Deer Lakes girls soccer team makes hay in new section

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 5:02 PM

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Deer Lakes girls soccer coach Frank Accetta said he, his coaches and his players were surprised when the new two-year cycle alignments came out in the winter. and the Lancers no longer would be facing familiar opponents Freeport, Knoch, Shady Side Academy and Burrell.

Instead, they were grouped with unfamiliar foes such as Ligonier Valley, Southmoreland, Mt. Pleasant and Yough.

They also had to prepare for some long bus rides to play those schools.

“There was a little shock at first, but when that wore off, we knew we had to embrace it,” said Accetta, who helped guide his team to a 6-2-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Section 4-2A through Monday’s 9-2 home victory over East Allegheny.

The only section loss was a 5-0 setback at Mt. Pleasant (9-1, 5-0) on Sept. 9.

“We look at it as two years of new experiences,” Accetta said. “We had been so used to playing the Freeports, the Burrells, the Shady Sides and the Knochs.

“We look forward to the challenges. You know, the travel is not ideal. But it gives us new opportunities to learn and grow together. These girls have done that so far, and we’re in a good place.”

Deer Lakes went on the road to face Yough on Wednesday in what was expected to be an intense rematch of a 5-0 Lancers home win Sept. 4.

Accetta came into the game with 99 wins at Deer Lakes. With 196 overall victories, he also is within range of the 200 mark for his career.

Sophomore forward Tessa Hollibaugh said the team has handled itself well in most of the games against unfamiliar opponents.

“We didn’t know what to expect in some cases, but we’ve been sticking together and working as a team. I am really proud of the girls,” she said.

“With the long trips, we’ll do homework on the bus, trying to get ready for the next day. When we beat Southmoreland, 4-2, at their place, it definitely was a hype bus ride back. We celebrated the whole way home.”

Accetta said his team seems to have hit its stride.

“Up until three games ago, I probably didn’t have a set starting lineup,” he said. “But now, we seem to have that as girls have settled in nicely to their positions on the field. They’re playing the game together and are playing the right way. They are buying into what the coaching staff has taught them.

“We lost a lot of seniors from last year, but we knew we had a lot of goal scorers coming back. We knew we would still have a good team. We just weren’t sure how the younger girls would come in and work with the team.”

Accetta said he is pleased with the way his freshmen starters — midfielder/forwards Josie Buchanon and Reese Waruszeweski — have handled themselves.

Waruszeweski was third on the team in scoring with six goals through the East Allegheny contest.

Claire Cacurak led the team in goals with 14 heading into the Yough game. The 2023 All-WPIAL selection selection tallied all four goals in the win Sept. 18 at Southmoreland.

Hollibaugh owned nine goals, and she recorded a hat trick in Deer Lakes’ 9-0 home shutout of Ligonier Valley last Thursday.

“We are a pressure kind of team, which can create headaches for opposing defenses,” Hollibaugh said. “We’re not going to sit back. That is how we get a lot of our goals. We have a lot of speed up front.”

The defensive unit has been equally as strong with returning all-WPIAL junior defender Brooke Cacurak, Lexie Godbolt and Victoria Troyan leading the way.

Accetta said junior Mikayla Potter, who came in after starting in net for two years at Eden Christian, has provided extra stability to a defensive unit that has five shutouts this season.

“She was always in our district,” Accetta said. “She’s really helped out because I didn’t know who was going to be in goal this year. But now we have a varsity keeper who is holding it down.”

Accetta said the loss of junior forward Bry Simonetti, an all-section pick last year who scored 16 goals, to an ACL injury Sept. 9, at Mt. Pleasant was a big blow.

“It was a total no-contact thing,” Simonetti said. “I just went for the ball, and my knee popped out. It was scary, but nothing hurt, so I decided to go back in the game. Then my coach took me off, and I had to go to the hospital.”

Tests on the knee eventually revealed the ACL tear, and surgery will be needed to repair the injury.

“It’s been really hard, but I was told that as long as I get the surgery and follow the rehab properly, I should be back strong for my senior year,” she said.

“I come to every practice and every game. I am still a part of the team. The support from my teammates has been amazing. They’ve been there for me, and I’ve been there for them.”

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.

Tags: Deer Lakes