Plum girls soccer team ready for another crack at Moon in PIAA playoffs

By: Michael Love
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 6:06 PM

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The Moon girls soccer team did to Mars what no other team had done in 80 previous matchups with the Planets.

The Tigers posted a 1-0 victory at Highmark Stadium last Saturday to win the WPIAL Class 3A title and end Mars’ monumental win streak. Moon also denied the Planets a fourth consecutive WPIAL crown.

Plum was a a victim along the Tigers’ march to WPIAL gold, falling 3-0 in a semifinal Nov. 1 at Gateway.

The Mustangs get another crack at Moon, this time in the PIAA quarterfinals Saturday at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium.

“When we played them at Gateway, it, obviously, wasn’t the result we were looking for,” Plum coach Jamie Stewart said. “We talked after that game about, hopefully, getting a chance to see them again. We had to beat Latrobe and then go up to Warren and take care of business. Now, Moon is in front of us again, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Stewart said his team is ready for the challenge, and it understands what it means to have win-or-go-home situations at this stage in the postseason.

In the PIAA quarterfinals last year, Plum met District 3 champion Mechanicsburg. The Mustangs fell behind early but were able to rally in the second half on goals from Cam Rogers and Ava Weleski.

The Mustangs’ run came to an end a few days later at the hands of Mars.

Said senior forward Kaitlyn Killinger: “The loss to Moon last week was another wake-up call for us. Now, we’re ready and prepared to see how they will come out. We are ready to play our best against them and show we can be just as competitive.”

Plum didn’t have long to take stock of its loss to Moon last week as the WPIAL required the Mustangs and fellow WPIAL semifinalist and section rival Latrobe to meet to decide the third- and fourth-place spots for the PIAA playoffs.

The Wildcats scored first, but Plum tied it in the 52nd minute on a goal by senior Annabel Arhin and then got the eventual winner off the foot of Ava Weleski.

“It was tough to turn around and play another big game in just two days, but the girls were really mature in their approach,” Stewart said. “Latrobe came out strong, but the girls dug deep. We just needed to get back to winning. If we don’t win that game, we have to face the WPIAL champion in the first round. (The champ) turned out to be Moon, and we do get them anyway. To win a state title, we knew we were going to have to face the best at some point along the way.”

The win gave Plum District 10 champion Warren on Tuesday at Warren’s home field. The two-plus hour bus ride didn’t stunt Plum’s ability to take care of business.

Killinger scored four goals, and Arhin tallied two scores. Cam Rogers and Lexi Rodda each found the back of the net in an 8-0 win to stay alive in the state playoffs.

Plum led Warren 3-0 with only 10 minutes gone in the first half.

“We had a really good warm-up, and with the first goal, we just calmed down and got into a rhythm,” Killinger said. “We didn’t want to give Warren any momentum. They were sitting up really high to try to get us offside, but since we have a lot of speed up top, we were able to put in a lot of goals.”

While Plum was dispatching Warren, Moon shut out Latrobe, 2-0, on goals from junior forward Sydney Felton and senior midfielder Kayla Leseck.

The Plum faithful remember Felton for her lightning-quick goal just 22 seconds into the WPIAL semifinal. She also assisted on one of the two Tigers second-half goals.

Senior midfielder Tessa Romah scored perhaps the biggest goal of her soccer life with the only tally in the WPIAL championship game.

“Moon is just so talented and disciplined,” Stewart said. “They also have a ton of speed. We saw all of that up close. Their midfield is so strong, and they don’t give you much. If they get a goal, they feel very comfortable about holding onto the lead. They have so much more that you can’t see by just watching them on film or on a live stream. Seeing them and playing them in person has helped in preparing for them this time around.”

The Tigers have not allowed a goal in five postseason games. In fact, they have surrendered just one goal all season. Butler scored a goal in a Sept. 10 nonsection match won by Moon, 3-1.

The Tigers own one of the longest unbeaten streaks, if not the longest, in the state at 34 games (33-0-1) dating to last year. While Mars was winning PIAA gold in Class 3A in 2021, Moon was doing it at the Class 4A level.

Stewart said he is happy to have Arhin back in the lineup after missing three playoff games with an injury.

“I was super happy for Annabel to be able to get back in the lineup and have such an impact against Latrobe and Warren,” Stewart said. “She battled to get back on the field. She didn’t want her final season to end by watching the games.”

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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