Riverview, Plum girls soccer teams look to maintain winning tradition

By: Michael Love
Sunday, August 25, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Riverview and Plum girls soccer teams open their seasons this week with high expectations as experienced leadership returns for both the Raiders and the Mustangs.

With a breakout season last year for Riverview, and Plum’s string of recent success in section play and beyond, the teams understand that targets are on their backs from opponents hoping to stop them in their tracks.

At the same time, the Raiders and Mustangs expect to be aggressive pursuers of their goals as their new journeys begin.

Raiders hope for a gold rush

Senior defender/midfielder Kat Tsambis said she can’t stop smiling when she thinks of Riverview’s run last year to the WPIAL and PIAA Class A title games.

“We just formed such a strong bond throughout the entire season,” Tsambis said.

“The way the community supported us was just really special. It’s an experience I’ve talked about for months since then. It was such a great memory.”

The Raiders had to settle for silver against Freedom in the WPIAL championship contest at Highmark Stadium and also against Christopher Dock Mennonite in the state-title matchup at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.

But Tsambis, an All-WPIAL honoree last year, and the other returning players know that life goes on in high school soccer and a new season with new goals and expectations are here.

“We have that same mindset as last year,” she said. “We want to come out strong. We’ve made some adjustments on the field and have things we can still work on, but we can’t be underestimated because of all we have coming back. We know we have a target on our backs, but by working together, we’re ready to take on all those challenges.”

The entire team, except for two key graduates, returns.

There are big shoes to fill with the loss of Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year and current Pitt freshman Lola Abraham who capped her standout three-year Raiders career with 77 goals in helping Riverview to 21 victories in 25 games and a first section championship for the program.

The team also had to say goodbye to defender/midfielder Georgia Tsambis.

“Lola was a superstar who did some amazing things, and she also helped us, too,” Kat Tsambis said.

“The defense through the midfield is strong again, and we are excited to see how the attack develops.”

Sophomores Mary Quinlan and Hannah Hudack, all-selection picks a year ago, and senior Caily Trosch also had strong 2023 seasons offensively. Quinlan tallied 16 goals to go along with 19 assists, while Hudack added 10 goals and 17 assists. Trosch contributed 13 goals.

Senior Lily Hood (five goals, seven assists) and junior Isabel Chaparro (four goals, two assists) also are back and ready to help lead the team into section battles against rivals Greensburg Central Catholic and Springdale as well as 2023 WPIAL quarterfinalist Winchester Thurston.

Sophomore defender Juliette Brun and her sister, senior Ciara Brun, also return with Kat Tsambis and sophomore Emma Battaline to help solidify a defensive unit which surrendered just 29 goals in 25 games. Nine of the 29 came in a regular-season setback to Section 2-2A champion Freeport (4-1) and to Dock Mennonite in the PIAA title game (5-1).

“From my position, I can see everything, and I can see what the defense can do,” Ciara Brun said. “In seeing us in the scrimmage (against Carlynton on Aug. 19), we haven’t really changed much from last year. We have control of the field and are pushing up more to help the offense.”

Mustangs look to extend streak, start another

Over the past five seasons, the Plum girls soccer team has laid claim to five section championships. The Mustangs are 58-2 in section matches in that span.

Last year, Plum again went undefeated in its section at 12-0. While the section title streak continued, another one ended. A loss to Montour in the WPIAL quarterfinals stopped the Mustangs’ hopes of reaching the WPIAL semifinals for a fifth consecutive season.

But senior forward Serena Carnahan said that loss only fueled the returning players to come together in the offseason and rededicate themselves to a level that has produced so much recent success.

“We keep saying to ourselves that we know what the standard is and what our goals are for the season,” said Carnahan, who joined junior midfielder Gianna Revetta as second-team Valley News Dispatch all-star selections last season.

“We’ve worked hard reminding ourselves of what we want to accomplish and where we want to go. We have a lot of younger players who are getting good time in during practices and our scrimmages and are learning to play with the varsity.”

Revetta, an all-section selection last year, fronted the returning Plum scorers with 13 goals and four assists during a breakout sophomore season.

Plum coach Jamie Stewart said recent scrimmages against former section rival Latrobe and Mt. Pleasant were valuable in presenting a picture of where the team stood as they were on the cusp of the start of the season.

Seniors Mia Nardo (seven goals in 2023) and Gia Babilon (five goals); sophomore Emily Grubish (five goals, four assists); and junior defenders Allison Porter and Meghan Stammer, an all-section pick in 2023, also will be a part of the process moving forward.

Stewart said Plum will be secure in goal with the platoon of Makenna Anderson, a senior, and junior Malayna Smith back in the fold.

“We again feel really comfortable with both of them,” Stewart said.

“It is nice to have all that experience back. Having them both play a half has worked really well for us the past couple of years, but we’ll see how that goes when we get into the early games on our schedule.”

Nardo, Anderson, Carnahan and senior defender Catie Weiss are team captains.

“Every team and every season is unique,” said Stewart, who will guide his squad into Section 4-3A battles against Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Indiana, Kiski Area and West Mifflin.

“The seniors every year want to leave a legacy. We have new girls coming in with fresh attitudes ready to work. Every year, we have people stepping up and stepping into roles, and this year is no different. We’ve had many conversations about what everyone wants from this season. What we’re working on as a coaching staff is putting them in the best position to reach their goals.”

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.

Tags: Plum, Riverview