Siblings abound on Westmoreland County playoff soccer teams

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 | 4:38 PM

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When Mason and Brandon Yeschenko were younger, they would put on large, red boxing gloves and settle disputes by going a couple of rounds in the basement.

For Halloween one year, one of them dressed as Rocky Balboa. The other, Ivan Drago.

“Every game they’d play, no matter what it was, there was a fist fight,” said their father and soccer coach at Belle Vernon, Al Yeschenko. “They’ve always been competitive.”

Said Brandon Yeschenko: “It could be cornhole or mini golf, we want to win.”

Maybe the knock-down dragouts explain the tenacity the all-section siblings, who moved from West Mifflin when they were entering kindergarten, bring to the pitch.

Perhaps the toughest one-two punch in local soccer, the Yeschenkos have worked together to lead Belle Vernon (14-2) to back-to-back section titles and a return trip to the WPIAL 2A playoffs.

“It’s just my mentality,” Mason said. “I think it all started when I saw the first ‘Rocky’ movie.

“I want to play for my brother more than anyone. But it’s about the team and what the team needs. I put the team first.”

Both juniors, Mason has nine goals and one assist, and Brandon leads the team with 20 assists.

“We’re with each other 24-7, so we know what to expect,” Brandon said. “When we play together as a team, sky’s the limit.”

The Yeschenkos aren’t the only siblings on local playoff teams, who will learn their seeds and opening matchups Wednesday.

• Latrobe’s Agostoni brothers are part of a record-breaking season for the Wildcats, who set a team record for wins in a season (12).

Senior Roman and freshman Warren lead the offensive build-up.

The brothers Brunton, however — senior Cole and sophomore Stone — are keys to the defense.

“Both sets of brothers help the team tremendously,” Latrobe coach Jake Rice said. “The Agostonis are the creative playmakers of the team as you will see them both all over the stat sheet. However, the Bruntons are more of the unsung heroes. Their work ethic is unmatched, and they are the team’s engine.”

Roman Agostoni, a junior, leads the team with 17 goals and 11 assists.

Warren Agostoni has 12 goals and nine assists.

Junior Nolan Bartels and sophomore Simon Bartels also play for the Wildcats.

• The skilled Latrobe girls feature the Reilly sisters, perhaps the most talented sister act in the WPIAL.

Both are committed to Division I schools. Regan, a senior, is headed to Bowling Green, and Robin, a junior, will play at West Virginia.

A third sister, Morgan, also played for the Wildcats before graduating in 2021.

They could lead a lengthy playoff run after the Wildcats reached the WPIAL 3A semifinals last season.

“Each Reilly has brought their own special and unique talents to the team,” Latrobe coach Jamie Campbell said, referring to them as legacy players. “Regan, with her lightning speed and read of the game, and Robin, who can create something out of nothing with her skill and sheer drive — very impressive to watch. Adding to those attributes is their inter-competition that only a sibling rivalry can create, which has pushed them and our program to new heights.”

The Yurko sisters, Ava, a junior, and freshman Alexa, are key defensive players for Latrobe.

“These two bring an extra level of feistiness to the team,” Campbell said.

Sophomore Gianna Trunzo and freshman Sophia Trunzo also play for the team.

“It truly is a family affair at Greater Latrobe,” Campbell said.

• Mt. Pleasant has the Gesinski sisters, Riley and Morgan, who have helped power one of the top teams in WPIAL 2A. Gesinski-to-Gesinski is a popular combination to get the ball into the net for the top-ranked Vikings, the WPIAL runners-up last year. Morgan has 23 goals and 18 assists, and Riley has 13 goals and 17 assists

• Junior Jillian Botti and sophomore Lexie Botti are sisters playing important roles for Greensburg Central Catholic.

• Jeannette’s boys feature the WPIAL’s leading goal scorer in senior Jordan Taylor, who has found the back of the net 54 times (to go with 17 assists). But his younger brother, junior Jor’El Taylor, is a key back-line player for the playoff-bound Jayhawks. He has 11 assists.

“They challenge each other at practice and hold each other accountable on the pitch during games,” Jeannette coach Steve Pons said.

Jeannette also has brothers Kason and Noah Clary. The former is a junior defender, the latter is the team’s freshman goalkeeper.

“At the beginning of the season, we were looking for a goalkeeper. … Kason was able to convince his brother to come out for the team, and Noah became our starting goalkeeper. Noah is a big reason we have made the playoffs.”

• A junior and freshman, Aubrey and Ashley Seder play together at Southmoreland.

• Juniors Reagan Weaver and Reilly Weaver are often on the field together at Franklin Regional. Senior Lily Funari and freshman Emme Funari also have played in the same formation.

• Senior James Brewer and his sophomore brother, Grant, are key players at Greensburg Central Catholic.

• Penn-Trafford is the epicenter for sisters playing soccer together.

The Lady Warriors have five sets of sisters, including two sets of twin sophomores in Hanna and Olivia Weishaar and Ava and Emilie Oslosky.

Junior goalkeeper Rease Solomon and her freshman sister, Aurelia, have been key contributors.

Other pairs are senior Bella Swartz and freshman Addi Swartz and senior Eilish Connolly and freshman Aishlinn Connolly.

“Having so many sister combos is certainly unique,” coach Jimmy Mastroianni said. “It creates a real family, team environment as each one literally knows what the other one is thinking. They can be competitive with one another, but each looks out for the other one.”

• Belle Vernon also features the Bell brothers: senior winger Tyler and freshman defender Logan as the 12th man.

Back to the Yeshenkos, who came into the world six weeks apart but on different sides of the earth. Mason Yeschenko was born in Ukraine and adopted when he was 20 months old.

He weighed 2.2 pounds at birth and was wearing a 6-month-old’s clothing when he was 2 years old.

Maybe his grit comes from being an underdog from Day 1.

“It all worked out because I got a built-in best friend,” Brandon Yeschenko said.

Mason has battled through injuries, each time rallying back to form. Amazingly, he has fractured his foot and both ankles, he has broken his nose three times and tore a bicep during swimming season.

“I hurt my ankle once doing a back flip off the couch,” he said.

He also swims, runs track, and competes in mixed martial arts — as a boxer, what else?

The Yeschenkos are pillars in a high-powered offense piloted by front man Trevor Kovatch, a junior with a school-record 47 goals this season.

“They both do a lot of things for us,” Al Yeschenko said of his sons. “They distribute the ball. It takes a team to do this. They started playing when they were 4. It makes me feel good to know they’re level-headed kids who want to do what’s best for the team.”

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland