Berth to PIAA final on the line as Greensburg C.C., Shady Side Academy rekindle rivalry

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 13, 2017 | 8:21 PM

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There will be few secrets or unknowns during the PIAA Class A girls soccer semifinal Tuesday.

It will be the fourth meeting of the season between WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic (17-3) and section rival Shady Side Academy (15-4). The two square off at 7 p.m. at Hampton.

As with each of the previous meetings, the stakes are higher than the last. The prize this time for the winner is much larger than winning a section title or a WPIAL crown. The winner earns a trip to Hershey and a berth in the PIAA championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The teams split during the regular season, and Greensburg Central Catholic won 1-0 in the WPIAL final Nov. 1 at Highmark Stadium on a goal by Sydney Ward. It was the Centurions' sixth WPIAL title and fifth in Class A.

They also split four times during the 2016 season, with Shady Side Academy defeating GCC in the WPIAL final and PIAA semifinals.

This will be the 24th time the teams have played since 2010, and GCC has won 20 times. Until its win in the WPIAL final, SSA had won the previous three playoff meetings.

“They are a very familiar opponent, and we'll know what to expect,” Greensburg Central Catholic coach Ashley Davis said. “It's the fourth time we'll play them this season, and we've gotten the better of them two out of three times, and we know what we have to do to be successful.”

GCC has grown accustomed to playing in close contests.

The Centurions got a goal from freshman Samantha Felder with 8 minutes, 4 seconds left to edge Windber, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. They opened the state playoffs with a 3-2 victory against Brockway and won one-goal games over Vincentian Academy, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL playoffs.

“I knew we'd finish one our chances eventually,” Davis said after the win against Windber. “We've been in plenty of one-goal games. We were knocking at the door and were getting there; we just weren't getting great shots. I knew one was going to come, and we'd capitalize on it.”

Ward was involved in a scary play early in the second half when she and Windber goalkeeper Marideth Tokarsky banged heads during a scoring opportunity in front of the net. Both players left the game briefly before returning. Both required stitches after the game.

Davis said the defense in front of goalkeeper Bella Skatell continues to play strong. The unit includes Chelsey Boyle, Isabella Pellis, Ashley McWilliams and Alexa Gill.

“Our defense is solid,” Davis said. “They are quick, and we play good team defense. We try to possess the ball, as well.”

Shady Side Academy defeated Wilmington, 6-0, and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, 3-1, in the state playoffs.

“It's going to be a big opportunity for all of us as a team,” Felder said of again playing Shady Side. “We've all worked really hard for it, and we have to continue to work hard.”

Shady Side Academy coach Leah Powers said her team is excited about another shot at GCC. Shady Side Academy is looking to return to Hershey for the second consecutive season after falling to Fairfield, 3-1, in 2016.

“We're all excited about the opportunity to play them again,” Powers said. “We played our best 20 minutes of soccer in the first half of the Wilmington game, and that's unusual for us. We are more of a second-half team.”

Against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Callie Davis snapped a 1-1 tie with a goal with 9 minutes, 28 seconds remaining in regulation, and Sophie McMahon finished off the Trojans with a tally with 48 seconds left.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review sports writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Shady Side Academy