Penn Hills girls soccer squad stays strong during toughest stretch of schedule

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, September 26, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Penn Hills senior midfielder Kari Holt easily found solace after the Indians battled through the rain in a 4-0 loss last Wednesday to Section 3-3A foe Plum.

The Indians were playing with a roster only featuring three substitutes. Plum, which is off to a 7-0 start and has played in the last two WPIAL Class 3A title games, has a deep roster that has outscored its opponents 45-2.

After opening section play with two wins over Brashear and Obama Academy, Penn Hills entered into a stretch playing against the three teams above them in the standings.

The Indians tied Oakland Catholic before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Jaguars and losing to the Mustangs.

“I think the games we had before were the preparation for what we knew were going to be the hardest games in the section,” Holt said. “We went into those not taking the team for granted so we could prepare and be ready. Both of the games (the losses to Thomas Jefferson and Plum) we allowed four goals. In the past it was 9, 10, 11. We prepared well.”

Penn Hills was scheduled to play Thomas Jefferson again Saturday to finish a difficult stretch of the schedule.

Indians defender Kali Booker is one of many Penn Hills players that take on several roles. Booker said the Indians have been focused on staying positive.

“We just need to play our game and have confidence,” Booker said. “We doubt ourselves too much when we are doing well.”

After playing primarily underclassmen last season, Indians coach Ashley Devito can point to tangible improvement from those players gaining experience.

Penn Hills (3-3-1, 2-2-1) had a plus-3 goal differential entering the second game against the Jaguars.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Devito said. “It’s not only that they are the more competitive team in the section, they have 40 kids on the roster. On my best day, with the most players I have, I have 17. We are midway through the season now. Fatigue and injuries are setting in. It’s not just teams at the highest level. We are playing kids that can rest their kids more. These are the best results I’ve gotten against the best teams in the section.”

Getting the best out of the team has Devito and her assistant coach making deliberate decisions during practices and games. There are rest days built into the schedule, and they encourage players to ask for breaks when they need to come out to preserve energy.

Caroline McDevitt, who leads Penn Hills in scoring, says being smart with training is something everyone is cognizant of.

“You have to play smart and not waste your energy all the time,” McDevitt said. “You have to play carefully so you don’t get hurt, take a lot of breaks, stretch and drink a lot of water.”

Penn Hills has set itself up for a second straight WPIAL playoff berth thanks to its strong start in section play.

The Indians got through the difficult part of their schedule with their resolve intact.

“I think it’s tough because it can knock your confidence down sometimes,” McDevitt said. “We’re strong and we know how good we are and we know that we can be competitive against them. I think we’ll have a good fight against all of them.”

Tags: Penn Hills