Kiski Area girls soccer has been in playoff mode

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 | 9:22 PM

Kiski Area girls soccer coach Dave Anderson said his team played several must-win games down the stretch as it fought to keep its WPIAL playoff-appearance streak intact.

That included Monday’s win-or-go-home Section 1-3A matchup at Indiana.

“For us, the playoffs started early with that game,” Anderson said.

It ended up being a happy bus ride home as senior Riley Koziatek scored twice — she has a team-best 16 goals and 12 assists in 18 games — and fellow senior Madison Bacher added a goal as the Cavaliers secured their eighth straight WPIAL playoff appearance with a 3-1 victory.

“It was an awesome ride home,” Koziatek said. “We were singing and playing music on a speaker. It was a feeling of celebration.

“We felt strong going into the game because we had been playing pretty well. There were a little nerves, but we knew we could do it. We talked in the huddle before the game that we needed to play as a team like we had done all year.”

Kiski Area, with 10 seniors on the roster, hoped to earn its opportunity in a playoff where anything can happen. The Cavaliers know that first hand: Last year, they pulled off one of the bigger upsets of any classification, boys or girls, with their 2-1 win as the No. 13 seed over No. 4 Montour in the Class 3A first round.

The win over Indiana — Kiski led 2-1 at the half and added some insurance over the final 40 minutes — put the Cavaliers in a tie with Indiana for fourth place. The teams split their season series, so both advance.

“I was really excited knowing that we were going to win that game,” said Crosby, who made several key saves and also assisted on one of Koziatek’s two goals.

“It was great to see all the hard work everyone put in pay off with a trip to the playoffs.”

Kiski Area’s record (7-10-1, 5-7) might not appear impressive to some, but the Cavaliers were able to play to several close outcomes against Hampton (14-3, 10-2) with scores of 2-0 and 3-2.

The 3-2 game with the Talbots was decided in overtime. Koziatek had a goal and an assist, seniors Devan Sonafelt (goal) and Peyton Buffone (assists) recorded points and Crosby made eight saves.

Kiski Area took third-place Oakland Catholic (8-6-1, 8-4) to the limit in 2-1 and 1-0 losses.

“The girls played brave against Indiana, just like they did in a lot of games this season,” Anderson said. “We were in five or six one-goal games. Most of them didn’t go our way, but we were in them right to the end. (Section champion) Mars (14-0, 12-0) is just a notch above everyone else. We’re right there. We just need to get a ball to bounce our way.”

Kiski Area will find out its playoff fate Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. as Triblive HSSN broadcasts the boys and girls pairings show.

“Everyone is one loss away from going home,” Anderson said. “We’re excited to be a part of it. We talked at the start that we would work hard on a number of things, from the seniors to the freshmen, to help us grow throughout the season.

“Our goal is to go in there and hopefully make some noise.”

The Cavaliers, also a Class 3A quarterfinalist each year from 2017-19, will have at least several more days together. Had they lost to Indiana, it would’ve been a sudden end to the season.

“All of the seniors were saying before the game with Indiana that it wasn’t going to be our last game,” Koziatek said. “The season has had its ups and downs, but overall, it’s been super fun, and we didn’t want it to end. Now we have a chance to do big things in the playoffs. We are pretty confident. We just want to go in, play our best and see what happens.”

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: Kiski Area