Freeport girls soccer team hopes 11th straight playoff appearance is a long one

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 22, 2023 | 5:07 PM

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The Freeport girls soccer team is no stranger to preparing for the WPIAL playoffs.

No matter what talent is lost from the year before, the returning group refocuses and makes a run. Freeport captured the Section 2-2A title two weeks ago on the way to securing its 11th straight WPIAL postseason berth.

“We are very prepared for the playoffs,” senior captain and defender Lorelei Buterbaugh said. “We’ve come to practice and worked hard. We’re staying supportive of each other both on and off the field. Things like the playoffs are why we put in all the work. Now it is here, and we’re really excited.”

Freeport, the No. 4 seed in Class 2A, kicks off its playoff journey Tuesday evening at home against No. 13 Beaver (8-6-1).

The Yellowjackets hope to still be standing the weekend of Nov. 2 for a shot at a championship at Highmark Stadium. Freeport never has won a WPIAL title in girls soccer.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but we’ve played a tough schedule against (section) teams like Burrell, Knoch and Deer Lakes that really helped prepare us,” Buterbaugh said. “We got through them well with the section title. We’re looking forward to the chance to play some of these teams and players we’ve been hearing about.”

Avonworth, North Catholic and Mt. Pleasant are the top three seeds in Class 2A.

The No. 1 Antelopes are the two-time defending Class 2A champions and a possible semifinal opponent. But the focus, the players and coaches stress, is squarely on the Bobcats, who tied Quaker Valley for third place in Section 1.

Freeport and Beaver have a common opponent in Central Valley. The Yellowjackets defeated Central Valley, 5-1, at their early-season tournament. The Bobcats split their section series with Central Valley, losing 3-1 and winning 2-0.

“We’re pretty healthy right now, and that is big at this point in the season after many games, including the grind of the section schedule,” Freeport coach Joe Treglia said. “This team has a lot of grit, they are physical and they simply don’t want to lose and will do whatever it takes.

“They have shown they can possess the ball and finish strong. That is a tough combination to deal with.”

Freeport geared up for the playoffs post-section with a pair of games last week against Riverview and Seton LaSalle.

The Yellowjackets held dynamic Raiders scorer and Pitt commit Lola Abraham to a single goal in a 4-1 victory. Riverview (16-2) is the top-seeded team in the Class A tournament.

Abraham came into the game with 55 goals on the season and 154 for her three-year career.

“We had a couple of games this year where a team would have that one main go-to scorer who we tried to mark,” Treglia said.

“Those games kind of prepared us for that game against Riverview. But it was a team we hadn’t played in a long time. We know how good Lola is, and we went in with a good game plan. We needed to keep her off the ball as much as possible, mark her with two or three players if we could, and take our chances with everyone else.”

Freeport improved to 14-1-1 overall with a 4-1 triumph over Seton La Salle behind two goals from freshman Camryn Woods and single tallies from sophomore Nia DiSanti and junior Samantha Liput.

Woods has enjoyed a breakout season as one of the top scorers in the WPIAL. The two goals against the Rebels put her at 29 for the season.

Liput has contributed 14 goals, DiSanti owns five goals and sophomore Peyton Los has eight.

Treglia said the preparation for Tuesday has involved tweaking the formation, working on set pieces and some other things that need fine-tuning.

“At this point in the season, you’ve been through it all, so just some little things are needed to be fully prepared for the playoffs,” he said.

“With 15 or 16 games in, we’re not looking to change much. We know what will work for us, and, hopefully, it brings us a good result.”

Freeport won eight in a row overall, including four section matchups, to earn its first section title since 2017. A sweep of Burrell was key in the section outcome as Freeport won both, 2-1. The second one came in overtime.

The Yellowjackets’ lone loss in section came at the hands of playoff-qualifier Deer Lakes, 2-0, and they also tied Knoch, 2-2, in overtime.

“We came into this season young and not as experienced, but throughout the season, we have built a really strong team,” senior captain Ava Slaughenhoupt said. “We’re excited to get out there and show everyone what we’ve built. We have to continue to play our game, and I think we will be OK.”

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: Freeport