Rivals GCC, Shady Side Academy to again play for WPIAL girls soccer title

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 | 7:42 PM

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It is the annual third meeting of the season between the Shady Side Academy and Greensburg Central Catholic girls soccer teams. Or as some like to call it, the WPIAL Class A championship game.

Since 2010, the Indians or Centurions have claimed the championship, and more often than not it has come against each other, including last year.

Shady Side Academy defeated Greensburg CC in the WPIAL final and PIAA semifinals last year, on its way to a third district championship in seven years.

“We consistently get quality players,” Shady Side Academy coach Leah Powers said. “We have a strong program. I think every year we lose a group of seniors and wonder how we are going to regroup. Players have developed as they go. The next group steps up every year. Our core group brings the other girls with them and sometimes we surprise ourselves.”

Powers is in her eighth season with the Indians as an assistant but took over the head coaching duties this year when Mary Lynch took maternity leave.

The Centurions also have a first-year coach in Ashley Davis, who came from Westmoreland Community College. In her coaching career, she has taken over a lot of startup and rebuilding programs and has been enjoying taking over a team with lofty goals and a tradition of winning championships.

“So far, it has been awesome,” Davis said. “I have put a lot of years in coaching. I have coached college teams in first year of existence and rebuilding years. To be able to coach this team, I am so proud of them. I am going to try to not lose my mind and keep my cool. Up to this point, it has been awesome. I try to tell them that this is a big deal even though they are there almost every year.”

To get to the championship, the Centurions defeated Eden Christian, 7-1, in the first round and came away with narrow 1-0 victories over Vincentian Academy and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, respectively. In the past, GCC has grown accustomed to blowing teams away. This year, Davis believes the close games have helped.

“This year compared to other years, a lot of the games have been closer,” Davis said. “Having those close games has helped the girls mentally. They had an 85-game section win streak before losing back-to-back this year. They didn't know how to respond after the first loss. They have learned how to bounce back when things aren't going the way you want them to.”

The Indians defeated all three of their playoff opponents by an identical 4-0 score. They have recorded seven straight shutouts and have not allowed a goal since Oct. 2 in a 3-2 loss to Serra Catholic.

“We got shocked by Serra Catholic,” Powers said. “It highlighted a weakness that we realized we needed to work on. We have spent a portion of our practice highlighting our defense and pressure cover. The girls have just responded and have worked well together.”

The Centurions and Indians split the regular season series, with both teams winning at home. Both teams know each other like the back of each other's hands. While Shady Side will be going for back-to-back titles at 6 p.m. Thursday at Highmark Stadium, the Centurions will be looking to recapture gold and win a fifth WPIAL championship since 2010.

“To me and a lot of the girls, we have never been there,” Davis said. “It is a first-time experience for a lot of us. The pressure is on. For the girls that have been there, the pressure is intense because they want to outperform the teams from previous years.”

Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Shady Side Academy