes to be in position to clinch a WPIAL Class 3A playoff spot when it hosts Shaler on Monday (Oct. 14) in the Section 1 finale.

The Gators were 3-5-1 after a 2-1 loss to playoff contender Hampton on Oct. 2.

It was a close match for Gateway which trailed 2-0 at halftime before a goal from junior Peyton Kyper early in the second half cut into the Talbots’ lead.

“It was a really nice goal that gave us an energy boost,” Gators coach Caleb Kyper said.

“We talked at halftime about winning that second half, whether or not we won the game. It was about changing our identity, proving that we belong, and playing like we know we can.”

Coach Kyper said the team had some good chances down the stretch to tie the game.

“I believe we did play our best half of the season against Hampton,” he said.

“(Senior) Addi Helman, off of a corner, had a great header opportunity that Hampton cleared off the post. But it definitely was an A1 opportunity to score there. There were a couple of other chances with near misses. In the end, I felt we had the better of the run of play in the second half. Even though it was a 2-1 loss, we came off the field almost feeling like it was a win.”

The loss to the Talbots came after a 4-0 setback to Hampton on Sept. 9.

The Gators hope Shaler runs into trouble this week with back-to-back section games against Hampton and Mars in order to set up Monday’s match with a playoff spot on the line. The Titans went into those matches with the Talbots and Planets 4-4-1 in the section, three points ahead of the Gators for the fourth and final playoff spot from the section.

Gateway and Shaler tied 1-1 Sept. 18 in a game that wasn’t decided after two overtimes.

“We’ve talked a lot about the match with Shaler upcoming most likely being the end all for the season and if we are going to get into the playoffs,” coach Kyper said.

“It will be a must-win situation for the girls. We gave them a chance to talk about it, and they are excited for the game already as they also are for the opportunity to test themselves and their improvement in the game with Fox Chapel. How they played against Hampton has them really energized.”

Peyton Kyper’s goal against Hampton gave her four on the season, tying her for the team lead with seniors Gracyn Fry and Hayden Price.

Helman was right there with three goals.

Gateway celebrated senior night in a big way Sept. 25 against Obama Academy at Antimarino Stadium.

Fry, Helman, Price, Gianna D’Agostino, Abby Griffith and Anna Walter were celebrated in a ceremony before the game.

When the game started, it was all Gators who rolled to a 10-0 victory.

“It’s always a great feeling to see the seniors put the work in over the three or four years of their careers and get a chance to be recognized for that effort,” coach Kyper said.

“It’s nice for them to have friends and family in the stands to celebrate with them. We also had our Monroeville Youth Soccer program there, and we also recognized the middle school girls.

“It was nice to see the seniors and the rest of the team play at a high level. Some of the seniors who usually play defense got moved forward a little bit to get the chance to play some midfield and some offense. They got to see the field from a different angle.”

The Obama win raised the Gators’ record to 3-1-1 overall since a tough four-game stretch where it was outscored by a combined 17-0 against Plum, Mars, Hampton and Franklin Regional.

That run included the overtime tie against Shaler and a 3-0 shutout of Penn Hills.

“Those game results were much needed after going through that grind with some really tough opponents within our section,” Kyper said.

“That can take its toll, even though we were playing much better and well organized as a team. It was a little frustrating to not see the positive results on the scoreboard or give up one or two more goals than we expected. But that is part of the learning process, not letting one goal turn into two or three and keeping our chin up working through those mental and physical issues. It was huge to be able to take a little bit of a deep breath there and regroup.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway