Mt. Pleasant girls blank Yough to stay unbeaten

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, September 19, 2022 | 9:44 PM

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One-goal games are usually a good bet when Yough and Mt. Pleasant meet in girls soccer.

Overtime is legitimate and often imminent.

Not this time, though.

Third-ranked Mt. Pleasant scored one goal in the teams’ latest matchup Monday night, then added a few more on the way to its fifth shutout of the season to remain unbeaten.

Mt. Pleasant also continued its best start since 2015 with a 5-0 victory over the visiting Cougars in a Section 3-2A game at Viking Stadium.

“We kept our heads up, found our feet and connected down the field,” said sophomore Rylin Bugosh, who had a hat trick and an assist. “It was a team effort. I think the way we moved the ball helped to wear them down.”

The Lady Vikings (6-0, 3-0) have outscored six opponents 34-1.

“We did a nice job defending, and we tried to stay organized,” Mt. Pleasant coach Rich Garland said.

Yough (3-4, 2-2), with a slim roster and little depth because of injuries, has dropped three of its last four.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” Yough coach Mike Veychek said. “Mt. Pleasant is a good passing team, and they had us chasing them all night. We’re in a tough spot (with low numbers), but our execution wasn’t there tonight. We knew what to expect coming in.”

Last year, Yough and Mt. Pleasant split a pair of 2-1 games, each holding serve at home.

Mt. Pleasant, fast on the attack, sprayed the Cougars with shots from several angles and gave Yough few quality chances.

Mt. Pleasant struck early, almost by accident, but the quick score was a somewhat of a tone-setter.

In the third minute, Marissa Garn came up with a short punt from Cougars’ goalkeeper Carly Fitzgibbons and sent it back the other way.

The ball sailed over the head of Fitzgibbons and trickled into the net for a 1-0 lead.

“I think the first goal affected them more than it did us,” Garland said. “We were not playing well early. We were not taking good shots. After the second goal, we started to flow from there.”

About six minutes later, Bugosh sent a cross in front of the net to Morgan Gesinski, who somehow got behind Fitzgibbons and banged in the shot for a 2-0 advantage.

Gesinski had a goal and an assist.

Mt. Pleasant took 21 shots, and Fitzgibbons made 11 saves.

Bugosh put two more tallies on the board to push the lead to 4-0.

She ripped an 18-yard shot past Fitzgibbons in the 32nd minute, then flipped a turnover into a goal when she intercepted a clear-out attempt and sent the ball into the net for a 4-0 lead by the half.

“If you get the ball in front, around the box, (Bugosh) is the player you want in there,” Garland said.

Bugosh netted her third goal in the 51st minute on an assist from Gesinski for the only scoring in the second half.

In its three wins, Yough has outscored its opponents 23-0. In its losses, it has been outscored 13-4.

The Lady Vikings held Cougars standouts McKenzie Pritts and Kendalyn Umbel in check.

Yough had five shots on goal.

“Yough has a nice team, but they’re struggling with some injuries and numbers,” Garland said. “They’re always a tough team.”

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

Tags: Mt. Pleasant, Yough