After tough times, Baldwin girls soccer enjoying breakthrough season

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, September 22, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The Baldwin girls soccer team was nearly unbeatable in the first half of September.

The Highlanders shut out four teams — Connellsville twice by 2-0 scores, Hempfield, 9-0, and Mt. Lebanon, 1-0 — and lost only to Upper St. Clair, 2-0.

Baldwin took a 5-3 overall record and a 2-1 section mark into the second half of the month.

“I can’t say I had too many preconceived notions on how this team was going to fare this season,” coach Dave Ruvolo said, “due to the fact that our coaching staff just came together about a week before practice officially began on Aug. 12.

“However, I’ve coached many of these girls over the years in travel soccer — my daughter is a sophomore on the team — so I knew we had some talent and a lot of athleticism.”

Ruvolo is the third head coach at Baldwin in the last four years.

“I thought we could compete, but I didn’t expect any early success due to our youth and recent instability in the program,” he said. “What I didn’t expect was just how good our youth is and just how resilient and hungry our veteran players are.

“You would be hard-pressed to find another soccer team in 4A that had a tougher road than Baldwin soccer over the last four or five years. And yet, our girls are somehow playing harder, smarter and with more joy than we’ve seen around here in a long time.”

All five of the Highlanders’ early season wins came via shutouts.

“If you look back over the last 20 years of Baldwin soccer, the goals-against numbers really jump out at you,” Ruvolo said. “To borrow a medical phrase, we knew we had to stop the bleeding. Baldwin’s lone section title in the last 20 years came in 2013 when the team went 10-0 in its section with 72-0 (goal differential), so the blueprint was there.

“If we were ever going to compete, we had to start by keeping the ball out of our net. Now, in 4A soccer you can make all sorts of plans, drill defense all day long in practice and still end up losing 7-0 to some of these teams. But we’ve had some early success relying on our athleticism, our veteran toughness and a highly skilled freshman class that makes up half of our back line and goaltending. At the end of the day, however, defense comes down to desire, determination and grit. Our girls seem to have some of that.”

Baldwin is led by senior captains Mary Vargo (F/M), Annabelle Herrle (F/M) and Mia Beardsley (M) along with senior defenders Ryley Shaw and Milana Winowich.

“I am so proud of our team. We have been overlooked for so many years,” Vargo said. “We are all collectively putting in the time and effort to improve. We are, for sure, putting everything we have when we step on that field.

“I expect us to fight our way to playoffs and upset teams that didn’t see us coming.”

The Highlanders use a rotation of speedy juniors up top and on the wings with Addison Hirt, Ella Schwarzmiller, Lily Schwarz and Olivia Page. Joining Vargo and Beardsley in the midfield are sophomore Laila Ruvolo and Kelsey Meyer.

“Laila and Kelsey both lettered their freshman years and are putting in strong early performances in their sophomore seasons,” said their coach.

The back line is rounded out by freshmen Tenley Fry and Reagan Aston-Reece. Freshman Evelyn Johnson is the starter at the goalkeeper position.

“Mary Vargo has always been on everyone’s radar,” coach Ruvolo said. “Her athleticism is matched only by her determination and willingness to sacrifice everything on every play. She’s one of those rare multi-sport athletes that combines incredible hand-foot-eye coordination with speed, strength and an unstoppable motor.

“Mary’s goal against Mt. Lebo was a ridiculous 25-yard shot from outside the right corner of the 18, but it was just one of many plays that helped us win that game. I was most impressed by the string of three or four headers she won off goalie punts in the closing 10 minutes that really helped us close it out.”

The Highlanders’ 1-0 victory Sept. 9 at Mt. Lebanon was perhaps their biggest win of the season.

“I’m a little torn with my reaction to the win,” said Ruvolo, Baldwin’s first-year field boss. “It was a bit of a statement game for our girls. You lose 2-0 to USC at home and a few people in our section might raise an eyebrow.

“You then go and shut out a major program like Mt. Lebo, which was undefeated at the time, on their home turf, and people are turning their heads and wondering what’s going on. And that’s where I get a little trepidatious. At the start of the season, I told the girls that they wouldn’t see us coming. Well, that kind of goes out the window when you have a win like that.”

Vargo said she had an amazing reaction to the game-winner against Mt. Lebanon.

“All I could think was it was for my dad,” she said. “That goal set the tempo for the rest of the game. It was amazing. My team and I have never been happier than in that moment.”

Vargo has been a four-year starter on the pitch and will start for a fourth year this winter on the girls basketball team.

“This has been my best (soccer) season so far, and I’m looking to keep it like that,” she said.

Vargo has a 4.0 GPA and is a National Honor Society member. She also participates in the ASL club and math league at Baldwin.

The Highlanders’ starting lineup presents a nice balance of veteran leadership and youthful skill.

“Tenley Fry and Reagan Aston-Reece are WPIAL stars in the making,” coach Ruvolo said. “They are two of the top club players in our region for their respective age group and we expect great things from them in the future.

“I’m hesitant to say anything about Evelyn Johnson because she’s been incredible, and I don’t want to jinx her. In all seriousness though, her poise, her command of the defense, her fearlessness, not to mention her high-level goaltending skill, have been a pleasure to watch — and you couldn’t find a sweeter kid.”

The Highlanders shut out Connellsville for a second time on an emotional senior night held Sept. 11 at Baldwin Stadium.

There are eight upperclassmen on the team. The five previously mentioned are joined by F Rebecca Knight, GK Addison Giglione and D Kendyl Jones.

“This senior class has a special place in my heart because they still battle even though they’ve been beaten down for three years,” coach Ruvolo said. “I only hope we can send them off with a season they can be proud of.

“But the real story of their legacy will be told by the younger players. This may sound bold, but in terms of skill and athleticism, I would put our freshman and sophomore classes up against any program in WPIAL. And our seniors are teaching them how to fight.”

Tags: Baldwin