Lola Abraham’s 4 goals lift Riverview past GCC in Section 1-A showdown

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 | 10:09 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Greensburg Central Catholic tried everything against Lola Abraham, marking her with multiple girls in 10-minute intervals as it tried to slow her down.

But like she has done against so many other opponents throughout her career, Abraham scratched out those plans in impressive fashion.

While some teams look like they’re running the 3,200-meter race, Abraham is going full speed in the 100-meter dash.

The Riverview senior scored four goals as the fifth-ranked Raiders pulled past No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic, 4-2, in a Section 1-A girls soccer game Wednesday night in Carbon.

Riverview (13-1, 10-1), which increased its winning streak to 13, moved a step closer to the program’s first section title with one game left Monday against No. 2 Springdale (11-1, 9-1).

Three teams began the night with one loss in the section. Riverview is now a half-game ahead of Springdale.

GCC (7-2, 7-2) is alone in third.

“Throughout the season, that has been our goal, to win the section,” said Abraham, a Pitt commit who leads the WPIAL with 50 goals. “But it’s a step-by-step, game-by-game process. We knew it was a possibility, but we have to take it one game at a time.”

GCC, which is responsible for Riverview’s only loss — 4-3 in the season opener — had a six-game winning streak end.

“We tried to stop her, but she’s so fast,” said GCC sophomore forward Jiana Patterson, who scored the opening goal. “Our momentum stopped after she started scoring.”

GCC, on a start-and-stop stretch as the calendar has flipped to October, took a 1-0 lead and then rallied to tie it 2-2 in the 59th minute before Abraham took over for two superb scores inside the final 11 minutes.

After a string of three straight postponements because of injuries and health concerns, GCC has to play five section games in eight days to close the regular season.

Riverview had more energy and speed over 80 minutes.

“This is exactly how we expected this game to be played with the back and forth,” Riverview coach Sean Abraham said. “We wanted to connect on our passes and make them run to maybe wear them out.”

After hitting the post early, Patterson scored past a drawn-out keeper nine minutes in.

The Raiders, who came into the game second in the WPIAL with 101 goals — Mt. Pleasant had 105 — tied it 1-1 on Abraham’s blast from 35 yards in the 15th minute.

She delivered another low liner into the back of the net to make it 2-1 eight minutes later, and the score held at the break.

Goalkeepers Chiara Brun (Riverview) and Erica Rodriguez (GCC) exchanged several saves in the second half before the Centurions tied it 2-2 on junior defender Jillian Botti’s goal off a corner kick from junior Addison Vacanti with 21 minutes remaining.

Lola Abraham, though, sprung out for a breakaway, crossed over and rattled in her third goal for a 3-2 advantage in the 70th minute.

“On a breakaway, you pick your head up to see where the defenders and goalie are,” Abraham said. “Then, you look to place the ball.

“We didn’t give up tonight until the last minute.”

With a hat trick in the bag, Abraham slipped in one more score on a 2-on-1 run-out late to wrap a bow around the 4-2 win.

She has a school-record 146 career goals.

GCC is trying to muster chemistry as some girls return to the lineup and new players blend in.

“We’re so much better than we were at the beginning of the season,” Patterson said. “We just have to keep working as we go toward the playoffs.”

Brun, a freshman, and Rodriguez, a junior playing her third career soccer game, made six saves each.

Junior Riley Kerr had an assist for GCC.

GCC’s schedule won’t allow for much more recovery time: The Centurions visit Serra Catholic on Thursday and host Springdale at 11 a.m. Saturday.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Riverview