Quaker Valley girls soccer grabs PIAA spot, beats Mt. Pleasant

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 9:10 PM

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Quaker Valley was building toward something in the waning minutes of overtime. The players felt it, the coaches could sense it and the fans hidden under umbrellas perked up.

Ari Bosh clanged a shot off the crossbar and then sent the rebound just wide off a defender to set up a corner kick.

Emma Currier took it from there.

Currier came charging into frame as Mia Duckstein’s corner kick nestled in front and headed home the golden goal with 5 minutes, 26 seconds remaining as the Quakers edged Mt. Pleasant, 1-0, in the WPIAL Class 2A third-place game on a rainy Thursday night at Chuck Knox Stadium in Leetsdale.

Quaker Valley (15-3-1) advances to the PIAA playoffs, whereas Mt. Pleasant (14-6-1) ends it season with two straight losses.

Emma Currier heads in on a corner from Mia Duckstein with 5:26 left in overtime.

Quaker Valley defeats Mt. Pleasant, 1-0, in WPIAL 2A third-place game.@VikingNation_MP @mpagirlssoccer @QVAthletics @TribLiveHSSN #wpialsoccer pic.twitter.com/0PgbF8BFs9

— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) October 30, 2025

The Quakers, who lost to Freeport, 2-0, in the WPIAL semifinals a year after winning the WPIAL title, bounced back to extend their season. They made the PIAA semis last year and have a chance to make another run in the state bracket.

Instead of going to a second overtime and potentially penalty kicks, the Quakers seized an opportunity to close out the Lady Vikings.

“We did feel like a goal was coming,” Quaker Valley co-head coach Maggie Behun said of the closing minutes. “We started to get more chances, and Emma made a great play. I thought we were going to score before that.”

Playing organized in a wide formation, the Quakers forced Mt. Pleasant to make adjustments, which took longer than the visitors would have liked.

Mt. Pleasant’s opportunities were limited. It had only one corner kick.

The Lady Vikings had more chances in the semifinals when they lost 2-0 to Burrell.

“We eventually slowed it down some, but we didn’t have any dangerous chances,” Mt. Pleasant coach Rich Garland said. “We had one set piece. That is a credit to them. Quaker Valley keeps the ball in the field.

“We were outgunned.”

Quaker Valley had 10 shots to Mt. Pleasant’s six in a slow-going matchup that saw Mt. Pleasant standout Morgan Gesinski leave with about 20 minutes left in regulation with a lower-body injury. The 29-goal scorer did not return in her final prep game before she heads to Robert Morris.

Quakers co-head coach Rachel Loudermilk said there was an urgency with her players to keep the season going.

“They were very quiet in the locker room,” she said. “They knew what this game was about.”

Behun was pleased with the way her team played, dictating a tempo Mt. Pleasant wasn’t used to playing.

“I thought we played beautifully tonight,” Behun said. “It’s not often a referee says that to you after a game. Our girls made sure they were looking for one another and finding each other.”

Both goalkeepers, Laurel Rummel for Mt. Pleasant and Ava Hajok for the Quakers, made five saves.

The Lady Vikings’ best chance came in the sixth minute when Sophia Coppula sent a shot off the crossbar.

Mt. Pleasant was trying to reach the state playoffs for the first time since 2022 when it made the semifinals.

Quaker Valley has outscored the opposition 70-6 this season.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant, Quaker Valley