Burrell girls continue mastery of Mt. Pleasant, advance to WPIAL Class 2A title game

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | 9:37 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

A blinding sun greeted teams and spectators before kickoff Tuesday night at Gateway.

It was tough to see the left side of the field until sunset.

Mt. Pleasant didn’t see the first goal coming, either.

Burrell’s Allie McMahon scored on a cross from Makiah Buchak just 43 seconds into a WPIAL 2A girls soccer semifinal to set the tone as the Buccaneers showed they still have Mt. Pleasant’s number in a 2-0 victory at Antimarino Stadium in Monroeville.

Eighth-seeded Burrell (12-6-2), the returning WPIAL runner-up, advances to play No. 2 Freeport (18-1) in the championship later this week at Highmark Stadium.

A starting time for the final has not been announced.

The Bucs also clinched a PIAA playoff berth.

No. 4 Mt. Pleasant (14-5-1), which was seeking its first finals appearance since 2022, will play the Quaker Valley-Freeport loser in the third-place game for a spot in the state playoffs.

Back to Burrell’s command of the series and that same old song …

Burrell has eliminated Mt. Pleasant from the playoffs five times in seven years, including the 2023 and ’24 quarterfinals, the latter year when Mt. Pleasant was the No. 1 seed.

This year, the Bucs upset No. 1 South Park to reach the semis for the third straight year.

Now, Burrell will play for the title for the second time in as many years.

“You always think, here we go again, but I credit our girls,” Mt. Pleasant coach Rich Garland said. “We still created chances. The second goal was big. It’s tough to come back from 2-0 against a team that doesn’t give up goals.”

The win marked Burrell’s 10th shutout and third of the playoffs.

Mt. Pleasant had only allowed 13 goals all season coming into the game.

So, are the Bucs giant killers? Burrell coach Frank Nesko would prefer his team be viewed as regular title contenders than underdogs.

“You know, maybe we’re not a No. 8 seed,” Nesko said. “What we need to talk about is us being in the semifinals three years in a row and the finals two in a row. These girls have put Burrell soccer on the map.”

As for his team’s upper hand against Mt. Pleasant, Nesko said he doesn’t view it that way.

“Every year is different, every team is different,” he said. “I say this respectfully, we have four freshmen who didn’t even know who Mt. Pleasant was. It’s just about us playing our style and finding ways to win.”

The early goal caught Mt. Pleasant by surprise but did not deter the Vikings, Garland said.

“That never happened before like that,” Garland said. “It was a breakdown, and (Burrell) took advantage of it. I thought we responded well and had good possession. Burrell is very organized and doesn’t allow much to happen.”

Burrell’s second goal came in the 58th minute when McKenna Miller banged in a rebound to make it 2-0. Buchak also assisted on that score.

“I thought Mt. Pleasant responded well to the first goal,” Nesko said. “A lot of teams might have a tough time after that, but they started to push the pace and we adjusted to that.”

Mt. Pleasant standout Morgan Gesinski, who came in with 29 goals for the season, was limited to one shot.

“We knew she was one of their top threats,” Nesko said. “Miley Coury and Peyton Coury — not sisters — did a great job against her.”

Laurel Rummell made four saves for Mt. Pleasant, and Leah Waldsmith had three stop for the Bucs.

Waldsmith snared a high shot from Cam Kapr late in the first half, arguably the Vikings’ best shot on frame.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Mt. Pleasant