Sewickley Herald notebook: Freshman delivers for Quaker Valley girls soccer

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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One of the youngest players on the Quaker Valley girls soccer team made the shot that reverberated throughout the Leetsdale Borough area.

Freshman defender Lily Baker found the back of the net against Burrell in the 71st minute of the WPIAL Class 2A championship game Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium.

Sophomore forward Annabel Miko assisted on the game-winning and championship-clinching goal in the 2-1 victory.

“I am so proud of my team,” Miko said. “We set this goal at the beginning of the season, and we achieved it. We needed to make adjustments after the first half to get focused and connected. During WPIALs, we focused on one game at a time, battling great teams, while keeping our goal to get to Highmark.

“I’m a sophomore and the last time QV girls soccer won WPIALs, my mom was a sophomore on the team. This made the win even more meaningful.”

After the WPIAL finalists played a scoreless first half, the No. 2 seed Quakers opened the scoring against Burrell in the 51st minute on a goal by Miko and assist by senior midfielder Mia Modrovich.

Three minutes later, the No. 9 Buccaneers drew even when sophomore midfielder Makiah Buchak netted her team’s only goal of the game.

QV improved to 17-2-2 overall with the win. Burrell dropped to 14-6-1.

It was the Quakers’ first WPIAL championship in girls soccer in 32 seasons.

Volleyball team ousted

Quaker Valley and Cathedral Prep staged a barnburner in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball tournament Nov. 5 at QV’s gym.

Cathedral Prep edged the WPIAL champion Quakers, 3-2, to move on to the quarterfinals and a matchup with Southmoreland. The final scores in the five intense sets were 27-25, 21-25, 15-25, 33-31, 15-11.

QV finished with an 18-3 record in 2024. Cathedral Prep, the District 10 runner-up, improved to 16-5.

Hockey team rolls on

Quaker Valley skated past Beaver, 8-0, in a PIHL Class A division game Nov. 4 at Baierl Ice Complex.

The three stars of the game were junior forward Max Modrovich, who collected two goals and two assists, Jace Vasbinder, another junior forward who chipped in with two goals and an assist, and junior goaltender Ian Lorang, with 15 saves.

QV boosted its season record to 6-0, and Beaver fell to 1-3-1.

In their first six games, the Quakers racked up 40 goals, posted three shutouts and gave up only three goals.

Modrovich led the team in goals (10), assists (13) and points (23).

Lorang and junior Landon Buterbaugh were 3-0 each as QV’s starting goalkeepers. Lorang had three shutouts. Buterbaugh held a 1.00 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.

QV coach proud

Cross country coach Ryan Kelly was ecstatic about all the individual improvements he witnessed by Quaker Valley athletes in 2024.

“Congratulations to all of our runners on their performances this season,” Kelly said. “Their results highlight their hard work and perseverance of our student-athletes. I look forward to seeing how our teams continue to develop in the years to come.”

Panthers end up 4th

Brynlee Robinson and Sydney Morgan scored a goal apiece, and Regan Mazur posted the shutout as No. 2 Seton LaSalle (15-3-2) defeated No. 5 Sewickley Academy (13-5-1), 2-0, in the WPIAL Class 2A third-place game to advance to the PIAA tournament.

Anna Porter assisted both goals for the Rebels.

Eden makes states

In boys soccer, No. 7 seed Eden Christian edged No. 4 Beaver County Christian, 1-0, in the WPIAL Class A third-place game. With the victory, the Warriors secured the third and final WPIAL spot in the state tournament.

Eden Christian improved to 11-7-2, and BCC dropped to 15-5.

In girls volleyball, second-seeded Eden Christian (21-2) swept to a 25-13, 25-16, 25-15 victory against No. 4 St. Joseph (17-5) in the WPIAL Class A third-place game, earning the district’s final berth in the state playoffs.

Eden Christian lost only three times to WPIAL opponents in girls volleyball this season.

Tags: Quaker Valley