Shady Side Academy savors upset win in WPIAL girls soccer playoffs

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Being familiar with playing Deer Lakes in the past was a major benefit for Virginia Powers. The Shady Side Academy forward didn’t feel she and her teammates were unprepared to take on the fifth-seeded Lancers.

Powers scored midway through the second half to help the No. 12 Bulldogs advance to the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory to take on Mt. Pleasant. Results from the match against the Vikings were too late for this edition.

“We knew Deer Lakes was good,” Powers said. “We had seen them in years prior. We thought it would be a tough match, but we thought we could compete well.”

Shady Side Academy (8-9) has worked with a smaller roster throughout the season and wanted to avoid going into overtime. That’s what motivated Powers to shoot.

She wasn’t sure it was the cleanest look, but she didn’t want to see the match turn into a marathon.

It was the first time Powers had scored a goal in the postseason.

“We try to play really hard, and we trust each other,” Powers said. “We want to capitalize on the big moments.”

Shady Side Academy coach Mary Lynch said she was proud with how the Bulldogs attacked. They were able to keep the pressure on by stringing together passes.

“Our girls did a great job of playing together and shutting down Deer Lakes’ attacking players in our defensive end,” Lynch said. “We connected and moved the ball well. I am so proud of how hard our girls played.”

Once Powers scored the go-ahead goal, she said Shady Side Academy was locked in on making sure nothing else got by.

“Everyone knew we couldn’t let a goal in,” Powers said. “We just wanted to control possession and keep the game on our side.”

Tags: Shady Side Academy