Girls soccer teams from Springdale, Riverview, Burrell look to extend WPIAL title hopes

By: Michael Love
Monday, October 30, 2023 | 6:23 PM

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For several players on the Springdale girls soccer team, there is no secret to what it is like to be one game away from a WPIAL championship opportunity.

The Dynamos made it to the Class 2A final four in 2021, played for the gold last year at Highmark Stadium and now are one step away from a return trip to the title game as the No. 6 seed matches up with No. 2 Freedom on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at North Allegheny.

“Being in at least the semifinals for the third year in a row, we’ve experienced these big games before,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said. “Hopefully, that will put us in good standing heading into Tuesday. We know how much of a challenge it will be, but I think we can fall back on our experience and the momentum we have with the first two playoff wins.”

The semifinal round is a new thing for the girls from Riverview and Burrell, but the Raiders and Bucs hope the new experience Tuesday evening yields positive results and a continuation of a run to the WPIAL finals.

“My first year was 2017, and we went to the quarterfinals and lost to Yough,” said Burrell coach Frank Nesko, who, to the best of his knowledge, thinks that a Bucs girls soccer team had never made it to the WPIAL semifinals before this year. “We’ve had some really good players come through. That just speaks to how even 2A soccer is and has been, especially in recent years.

“Really, any team can beat any other team if things go their way. Avonworth is on a really powerful run, and they look to still be the favorite right now, but we’ll see what happens.”

Burrell (14-4) takes on No. 7 Shady Side Academy (14-3-1) at 8 p.m. at Gateway in a rematch of a 1-0 Bulldogs win from September. Riverview (18-2) matches up with No. 12 South Allegheny (13-7) in one of the Class A semifinals at 6 p.m. at North Allegheny.

Freshman midfielder Mikaya Buchak scored in overtime Saturday to send Burrell, the No. 6 seed, to the semifinals with a 2-1 upset of a No. 3 Mt. Pleasant.

“Mt. Pleasant is a fantastic team and were loaded from top to bottom,” Nesko said. “I watched a lot of film on them and couldn’t find a weakness. It is a compliment to our girls, too, that they just kept at it through the ebbs and the flows. That speaks to the resiliency and the leadership we have with this group.”

Shady Side’s lone losses came to Class 2A semifinalist South Park (twice) and Class 4A semifinalist Fox Chapel.

“We know they will be very sound, fundamentally,” Nesko said. “Positionally, their girls make very smart runs. They combine really well up the field together. We know they will be well-prepared. We also are mindful of the fact that they were missing two starters when they played us the first time. We know it’s going to be a tough one.”

Riverview, also in its first semifinal game, has not given up a goal in two playoff wins, outscoring opponents by a combined 8-0. Senior standout Lola Abraham scored seven of the eight goals.

Coach Sean Abraham said his players are excited going into the game and understand what is at stake against a South Allegheny team that won both of its playoff games in overtime, including Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round.

“They have all the normal feelings with possibly making history for the school,” coach Abraham said. “There is a lot of energy and also anxiousness as they prepare for this big game. They’ve learned so much from every game so far, and they hope the momentum can carry over to (Tuesday).”

Springdale, too, has dominated in the playoffs, outscoring No. 11 Sewickley Academy and No. 3 Charleroi by a combined 16-2.

The Dynamos hope to avenge last year’s 3-0 WPIAL title-game loss to Freedom. The Bulldogs also ended Springdale’s 2021 season 6-0 in the WPIAL third-place game with a trip to states on the line.

Freedom trailed against No. 7 OLSH on Saturday before rallying to win 3-2 and improve to 14-3 overall.

“We know how strong they are and how fast they are up front,” Bentley said. “We expect it to be another battle. The teams know each other so well. They were the better team last year in the championship game and deserved to win it. But, hopefully, we can turn it around this time.”

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: Burrell, Riverview, Springdale