Plum girls soccer team reflects on accomplishments after strong season

By: Michael Love
Sunday, November 5, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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The Plum girls soccer team sought a return trip to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals for the fifth year in a row when it faced Montour in a quarterfinal rematch of a regular-season tie game.

It was the only blemish in 17 games for the No. 2 Mustangs through a 6-0 first-round victory over Kiski Area.

Plum had the advantage of playing at home, but the Spartans had the knowledge of how to match up against one the WPIAL’s best teams.

In the end, a pair of goals from the Spartans was enough to bring a sudden end to a Mustangs season filled with highlight after highlight and also a fifth consecutive section championship.

“Going into it, we knew from the first game how talented Montour was,” Plum coach Jamie Stewart said.

“We knew we were going to have to play pretty good soccer. I thought we did a good job of generating scoring opportunities. We had some really good looks at the net. It just didn’t go our way. That happens from time to time.

“Defensively, we played well. Montour also got a couple of good looks, and they took advantage of them. One was a great hit from about 30 yards out, and the other was from a nice combination in front of the net. It was tough, but I am pretty proud of the way we played.”

Plum capped its season at 16-1-1 overall and was 12-0 in Section 3-3A play. Over the past five years, the Mustangs compiled a 58-2 section record.

This year, Plum outscored its section opponents 50-7 and tallied 73 goals overall while surrendering just 12.

“I think the further you get away from the loss the better you are able to reflect on all that you accomplished,” Stewart said.

“These girls again accomplished so much, and they have a lot to be proud of. They are disappointed they didn’t reach all of their goals and expectations. We did achieve one of the goals of winning the section title. I am extremely proud of the effort they put forth all year. They did it with a great work ethic. It is a long season and a long grind. We lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, including a couple of Division I players, but we knew what we had coming back and who was going to step up to keep this going. They filled roles and did what they needed to do.”

Stewart said he was happy to see the goal scoring spread around to a number of players, and that, he added, gave opposing defenses headaches.

Forward Ava Weleski, one of four senior captains along with forward Rayla Smith, defender Ashley Kovach and midfielder Alexis Rodda, led the team with 23 goals and 12 assists.

Smith, also a lethal scorer on the lacrosse field in the spring, added eight goals and five assists for the Mustangs.

Weleski and Smith, along with junior midfielder Serena Carnahan (three goals, six assists), led Plum with All-WPIAL selection.

Stewart said it again will be tough to say goodbye to the seniors who accomplished so much over their four years with the program.

“The seniors have been through a lot with us the past several years,” he said.

“Their desire this year to really carry the torch forward for what previous classes have been able to build and add was really evident throughout the whole year. We had a number of close games, especially in section, and the seniors helped the team keep its focus through them. That happened because of their leadership and mentorship to the younger classes.”

Stewart also is looking forward to what the future brings to the program. The Mustangs will have Carnahan, six other starters, and a number of others hoping to improve their status.

Sophomore Gianna Revetta had a breakout season offensively with 13 goals to go along with four assists and was selected to the all-section team.

Junior Mia Nardo (seven goals), freshman Emily Grubish (five goals, four assists), sophomore defender Allison Porter, and sophomore defender Meghan Stammer, an all-section pick, also will be a part of the process moving forward.

Grubish scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Latrobe at home Oct. 2.

Stewart said Plum will be secure in goal with the platoon of starters Makenna Anderson, a junior, and sophomore Malayna Smith back.

Stewart said he is excited for the future of the team, and that future extends to beyond 2024.

“What impresses me and keeps me going is the talent and the amount of talent coming through the youth programs and coming up to varsity over the next several years,” he said.

“The youth program is the feeder for the high school program. It’s that way for both the boys and girls teams. The pipeline is still full, and that is exciting. That is how we can continue to win and be successful.”

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.

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