Gesinski scores 6 goals, Mt. Pleasant girls cruise past Yough
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Wednesday, October 9, 2024 | 11:10 PM
Yough and Mt. Pleasant girls soccer players line up for the national anthem Wednesday night at Viking Stadium.
Yough (left) and Mt. Pleasant girls soccer players meet with officials before Wednesday night’s game at Viking Stadium.
A third straight section crown secured, title contender Mt. Pleasant displayed the offensive muscle and goaltending prowess it will throw at teams in the upcoming WPIAL girls soccer playoffs.
Morgan Gesinski scored a season-high six goals and assisted another, Rylin Bugosh had four assists and Laurel Rummel made three saves for her ninth shutout of the season as No. 1 Mt. Pleasant blanked visiting Yough, 8-0, in a Section 4-2A game Wednesday night at Viking Stadium.
The Lady Vikings (14-1, 10-0) have won 34 straight section games and have outscored opponents 102-6 this season.
Camryn Kapr added two goals, and Maddie Barrick and Caitlyn Fullman each had an assist.
“We tried to pick up the speed of play a notch,” Mt. Pleasant coach Rich Garland said. “That’s how we want to play going into the playoffs.”
Yough (12-6, 5-5), which had won five in a row, three via shutout, was limited to four shots on goal against the potent Vikings.
“It’s very hard to beat a team playing like that,” Yough coach Rob Broadwater said. “Their passing was crisp, and their movement was sharp. We didn’t play our best game. We didn’t have it today.”
Gesinski and Kapr scored to give Mt. Pleasant a 2-0 lead by halftime.
Gesinski poured in four goals in the second half as Bugosh and Maddie Barrick worked to set up opportunities.
“We’ve been working a lot on our communication,” said Gesinski, who had a seven-goal game in the playoffs when she was a freshman. “We have chemistry because we have been playing together for so long, since (youth) soccer.”
Mt. Pleasant hasn’t lost a section game since Southmoreland clipped it in 2021.
“The expectation is to win every game,” Garland said. “Our section is getting better.”
Rummel, who never has missed a game in her three years in net, is Mt. Pleasant’s career leader in wins (51) and shutouts (43).
What made this clean sheet more special was that Lauren Fearer, the previous record holder for wins and shutouts, was in attendance on senior night.
Mt. Pleasant recognized Rummel’s records before kickoff.
“It was more nerve-wracking than usual,” Rummel said, “knowing she was watching. I have to give a lot of the credit to the girls playing in front of me.
“Every time we concede a goal, we take it personal.”
Mt. Pleasant had 15 shots to Yough’s four.
Carly Fitzgibbons was busy in net for the Cougars but made eight saves.
Yough won five games last year and was outscored 103-30. This year, the Cougars have 95 goals and have given up 32.
“We have turned it around,” Broadwater said. “We’re looking forward to the playoffs. It doesn’t matter who we play.”
The Cougars have completed their regular-season schedule.
“I have some girls who are banged up,” Broadwater said. “This will give them a chance to rest up.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Mt. Pleasant, Yough
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