Alle-Kiski Valley girls soccer notebook: Section 2-2A looking fierce

By: Michael Love
Thursday, September 15, 2022 | 8:55 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Deer Lakes, Burrell and Freeport have waged some fierce girls soccer battles for several years in Section 2-2A.

The early part of this year’s section schedule was no exception.

It started Sept. 1 as the Lancers led Freeport, 2-0, only to have the Yellowjackets rally and win in overtime 3-2.

“Freeport is such a deep team. They have 30-some girls,” Deer Lakes coach Frank Accetta said.

“They can just tire you out. Both teams played really well. That shows just how competitive this section is.”

Freeport topped Burrell, 2-0, on Sept. 7 in a game closer than even the score would indicate.

On Monday, a goal from Bucs sophomore Miley Kariotis with 28 minutes left was the difference in a 1-0 victory over Deer Lakes.

Accetta said those three games, while significant, are just a part of what already is a spirited early-season slate of games among a section made up entirely of Alle-Kiski Valley squads.

Section mainstay Valley and newcomers Knoch and Apollo-Ridge are making bids to be a factor in the section. Freeport leads the way at 4-0 after a 3-0 win over Valley on Wednesday behind goals from Crystal Zembruski, Peyton Los and Nora Mahan.

Deer Lakes rebounded from the Burrell loss Wednesday with a 5-0 win over Apollo-Ridge as five players scored.

Knoch is 2-0 in section with wins over Valley, 3-2, and Burrell, 2-0. The Bucs, Lancers, and Valley are 2-2. Apollo-Ridge is 1-3, and a youthful Highlands squad is looking to break into the win column.

Monday’s schedule features Burrell at Apollo-Ridge, Deer Lakes at Valley and Knoch at Freeport.

Regaining footing

Springdale’s first game of the season was a close 3-2 loss to Class 2A Deer Lakes.

“That game against Deer Lakes did a lot of good for us,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said.

“I think it kind of leveled us out in case we came in a little overconfident after having a great season last year. We were able to focus on some things after that game.”

Since the loss to the Lancers, the Dynamos, the No. 1 team in the Triblive HSSN Class A rankings, have won four straight, all in Section 1 play, by a combined 19-3 score to rise to the top of the section standings.

The key win, by far, in that stretch was a 3-2 overtime triumph over Greensburg Central Catholic. At the time, the Centurions were ranked No. 1 and Dynamos No. 2.

The teams traded places in the rankings.

Sophomore Briana Ross netted the golden-goal winner in the extra period. It was her fifth goal of the season.

The teams split their season series last year, and this year’s rematch at Springdale is Sept. 29.

“GCC has some really talented players, and we’ve had some really good games with them the past couple of years,” Bentley said. “Early on when I started with Springdale, we struggled with them. I think the first game I ever coached (2019), we lost to them 10-0. So it’s nice to see how far we’ve come against them.”

Senior Grace Gent leads the team in goals with seven through the five games played. Sophomore Molly Hurley owns a team-best six assists.

Extra effort

Riverview coach Sean Abraham knew despite losing a couple of key players from last year’s WPIAL Class A quarterfinal run, Steel Valley was not be taken lightly.

Monday’s Section 1-A matchup was a high-scoring affair that took overtime to decide. But the Raiders (2-2, 1-2) prevailed 5-4 on a golden goal off the foot of junior standout Lola Abraham.

“It was a good win for us,” Abraham said. “Our assistant coach and I were wondering what to expect. We went into it with a gameplan, and the girls executed it with great effort. The girls played well. “

Senior first-year player Brionna Long made 11 saves, and Lola Abraham finished with four goals, giving her five on the season.

She assisted on Riverview’s other goal, the first career tally for freshman Isabel Chaparro.

“Brionna made a lot of nice saves that kept us in the game and helped us get the win,” Abraham said. “A lot of girls who are new to the team really stepped up their games. It was a great team win.”

Rolling along

It’s business as usual for the Plum girls soccer team, which won its 38th straight section game with a 7-0 victory at Penn Hills on Wednesday.

The Mustangs are 5-0 overall and 4-0 in Section 3-3A.

The defense has shutouts over the Indians as well as Gateway, 3-0, Greensburg-Salem, 9-0, and Montour, 2-0.

Plum met the challenge of Latrobe in a section clash Sept. 7 at Mustangs Stadium. The Wildcats scored a pair of goals, something that happened against Plum only three times in 25 games last year.

Seniors Annabel Arhin (two goals, assist) and Cam Rogers (goal, assist) led the way for the Mustangs, and Pitt commit Kaitlyn Killinger scored in the second half to give them a commanding 4-1 lead.

Mars and Plum, familiar with each other through four postseason games the past three years, are 1-2 in the Triblive HSSN Class 3A rankings this week. Moon, Thomas Jefferson, and Franklin Regional round out the top five.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.