No. 3 Springdale girls soccer beats No. 1 Riverview in overtime

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 | 10:09 PM

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Scoring opportunities were at a premium Wednesday evening when cross-river rivals Riverview and Springdale met in a matchup of two of the top three ranked girls soccer teams in WPIAL Class A.

The No. 1 Raiders and No. 3 Dynamos played nearly 90 physical and intense minutes on Springdale’s home field before the hosts broke through with the winner.

Senior Molly Hurley scored with 31 seconds left in the first overtime to give Springdale a 1-0 victory in the clash of the unbeatens.

“We knew this game was going to be definitely close, and that one goal might be the difference,” said Hurley, whose tally was her fourth of the season.

“It was the kind of game we expected. Both teams were playing really good defense, and we both had to be patient to try and break each other down.”

With the win, Springdale moves into first place in Section 4-1A at 4-0. The Dynamos are 5-0 overall.

“I thought we played really well today,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said. “I felt we controlled the game for a large part of it, but (Riverview) is really solid in the back and were hard to break down as we expected. After 90 minutes of soccer, we were able to get the goal we wanted. Molly did a nice job of being right there to put it in. It was a good battle.”

Riverview, which defeated Springdale three times last year including the final one in the PIAA quarterfinals, fell to 4-1 overall and in section play.

“It was a really good game,” Raiders coach Sean Abraham said. “That’s why they call it the beautiful game. It often comes down to a goal. That’s all it was. Both teams had some good chances, and both played some really good defense. I told the girls to keep their heads up and be ready to play them the next time.”

The teams will meet again Oct. 7 at Riverside Park in Oakmont.

Dynamos senior Bri Ross got the winning play started as she fed a ball to freshman Tessa Derringer, who closed in on the Riverview goal box.

Derringer got off a shot from about 20 yards as Riverview senior keeper Chiara Brun came out to make a stop.

Brun halted Derringer’s shot, but the ball caromed to Hurley on the right wing. Facing an open net, Hurley delivered the ball into the back of the net to seal the victory.

“I saw Tessa going for it, and I just had to cover whatever came out of the box,” Hurley said. “I was able to pounce on it. I just had to make sure I didn’t miss it.”

Springdale fired off three shots on goal in overtime, and Riverview had one.

The Dynamos finished with an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal for the game. Springdale senior keeper Baileigh Hass had six saves.

Both teams broke through for a couple of chances over the first 40 minutes, but the defenses did not relent.

Springdale’s Carissa Walsh put a shot just over the crossbar of the Riverview goal in the second minute.

Riverview’s first shot came in the 13th minute and was corralled by Haas, who also pulled in a Raiders attempt in the 19th minute.

Walsh put one on goal for Springdale in the 15th minute, but Brun made the stop.

Springdale had something cooking momentarily late in the half as Hurley came down the right wing and spotted Ross in the center of the field.

Hurley crossed the ball in Ross’ direction, but Brun came out to make sure nothing further developed in the Raiders’ box.

Riverview fired off a pair of corner kicks, and sophomore Hannah Hudack released a shot on goal from about 20 yards in the first six minutes of the second half.

Springdale countered with a shot on goal from Derringer.

The Dynamos were awarded their first corner of the half and second of the game at the 27:54 mark, but the Raiders defense turned away that opportunity.

Springdale attempted another corner kick with 18:47 left in regulation, but the Dynamos players were not able to follow up the initial boot in front of the Riverview net.

Springdale generated a solid chance on goal from the right wing with 12 minutes on the clock, but Brun gobbled up the ball to set up a clearing kick.

Brun again made the save on an attempt from nearly the same spot six minutes later.

Springdale ended the 80 minutes of regulation play with a 10-7 advantage in shots, and both teams went into overtime with five shots on goal.

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: Riverview, Springdale