Springdale girls soccer team blanks Seton LaSalle, advance to Class A state finals

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 10:03 PM

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For the fourth time in program history, the Springdale girls soccer team will play for a state championship.

The Dynamos scored early, led by three goals at halftime, and added one more in the latter half of the second 40 minutes to come away with a 4-0 victory over Seton LaSalle in a PIAA Class A semifinal Tuesday at North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium.

“This is awesome, just the chance for the girls to represent the community the way they are,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said.

“You could tell how everyone at the game was excited for them. There was just so much support. We as coaches are so proud of the girls for how hard they’ve worked for what they’ve gotten and hopefully can still get.”

Springdale is in the PIAA championship game for the first time since 2011, when it lost to District 4’s Warrior Run in the Class A final at Hersheypark Stadium.

The Dynamos will go after their first state title against defending state champion Dock Mennonite at 7 p.m. Friday at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg.

“We definitely worked hard in the preseason over the summer, in practices, and in games with the goal of getting to where we are,” said senior Molly Hurley, who tallied one of the first-half goals for the Dynamos (19-1).

“We’re just so excited and proud to be playing for the state title.”

Seton-LaSalle (17-4-2), the third-place team from the WPIAL, was denied its first trip to the PIAA championship game.

The Rebels held a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal, including 7-3 in the second half, but they were not able to get one on the board.

“This stings for the seniors,” said Seton coach TJ Cherry, who saw his team go 5-2 in the 2024 postseason. “One word sums up our entire season, and that’s ‘family.’ The girls stuck together through all the ups and downs. It was a great run. I am confident we’ll be back next year.”

The teams played for the sixth time in the past four years with two playoff matchups and four regular-season section games. Springdale won five of those six games.

With their backs against the wall, the Rebels attempted to scrap their way back in the second half.

In addition to the seven Seton shots that were on goal in the second half, freshman Kennedy Bakota and junior Jane Kilmer had scoring attempts that hit posts.

Springdale senior Baileigh Haas, who finished with 10 saves, made a nifty save on a follow-up of Kilmer’s post shot.

Rebels senior Angelina McGrath unleashed a sharp shot with 12 minutes left, but Haas again was there to make a stop, extending for the save right before the ball went over the goal line.

“The girls made some really nice adjustments in the second half,” Cherry said.

“(Haas) probably made six great saves. Hats off to Springdale. We know each other so well. They are such a good team. They got their chances in, and we didn’t. I strongly believed that whoever won this game will win the next one.”

Marchlewski’s second goal gave her four in the past two games. She also scored both goals in Saturday’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory over District 6 champion Bishop Guilfoyle.

“Give credit to Seton LaSalle in the second half. They really put the pressure on us,” Bentley said.

“We had some counterattacks where we created some chances, but for the most part, we struggled to get out in the second half. Baileigh stood on her head and made some really nice saves.”

Seton LaSalle led 5-3 in shots at halftime, but Springdale took advantage of all three of their scoring chances.

The Dynamos got on the board in the sixth minute as freshman Tessa Derringer scored off an assist from senior Briana Ross.

“We wanted to start fast, and we did exactly that,” Bentley said. “We were connecting on our passes really well. We were ruthless in front of the goal. It was a great start, and we kicked on from there.”

Springdale added on to make it 2-0 in the 13th minute on a tic-tac-toe finish in front of the Rebels goal.

Ross started the play from the left wing, centering the ball to fellow senior Brooke Taliani, who passed it on to senior Molly Hurley, who deposited it into the goal from in close.

The Rebels started to tip the field in their favor in the latter stages of the first half.

McGrath unleashed a free kick from 38 yards out in the 29th minute. The ball was redirected when it reached a scrum of players from both teams in the goal box. But Haas was there to pull in the loose ball.

Thirty seconds later, Seton junior Sydney Morgan recorded a close-range shot stopped by Haas.

Another McGrath free kick, this time from 35 yards off a yellow card foul on Springdale junior Lacey Shondeck, sailed right into the hands of Haas with 3:56 left until halftime.

While keeping the Rebels off the scoreboard, the Dynamos added on late in the half.

Marchlewski scored her first on a breakaway with 39 seconds to go until the break.

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: Seton La Salle, Springdale