Plum girls thinking Bigger after shutout win over Franklin Regional
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Monday, August 26, 2024 | 10:13 PM
Plum’s Emily Grubich celebrates with Allison Porter (left) after scoring a second-half goal against Franklin Regional on Monday.
Plum goalie Makenna Anderson makes a save on Franklin Regional’s Elliana Canfield on Monday.
Plum’s Allison Porter heads the ball between Franklin Regional’s Natalie Keough (28) and Abby Waterline for a first-half goal Monday.
Plum goalie Makenna Anderson makes a save on Franklin Regional’s Allyssa Velasquez on Monday.
Plum’s Catie Weiss defends on Franklin Regional’s Allyssa Velasquez on Monday.
Olivia Bigger kicks extra points for the Plum football team.
On Monday night, she helped give the girls soccer team an extra goal.
The junior set up of an early second-half score to give the Mustangs a two-goal lead on the way to a 2-0 victory over Franklin Regional in the Section 4-3A opener in Murrysville.
Bigger assisted on both goals.
“Olivia services the ball so well for us,” Plum coach Jamie Stewart said. “She helped create that goal for us, and Emily (Grubish) was there to finish.”
The game also was the season opener for Plum (1-0, 1-0), which is 59-2 in section play the last five-plus seasons, while Franklin Regional moved to 0-2, 0-1.
The Panthers lost Saturday to Thomas Jefferson, 3-1, in the Moe Rosensteel Memorial Kickoff Classic at Ringgold.
“Plum sits deep, and if you play long, they eat those up,” Franklin Regional coach Scott Arnold said. “We have to create with multiple attacks. And (offensively), they can make that quick turn with the ball. They did that tonight, even when we seemed to have them covered.”
Bigger did help to create the second score, maintaining possession at the far right side of the end zone before crossing far post to sophomore forward Emily Grubich Porter for a goal and a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute.
Both goals were created, in part, by defenders, which speaks to the balanced attack Plum brought to the matchup.
“It was a total team effort,” Stewart said. “We knew our defense needed to shut them down, and we had to know where we wanted to attack them. Franklin is a formidable opponent, right out of the gate.”
Junior defender Allison Potter had the first goal for the Mustangs. She was in the right place to score the opening goal in the eighth minute.
A corner kick floated in close and was deflected by Panthers’ junior keeper Addyson Ayres. Potter headed it into the cage through a crowd.
Plum had nine shots to the Panthers’ three. Ayres made five saves in the loss.
Senior keeper Makenna Anderson had one save for Plum, a semifinalist in four of the last five years who is chasing a sixth straight section title. Junior Malayna Smith also saw time in goal and shared the shutout with Anderson.
“We have some tough opponents (early on the schedule),” Arnold said. “We have to look at the video and look at what we can do better — little by little.”
Franklin Regional junior Allyssa Vasquez was sent off late after receiving her second yellow card of the game, which equals a red.
In this case, it was deemed a soft red, so she was able to be replaced and will not have to sit out for a game.
“We tried to shut down (senior Abby) Paterline,” Stewart said. “But they have several other good players, too. We tried to slow them down and make it tough for them to get scoring chances.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Plum
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