No. 2 Quaker Valley edges Burrell for 3rd WPIAL girls soccer crown

By: Michael Love
Saturday, November 2, 2024 | 3:40 PM

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It had been 32 years since a Quaker Valley girls soccer team had won a WPIAL championship.

The wait for the Quakers to hoist the title trophy again came to an end Saturday.

Sophomore Anabel Miko and freshman Lily Baker scored goals in the second half for No. 2 QV, and those scores held up as the Quakers captured their third championship with a 2-1 victory over No. 9 Burrell under sunny skies at Highmark Stadium.

“We wanted to make sure the girls knew that this isn’t just a memory but for them to make this a moment they can cherish for the rest of their lives,” QV co-head coach Maggie Behun said.

“Whether it was going to be an ugly game or a pretty game, the important thing is that they got it done. We are so happy for them.”

Baker netted the winner with 9 minutes, 31 seconds left to snap a 1-1 tie.

Junior Ariana Bosh brought it down the left wing to near the end line. She crossed it to Miko in front of the Burrell goal mouth, and she then continued the ball on to Baker who tapped it in for the goal.

“I just put my leg out and it went in,” said Baker, who, along with Miko, scored the goals in QV’s 2-0 semifinal victory over North Catholic.

“It was a nice combo play,” Behun said. “That is what we love. That is what we teach. It was nice to see it play out like that.”

The goal not only gave the Quakers (17-2-2) their third WPIAL title — the previous crowns came in 1991 and 1992 — it also gave them a game in WPIAL territory to start the PIAA playoffs Tuesday. QV will take on District 10 runner-up Fort LeBeouf at a time and site to be determined Sunday.

“They can enjoy this one today, but tomorrow they better wake up hungry and ready to get more,” Behun said. “We’re confident, and that’s how we’re going to come out and play in the state tournament.”

For Burrell, making history with the program’s first trip to a WPIAL championship game, the result was a tough pill to swallow.

The Bucs (14-6-1) upset No. 1 Mt. Pleasant in the quarterfinals and eliminated No. 4 South Park, 3-2, in dramatic fashion in the semifinals to punch their ticket to Highmark.

Despite the loss, Burrell is still alive for the state tournament and will make the trip north to Erie on Tuesday to face District 10 champion Cathedral Prep.

“We knew we had a really talented group, and (getting to Highmark) has been something we’ve been talking about since June,” Burrell coach Frank Nesko said. “The No. 9 seed aside, we knew who we were, what we were, and how well we played. We felt we deserved to be here.

“We have to collect ourselves, reset and go onto the next game. We’ve been telling the girls since the start of the year that they can win any game they play. We’re going to bring our best game on Tuesday. We have to travel two and a half hours to do it, but it is what it is. We’ll be there and be ready to rock and roll.”

The Quakers and Bucs went back and forth through the first 40 minutes and into the second half. But neither team could get on the scoreboard.

Burrell led in shots at the half, 6-3.

That changed in the 50th minute as Miko broke the scoreless tie with a shot from 25 yards that sailed just beyond the outstretched arms of Bucs junior keeper Dana Barczykowski. The ball deflected off the left post and into the goal.

Senior Mia Modrovich picked up an assist on Miko’s tally.

“It is a testament to the girls and their focus that they knew that good things would come if they kept patient and kept working,” QV co-head coach Rachel Loudermilk said. “The first half really didn’t go our way, but at halftime, we told them they can play better than they were playing. They had 40 minutes to do it, and there could be no letdowns.

“We were calling to the girls all game to have them just play their game and play off of each other. You saw what happened when they executed.”

Burrell responded to tie the score about four minutes later as sophomore Makiah Buchak took a shot from close range and then cleaned up a rebound off a save from QV freshman keeper Ava Hajok.

“We were kind of on our heels a little bit, and the girls rallied,” Nesko said.

“That has been the hallmark of our team the whole year: our resiliency. We buckle, but we don’t break. Once we got that goal, I thought we took the play to them. We just couldn’t find that second one. Credit to their goalie. She was fantastic today.”

Buchak’s score, her team-leading 13th of the season, was one of Burrell’s seven shots on goal.

Hajok made six saves to help lift her team to the title.

Quaker Valley finished with 11 shots, and eight of them made it to Barczykowski, who tallied five saves.

“(The WPIAL title) feels really good,” Baker said. “I am happy for us. It was a lot of work, but we did it. Now we’re going on to states.”

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, Quaker Valley