Plum boys soccer off to strong start ahead of section play

By: Michael Love
Thursday, August 28, 2025 | 7:29 PM

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The Plum boys soccer team is known for its strong play and success at its annual season-opening kickoff tournament.

The Mustangs’ two games Aug. 22-23 against Shaler and North Hills were no exception. They topped the Titans, 3-0, and then captured the tournament title by rolling past the Indians, 4-0.

Plum, with several newcomers to the starting lineup mixed with a few seasoned veterans, added a 1-0 victory at North Allegheny on Aug. 26 to establish themselves again as a force in the ranks of WPIAL Class 4A.

“The games with Shaler and North Hills were good in that we were able to get a good look at where we’re at and what we still need to work on,” said Plum coach Raf Kolankowski, who saw his Mustangs last year go undefeated in Section 1-4A play, win 18 games overall, reach the WPIAL title game at Highmark Stadium and advance to the second round of the PIAA playoffs.

“We were able to play a lot of kids over the weekend. It is a long season, and I wanted to see which kids could come in and give us a hand down the road. That is what is great about all of these early-season nonsection games. It’s about who is going to step up so we are ready to go when section games get here.”

Juniors Joaquin Santiago, Kent Holmes and Andy Strasser scored in the Mustangs’ 3-0 win over Shaler, and seniors Parker Berrott and Austin Kolankowski provided assists.

It was more of the same dominant play against North Hills as Holmes and junior James Jodkin scored twice each. Strasser provided three assists, and sophomore Anthony Arrigo had the other.

Coach Kolankowski said the weekend wasn’t without its down moments as two starters — Austin Kolankowski and senior midfielder/forward Christian Alter — went out with injuries.

He is hopeful both will be able to return to the lineup in time for Thursday’s key Section 1-4A opener at home against Central Catholic.

Plum was to pay a visit to Peters Township last Thursday (Aug. 28) in a nonsection game that ended past the deadline for this week’s edition.

Kolankowski said the game would be another strong test of his team to see what they have against a powerhouse in the south.

“Win or lose, I would rather play a close and competitive game against a team like Peters Township or North Allegheny than beat up on a team by eight goals because you get nothing out of those games,” coach Kolankowski said.

“With our two scrimmages and a couple of games against strong teams, the guys are playing well and sticking to what we’re trying to do. With new players in the lineup, there will be some mistakes, but I think we are doing a good job learning from them. It’s nice to hear from players after the game asking about what they should have done in certain situations. You know they are thinking and wanting to improve their game, which is good.”

Arrigo, a sophomore, and Santiago, a junior, were elevated to the starting lineup against North Allegheny for the injured Kolankowski and Alter.

“They are newcomers this year, but they played over the weekend and were ready to go when they were called upon,” Kolankowski said. “It was a great back-and-forth game against North Allegheny. We were fortunate to get one in, and they didn’t. It had a playoff atmosphere.”

Strasser tallied the winner on an unassisted tally with about 17 minutes left in the second half, and Chase Eber went the distance in goal for the win.

“Andy got fouled right on top of the box,” coach Kolankowski said. “We were that close, and he was able to finish it with a nice direct kick. It worked out well for us. Then, we just had to hold on. We had guys cramping up a little bit. But the guys showed a lot of heart and were able to do the things they needed to do to hold on. It was a good win against a really good (North Allegheny team).”

Coach Kolankowski said Eber, a veteran presence in goal, has done a nice job in helping direct a whole new defensive group: Berrott, senior Luke Hoburg and sophomores Landon Vasil and Marshall Capozza.

“With a number of things, it’s a process for them, and it might take a half a season for them to start firing on all cylinders,” he said. “So far, they’ve done well. They are communicating more and more, and Chase has made some nice saves.”

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.

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