Chartiers Valley soccer teams aiming for return to playoffs in 2021

By: Don Rebel
Saturday, October 24, 2020 | 11:01 AM

The Chartiers Valley soccer programs were riding high four years ago.

The boys team beat Mars for the WPIAL Class 3A championship and reached the PIAA quarterfinals during an 18-win season.

The girls team won 11 games, finished tied for third place in their section and lost to Class 3A runner-up Montour in the WPIAL playoffs.

This season, both Chartiers Valley soccer teams missed the postseason for the first time since 2015.

“We got off to a decent start this season, but knew that depth would be an issue as we moved forward,” Chartiers Valley boys soccer coach Garrett Mackenzie said. “Playing in a section as deep and talented as we are in played a major factor in the struggles as the season went on.”

The boys team (6-7-1) finished fifth in the eight-team Section 2-AAA.

Mackenzie admits preparing for a soccer season with many restrictions did not help his team.

“Besides being in a really tough section, the biggest obstacle we faced was a lack of preparation before the season,” he said. “We didn’t have the chance to have a normal offseason, and it really took a toll on us as a team.”

Despite the rare playoff miss for the Colts, Mackenzie said there were plenty of bright spots.

“We had a chance to get some younger guys into the lineup, and they now understand what it will take to make the playoffs out of our section,” he said. “Senior Riley Kutschbach had 20 goals for us this season, which was definitely a highlight. Against the teams we faced, scoring 20 goals is an unbelievable feat.”

The future looks good for the Colts.

“I am optimistic that our younger guys are willing to put in the work during the offseason, knowing the competition they will be facing night in and night out,” Mackenzie said. “There is a lot of work to be done to be successful in the years to come.”

The Chartiers Valley girls soccer team also finished in fifth place in Section 4-AAA.

The Colts girls team struggled early and limped to the finish line, however in the middle of their schedule, they put together a 4-1-1 run over a six-game stretch.

“I think the biggest difference in that stretch was that we were healthy across the board, and we couldn’t say that in the beginning or end of the season,” Chartiers Valley girls coach Zach Hamilton said. “We caught the injury bug unfortunately, and with as many games as these girls play, sometimes you need a bounce or two in your favor, and we didn’t get that at the tail end of the year.”

The Colts were winless in their last five games and finished with an overall record of 4-8-2.

Wrapping up his second year as Chartiers Valley coach, Hamilton sees the team taking steps in the right direction.

“You can see the changes we’re implementing taking hold day by day,” he said. “We have years and years of a poor culture and mindset to change, and it won’t happen overnight, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

The obstacles the Colts had to clear this fall were two-fold and too much according to Hamilton.

“Our biggest obstacles were first, the injuries we dealt with all year, and second being the strenuous schedule these girls faced between (club soccer) and their high school games.”

Despite the struggles, Hamilton is looking forward to next fall.

“The group of girls I have returning in 2021 is what has me optimistic moving forward,” he said. “They’re hardworking, determined and continuing to make strides day in and day out.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley