Ayres sets program shutout record as Franklin Regional girls top Elizabeth Forward

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 10:47 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Addison Ayres saves most of the shots she faces, but the Franklin Regional senior goalkeeper couldn’t save herself after Wednesday night’s game.

As the Panthers gathered in their customary circle after a 5-0 Section 4-3A girls soccer victory over visiting Elizabeth Forward, Ayres didn’t see junior teammates Grace Copeland and Elliana Canfield approaching from behind her, a water cooler in their arms and an ornery grin on their faces.

Ayres turned around just as an icy wave of water splashed over her head.

The moment commemorated the liquidation of a record on a cold night in Murrysville as Ayres broke the program mark for shutouts in a season with 12.

The Allegheny commit tied Aris Lamanna’s mark of 11 clean sheets Monday with a 3-0 win against Blackhawk. Now, the record is all hers to own and extend.

“I always looked up to Aris and always kind of played behind her,” Ayres said of Lamanna, a program all-timer who graduated two years ago and is now starting at Coastal Carolina. “Our back line was really good again tonight, and they really helped me get the record.”

Senior striker Allyssa Velasquez did the heavy lifting on offense, scoring a career-high four goals as the Panthers (13-3, 9-2) won for the fifth straight time. They have outscored teams 50-11, including 41-6 in section.

Elizabeth Forward, which will join the Panthers in the playoffs, dropped to 7-6, 6-6. The Warriors lost 4-0 to Franklin Regional earlier in the season.

Velasquez, who has 22 goals for the season, joins freshman Reese Regelski as the second Franklin Regional player this season with a four-goal game. Regelski had four last month against West Mifflin.

Before that, Victoria Rothrauff was the last to get a haul for the Panthers, in a 2020 game against Knoch.

Velasquez had a hat trick 25 minutes in, tallying two quick scores in the 14th and 15th minutes.

“She is so good,” Panthers coach Scott Arnold said. “We have really benefited from getting her to be a single nine.”

Her third and fourth goals, which came two minutes apart, gave the Panthers a 4-0 lead at halftime.

“I had hopes of scoring a lot tonight,” Velasquez said. “I had no goals on Monday, so that broke my streak.”

Freshman Ella Copeland capped the scoring with her seventh goal of the year in the 77th minute.

For a team that hasn’t been known for scoring goals in recent years, the Panthers are showing a plentiful mix of offense at the top and their hallmark stinginess in the back.

“We talked about building our offense and using each game and practice to prepare for the playoffs,” Arnold said. “Our senior class is small but impactful. We got all four of our playable seniors in the game tonight. They are small but mighty.”

Franklin Regional has shifted to a nonlinear 3-4-2-1 formation, a move that was made on the heels of a 5-0 loss to 4A No. 5 Norwin 12 games ago.

“We practiced it over the summer and thought it was time to use it,” Arnold said. “Having good center backs is the main thing. We thought it would suit us.”

Center back Grace Copeland, Arnold said, is a key reason the Panthers have been so successful schematically.

Arnold, an assistant with Steel City FC, picked up the formation from that club.

“You don’t see it a whole lot at the high school level,” he said. “Maybe a 3-5-2 is the closest thing. Teams see it and go, OK, what do we do with this?”

Copeland, sophomore Caitlyn Chinchock and freshman Amelia Bertucci started on the back line.

Ayres finished with three saves.

Sophomore Madison Wilder, Regelski, junior Jocey Bertagna and freshman Ella Copeland had assists.

Elizabeth Forward sophomore Peyton Miller suffered a lower leg injury and was taken to the hospital for observation.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional