WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer championship preview: No. 1 Mars vs. No. 2 Plum

By: Michael Love
Friday, November 6, 2020 | 4:56 PM

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Class 3A

Championship

2-Plum (16-0) vs. 1-Mars (15-0)

Noon, Saturday, Newman Stadium, North Allegheny HS, McCandless Township

Coaches: Jamie Stewart, Plum; Blair Gerlach, Mars

How they got here: Plum defeated Gateway, 6-0; Thomas Jefferson, 4-0; and West Allegheny, 1-0. Mars defeated Laurel Highlands, 13-0; Oakland Catholic, 6-0; and Montour, 6-0.

WPIAL championships: Plum: None; Mars 6 (2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019)

Corner kicks: Plum and Mars meet in the Class 3A final for the second year in a row. The Planets captured last year’s title, 4-0, at Highmark Stadium….The Planets are riding a 38-game unbeaten streak and are 73-5-1 over the past four seasons. Mars outscored its first three playoff opponents 25-0 and punched its ticket to the finals with Wednesday’s 6-0 victory over Montour behind a pair of goals from sophomores Reese Dunaway and Ava Lewis. Seniors Ellie Coffield (Pitt) and Gracie Dunaway (Purdue) are Division I commits. The Planets are in the WPIAL finals for the fourth year in a row. They lost to Moon in the 2017 championship game and fell to Oakland Catholic in 2018. Mars is No. 2 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national rankings. … Plum advanced to the championship game with a 1-0 victory over West Allegheny. Senior Gina Proviano scored the game’s lone goal in the first half. It was her team-leading 20th of the season. Sophomore Kaitlyn Killinger (15 goals) and senior Jamie Seneca (14 goals) also are at the top of the scoring list for Plum. The Mustangs are riding an eight-game shutout streak and have outscored their opponents 84-5 this season. … The winner advances to the PIAA playoffs and will open in the quarterfinals Nov. 14 against the champion from the City League, District 10 or District 9.

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: Mars, Plum