Westmoreland County girls high school soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant takes another crack at elusive WPIAL title

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 3:49 PM

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The question returns each year like the girls soccer season itself.

Is this Mt. Pleasant’s year?

Last season ended with another look of disappointment on the faces of Vikings players, who lost to playoff nemesis Burrell, 4-0, in the WPIAL 2A quarterfinals, another promising team left stifled.

Mt. Pleasant was the No. 1 seed.

Burrell has knocked the Vikings from the tournament in four of the past six years, including in the 2023 quarterfinals when Mt. Pleasant was the No. 3 seed.

In ’22, the Vikings made the WPIAL final but lost to Avonworth.

So, what has kept Mt. Pleasant from winning the big one?

“We have to learn how to win the emotional game,” Vikings coach Rich Garland said. “We have pieces of it, but in truth, everyone in the entire organization has to believe in what we are doing. Being committed to the team and doing what each of us can do to contribute will get us closer.”

Mt. Pleasant will rely on last year’s regular-season scoring leader in senior Morgan Gesinski, a Robert Morris commit who had 36 goals last year and 97 for her career.

Gesinski is on the watchlist for the Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player Award for the second year in a row.

Replacing two key parts of a triumvirate of dangerous forwards will be a tall task. Rylin Bugosh and Maddie Barrick were part of the Big 3.

“Maddie and Rylin are terrific players and they pressed a lot of teams, which created a lot of space for Morgan,” Garland said. “I expect Morgan to have continued success. I don’t believe I have seen Morgan’s best soccer yet, and for that matter, I believe that about this team.”

A number of letterwinners return for Mt. Pleasant, including seniors Raygan Mizikar, Reagan McCormick, Caitlyn Fullman, Jaden Kantorik, Lexie Baker, Brooklyn Ulery, Emma Hatcher and Laurel Rummel, a fourth-year goalkeeper.

A crop of juniors competing for minutes include Isabel Overly, Camryn Kapr, Addie Czekaj, Anna Welsh and Maggie Gorinski, as is the case with sophomores Faith Stuart, Victoria Tepper, Alyssa Villinger, Gwen Podolinsky, Savannah Lynch, Samantha Hodge, Addie Cole and Carlee Pfeifer.

Kapr has the potential to fill some of the scoring void.

Garland also has some freshmen who are looking to push for time in Sophia Coppula, Harley Demagall, Rachel Everly, Charlotte Brodak and Savannah Powell.

“Strengthening our back four will be a priority for the team this year,” Garland said. “Building from the back will be a constant refrain from the bench this season.”

Garland believes some of the title contenders in 2A include defending champion Quaker Valley, Beaver, Burrell, North Catholic and Freeport.

Around the county

• Penn-Trafford made the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals but must replace TribLive Westmoreland player of the year Alexis Brown.

Six starters are back, including senior defender Anna Coy and senior outside midfielder Miley Currie, a Cal (Pa.) commit.

The team must replace nine seniors.

“We are looking to compete for another section title and to make a deep run in the playoffs,” Warriors coach Jimmy Mastroianni said. “We are a relatively young team, and we currently have four key varsity players out. We are going to need players to step up.”

Sisters Ava and Emilie Oslosky have rejoined the team after transferring back from The Kiski School. Both are Seton Hill commits.

Freshman Ellie Lebe shows promise.

• Perennial playoff contender Franklin Regional has a number of vacancies to fill but will rely on senior keeper Addison Ayres and junior center back Grace Copeland to lead the defense.

Ayres, who made the Moe Rosensteel award watch list, is an Allegheny College commit.

Other key returnees are senior forward Alyssa Velasquez and junior midfielder Elliana Canfield, who should produce goals together.

Also returning are junior center back Grace Copeland, and sophomore center back Caitlyn Chinchock.

“Our goal is to leverage the secure platform in the back in order to play through opponents’ lines and attack in numbers,” coach Scott Arnold said, “to create as many great scoring chances as we can.”

It remains to be seen what benefits a substantially large freshmen class will provide from the onset.

• Norwin gave Mt. Lebanon all it could handle in the 4A first round, falling in penalty kicks 4-3.

The Knights will be very experienced defensively with senior defenders Cameryn Reed, Alexa Kobus and Bella Buscemi returning, along with senior defensive midfielder Nicole Bown.

Norwin had five 1-0 losses and another of 2-1, so it learned how to deal with close games.

“These are games that could’ve gone either way, but we were really struggling to score,” Norwin second-year coach Ashley DeVito said. “My expectation for the team this year is that we win those tight games.”

Also watch a talented sophomore trio in Tatum Casper, Neeve Graham and Neilah Schade, as well as a strong freshmen class.

• All-state midfielder Robin Reilly (West Virginia) is gone, but Latrobe still has firepower.

Senior forward Annalyse Bauer, an Eastern Michigan commit who had 28 goals, is back to lead the attack, with help from junior Emerson Shine and sophomores Geli Dent and Ellie Petruzzi.

Bauer is a nominee for the Moe Rosensteel award, given annually to the best player in the WPIAL.

Coach Jamie Campbell has a light roster with only 19 players.

• Senior Jiana Patterson will lead improved Hempfield in her second season since leaving Greensburg Central Catholic. Patterson is on the Moe Rosensteel watch list.

The Spartans also feature midfielder McKenzie Little and forward Sidney Pritts.

Coach Jim Jones believes the team should be improved over last year.

• Yough is intriguing if nothing else. A youthful team made the WPIAL 2A playoffs, and coach Rob Broadwater brings back most of that lineup.

“I expect our team to continue building from last season’s success as we continue to show great improvement consistently,” Broadwater said.

Nine starters return, including five who made all-section.

Carly Fitzgibbons is a fourth-year goalkeeper and team leader, whereas senior Kate Slavick will also be a key senior in the midfield.

Sophomore strikers Gionna Piontka, Daisy Miller and Leah Slavick are other key players.

• Southmoreland, an annual playoff team in 2A led by coach Josh Pajak, will turn to Hannah Conn and Megan Mehall.

• Tom Kennedy, the former Latrobe boys coach, has returned to lead Greensburg Central Catholic. He helped to start the Centurions’ program in the early 1990s.

Derek Cuthbert, another local veteran coach, left GCC and is leading the girls at Jeannette.

Players to watch

Addison Ayres, Sr., GK, Franklin Regional

Annalyse Bauer, Sr., F, Latrobe

Bella Buscemi, Jr., D, Norwin

Hannah Conn, Sr., MF, Southmoreland

Anna Coy, Sr., D, Penn-Trafford

Geli Dent, Fr., MF, Latrobe

Carly Fitzgibbons, Sr., GK, Yough

Caitlyn Fullman, Sr., D, Mt. Pleasant

Morgan Gesinski, Sr., F, Mt. Pleasant

Alexa Kobus, Sr., D, Norwin

Megan Mehall, Sr, F, Southmoreland

Daisy Miller, So., MF, Yough

Raygan Mizikar, Sr., D, Mt. Pleasant

Isabel Overly, So., MF, Mt. Pleasant

Jiana Patterson, Sr., F, Hempfield

Ellie Petruzzi, Fr., D, Latrobe

Gionna Piontka, So., MF, Yough

Cameryn Reed, Jr., D, Norwin

Kelsey Roskovich, Sr., MF, Belle Vernon

Laurel Rummel, Sr., GK, Mt. Pleasant

Abby Russell, So., MF, Belle Vernon

Emerson Shine, Jr., MF, Latrobe

Kate Slavick, Sr., MF, Yough

Leah Slavick, Fr., D, Yough

Morgan Spudy, Jr., D, Penn-Trafford

Brooklyn Ulery, Sr., D, Mt. Pleasant

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