A-K Valley girls soccer notebook: Springdale maintains section lead despite tough loss

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 | 9:18 PM

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The Springdale girls soccer team still is in the driver’s seat in Section 1-A with a full-game lead, but the Dynamos’ grip was loosened Monday with a 5-1 loss at Seton LaSalle.

Springdale (8-2, 7-1) came into the game off a dramatic 3-2, last-second victory over Greensburg Central Catholic last Wednesday.

Against Seton LaSalle, adversity hit the Dynamos late the first half after senior forward Grace Gent had given them a 1-0 lead with her team-leading 13th goal of the season.

Springdale was called for a hand ball in the box, and starting senior goalkeeper Caity Stec was issued a red card after a collision with a Seton LaSalle player.

“They got tangled up, and it wasn’t easy to see what exactly happened,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said.

Junior Mikayla Haus came on to face the penalty shot. The Rebels converted and added four second-half goals with the Dynamos down a player.

“It was kind of an uphill battle from there, and it was just a little too much in the second half,” Bentley said. “We did still play pretty well and maintained some possession. We knew it was going to be a tough test no matter what. Seton LaSalle is a strong team, and they’ve really come on strong.”

Burrell continues to roll

The Bucs are making a charge in Section 2-2A. They downed previously unbeaten section leader Freeport, 1-0, on Monday at Buccaneer Stadium.

One goal was all that was needed, and freshman Mikayla Coury struck for the Bucs on an assist from sophomore Lilly Householder. Senior Ali Hughes made three saves against a potent Freeport offense.

Burrell is 7-0-1 overall since back-to-back 2-0 losses to Knoch and Freeport four weeks ago. At 6-2-1, it owns 19 points in the standings. The Bucs, who have allowed just two goals in the past eight games, visit Deer Lakes (7-5, 3-5) on Wednesday.

The Yellowjackets are 6-1 (18 points) in the section, two points ahead of Knoch (5-1-1, 16 points) and six ahead of fourth-place Valley (4-4, 12 points).

The section has been competitive, with 12 games decided by one goal. Burrell and Knoch also played to a 0-0 tie Sept. 26.

Valley has played the most one-goal section games (five). Three of the four section wins and two of its losses, including Monday’s 2-1 setback to Knoch, have come by just one goal.

Streak snapped

Plum’s 42-game section winning streak that dated to early in the 2019 season came to an end Monday.

The Mustangs, No. 2 in the Trib Class 3A rankings, lost 1-0 in overtime to Latrobe in a Section 3 matchup.

“To be honest, we hadn’t talked about (the streak) too much,” Plum coach Jamie Stewart said. “We just look to improve every game, win every game, and hope that it leads to another section title. Against Latrobe, we both had chances to score throughout the game. It was a great game, very well fought on both sides. Unfortunately for us, they took advantage of an opportunity and put a goal in the back of the net, and that was the game.”

The Mustangs were 8-0 in section coming into Monday’s match, and Latrobe kept pace atop the section standings at 6-1-1. Plum doubled up Latrobe, 4-2, when the teams played at Plum on Sept. 7.

Plum, 10-1 overall, hopes to begin a new section streak Monday when it hosts Penn Hills and then at Franklin Regional two days later. The Panthers (7-3-2, 5-2-1) are 2-0-2 overall since a 2-0 loss at Plum on Sept. 19.

“Up next in section is Penn Hills, and we aren’t looking any further than that,” Stewart said. “We just want to get back to doing the things we do well.”

Raiders reign against Eagles

Riverview came into Monday’s Section 1-A matchup with Serra Catholic just 1-5 in section.

But that didn’t stop the Raiders from making some noise and topping a playoff-contending Eagles team.

Junior Lola Abraham again was a big presence for Riverview, and the program’s newly minted all-time career goals scored four times in the game, giving her 11 in her last three games and 17 for the season.

Sophomore Cailey Trosch added a goal assisted by Abraham, and senior goalkeeper Brionna Long made five saves on seven Serra shots on goal.

Riverview returns to action Thursday under the lights at Riverside Park against Steel Valley at 6 p.m. It’s the Raiders soccer teams’ annual homecoming night games, and the boys team will take on Aquinas Academy at 8.

Cavaliers take Hampton to limit

Kiski Area (5-6-1) challenged the Talbots (10-2, 7-2) on Monday before falling 3-2 in Section 1-3A action. Hampton’s only two losses this season have come to defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Mars.

The Cavaliers, who remain in playoff contention, got a goal and an assist from Riley Koziatek, a goal from Devan Sonafelt, an assist from Payton Buffone and eight saves from Maxine Crosby.

Koziatek leads Kiski with 12 goals and 11 assists, while Sophia Hranica owns six goals and Camryn Kunz five.

The Cavaliers host Armstrong on Wednesday.

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: Springdale