Defending WPIAL boys soccer champion Pine-Richland ready for challenges ahead

By: Jerin Steele
Sunday, August 27, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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For the first time, Pine-Richland boys soccer will go into a season with the distinction of being defending WPIAL champions.

Last year provided a storybook run that ended with a 1-0 upset over Seneca Valley in the Class 4A final, but the Rams know a repeat will not be easy.

All four WPIAL semifinalists came from Section 1, and it’ll likely be a grind again.

“We enjoyed it the entire offseason and enjoy the title of defending champions, but we know this is a completely new season and the same challenges we had last year will be familiar once again,” Pine-Richland coach Jordan Wiegand said. “Our section had to be probably one of the toughest in the state last year, and it’s going to be brutal again. There’s no escaping that.”

Four seniors, Colin Zvejnieks, Cale Klaff, Tyler Fritz and Ben Rishel, who were mainstays in the Pine-Richland lineup since Wiegand’s arrival four years ago, graduated. Zvejnieks was the team’s leading scorer with 12 goals. He was an all-section player along with Rishel and Claff.

The Rams do return seven starters, though, including all-section keeper Cadan Bennett.

“Those guys were a big part for me since I got here, because they were starters as freshmen, so to see a group like that go is never easy, but it makes it a little better mentally that we got a lot of seasoned guys with experience coming back,” Wiegand said. “We’ll have some depth and we’ll be senior-junior heavy. It always helps when you have a keeper coming back that had an amazing season. We’re hoping to repeat that.”

Other returning starters include wingers Mark Cashman and Ethan Wygant, midfielder Nathan Bang and defenders Matthew Koss and Brady Baker. Baker and Koss are juniors and the rest of the returners are seniors.

“Nathan Bang did a great job for us and we had two sophomores and one junior on the backline last year, so them growing into new roles as leaders and having a year under their belt will be beneficial,” Wiegand said.

Another key player returning is junior midfielder Finn Kichi, who made an impact as a substitute last season.

Pine-Richland was scheduled to begin its season by hosting the annual JRK Memorial tournament Aug. 25-27, which honors the memory of Jim Kennedy, a former Pine-Richland soccer player who died in an automobile accident in 1998 during his senior year.

There were 12 teams in the tournament field, including Class 3A champ Moon, Class A champ Winchester Thurston, South Park, Wheeling Park, Kiski School, Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford, Shaler and North Allegheny.

Then the Rams were schedule to begin section play Aug. 29 at Fox Chapel. The daunting section also includes Seneca Valley, North Allegheny, Central Catholic, Shaler and North Hills.

“Three of our first four are on the road, so it won’t be easy,” Wiegand said.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland