Plum girls soccer looking to contend for Section 3-3A title

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 21, 2018 | 8:09 PM

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A new classification and several new section opponents greeted the Plum girls soccer team after it moved down from Class 4A to Class AAA under the WPIAL’s offseason realignment process.

So far, so good for the Mustangs as they produced six victories over their first seven games and began 4-1 in Section 3 play.

“We’ve been successful, but we quickly realized how much talent there is in triple-A,” coach Caitlin Schuchert said.

“For every new opponent, the girls are like, ‘Coach, you got a scouting report?’ I tell them that I don’t have much. But the girls also know a lot of the top players from each of the teams from playing club soccer with or against them. I sometimes get my scouting reports from the girls themselves as they know who to watch for.”

Plum (6-1, 4-1) kicked off its season with a nonsection win over longtime rival Penn Hills and jumped into section action with a close 2-1 triumph over Obama Academy.

The Mustangs found it tough sledding in a 5-2 loss to section leader Oakland Catholic, but the team responded with four straight victories through a 4-0 win over West Mifflin on Sept. 19.

“We had a few breakdowns and certainly didn’t play our best game,” Schuchert said of the Oakland Catholic loss. “We went into the game thinking that we were going to have the same success as we did against them last year (3-1 nonsection win). Oakland Catholic really came at us from the whistle and didn’t let down. They capitalized on every one of our breakdowns.”

Oakland Catholic stood at 5-0 in the section and 6-1 overall through a 5-1 win at Woodland Hills on Sept. 19. The rematch between the Eagles and Mustangs is set for Oct. 1 at Plum.

“We were able to figure out where the breakdowns came from, and hopefully, we will be a better team for the rematch,” Schuchert said. “That’s a game we have to win if we want to stay in the race for the section title.”

Plum was to close the first half of section play against Woodland Hills on Monday and open the second half Wednesday against Obama Academy. Both matchups were to be contested past the deadline for this week’s edition.

Sophomore Gina Proviano led the team with 10 goals through seven games, but juniors Hannah Odom and Trish Fratangelo and sophomore Carly O’Connell were among those also getting into the scoring act.

“We’ve really found a style that serves our strengths well and helps improve on what are weaknesses still are,” Schuchert said. “We lost a lot of scoring from last year, and we found that we have a number of girls who can fill that role. Although Gina has a majority of our goals, we’ve found versatility in finishing. If it’s not in scoring, it’s with assists.”

Proviano is on a lot of teams’ radar. She came into the season as one of the area’s top goal scorers after tallying 17 as a freshman last year.

“There are girls around me that if I am getting man marked, I have so much confidence in them to step up and score,” Proviano said.

While the offense has found its footing, the defense is making it difficult on opposing offensive attacks.

Plum’s shutout of West Mifflin last Wednesday was its fourth in as many games. The Mustangs outscored opponents, which included Thomas Jefferson, Gateway and Trinity, 10-0 in that four-game stretch. Through Sept. 19, Trinity was in third place in the section at 4-2 with a 6-2 overall mark.

Plum surrendered only two goals in its first six victories overall.

“Communication has been the key,” said senior defender Elena Banta, a veteran presence in the back row for the Mustangs with three letters to her credit.

“We’re always talking to each other, so we know where each other is on the field.”

The top four teams from each Class AAA section will qualify for the WPIAL playoffs. At its current rate, Plum is in line to make the postseason for a seventh consecutive season.

“The start is so exciting, and we gained so much confidence from that, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Proviano said.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

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