Springdale brings potent, balanced attack to Class A girls soccer final

By: Ted Sarneso
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | 6:02 PM

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Coming into this year’s playoffs, there were only four girls soccer teams across the WPIAL who had more than 90 goals for and fewer than 20 against: South Fayette in Class 3A, South Park and Mt. Pleasant in Class 2A and Springdale in Class A.

Out of those four, only South Fayette and Springdale are alive and in position to win a WPIAL title.

Springdale’s point differential coming into the playoffs was plus-82 and has risen to plus-92 going into the WPIAL Class A championship game Thursday night.

The reason for such a huge difference lies behind more than the Dynamos’ offense.

“It’s all about having a balance and having a strong connection between your attack and defensive play,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said. “The best defense is having a strong attack, and when we attack, we do so in numbers. It’s also very impressive the way we possess the ball.”

Offensively, the Dynamos are led by senior forward Briana Ross, who has amassed 38 goals and 26 assists over the regular season and the playoffs. She scored her 100th career goal in the fourth game of the season.

“She’s been unbelievable in her career when it comes to scoring goals,” Bentley said. “But what’s really impressive is the amount of assists she has accumulated. Yes, she can score, but she’s very good at creating chances.”

Those who have benefited most from Ross’ creativity have been fellow double-digit goal scorers Carissa Walsh (14), Molly Hurley (13) and Tessa Derringer (12).

The Dynamos offense just doesn’t stop there with that quartet. Nearly everyone on the roster has scored at least one goal.

“It says a lot that no one is selfish on this team,” Bentley added. “If we’re in front of the net, and there’s an easy pass to make instead of taking the shot, we’re looking to make that pass.”

Defensively, Springdale is a cohesive group led by defenders Ariana Caltagarone, Cara Leahy and Lacey Shondeck. Should a team make their way through them, the Dynamos are confident in goalkeepers Genevieve Conklin and Baileigh Haas to shut the door.

“They’ve all been solid,” said Bentley. “Even when faced with some tough moments, they rise to the occasion.”

Springdale, which finished the regular season 12-0 in Section 4-1A, has an overall record of 16-1 including the playoffs. On the surface, the Dynamos appear to have faced no adversity, but Bentley says that’s not the case.

“In our game Tuesday night against a well-coached Sewickley Academy team, we did face adversity,” Bentley said. “We were up 1-0 heading into halftime, and they came out of the break to tie it at 1-1. Yes, the scoreboard might look comfortable in the end, but it took us a long time to break them down for the 5-1 win.”

Another time the Dynamos faced adversity was during their only loss of the season, 3-0 to Burrell.

“We learned a lot about ourselves, especially because we hadn’t lost until then,” Bentley said. “We learned we weren’t going to walk through the entire season. Losing a game like that is a way to keep us humble and hungry for more wins.”

Springdale was the hungriest going into their matchup against No. 8 Freedom in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs had defeated the Dynamos in the playoffs the past three years.

“We lost to them in the third-place game three years ago, the final and then in the semifinals last year,” Bentley said. “That one was important for the girls, especially our seniors and juniors. It was nice to put that one right.”

A familiar foe awaits top-seeded Springdale in the final match at Highmark Stadium. They square off with Winchester Thurston, a section opponent, for the third time this season.

The Dynamos won both contests, 4-0 on Sept. 4 and 2-0 on Oct. 5.

“We know Winchester’s quality. They’re a solid team with good players all over the field,” Bentley said. “I’m expecting it to be a highly contested game, a battle. Should be a really good game.”

Asked if his players have faced any nerves in these playoffs — or should feel any heading into the championship match — Bentley downplayed any such notion.

“Before a big game, there’s always that anticipation to want to win, to play well,” he said. “It’s natural there could be some nerves, but once the game starts, we’ll get into a flow state and just play our game.

“The girls are excited and ready for another crack at a championship. I’ve been really impressed with how we’ve played all season, but the job isn’t finished yet.”

Tags: Springdale, Winchester Thurston