Quaker Valley brings high-scoring offense into boys soccer playoffs

By: Shawn Annarelli
Friday, October 18, 2019 | 5:33 PM

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History was on Quaker Valley’s side at the start of the boys soccer playoffs.

The Quakers scored 141 goals this season — the most for the program since 1996 — and Quaker Valley won a WPIAL Championship all four times it has found the net that much. They were three for four in the PIAA finals in those seasons.

No. 1 Quaker Valley knows the expectations surrounding the team are high, though captains Dom Reiter, Fritz Reiter and Tommy Guild emphasized the season should not be defined by hardware.

“Winning a championship is part of what drives us, but I think our main focus is that at the end, we can look back and be proud of the way we played,” Fritz Reiter said. “We want to leave everything on the field and be happy and proud of that.”

The Quakers’ last WPIAL title win was in 2016, and they would been crowned the last two years if not for last-minute goals by two-time champion Shady Side Academy to force overtime.

If they can avenge those losses and secure a ninth WPIAL Championship in program history, it will likely be in large part to Dom Reiter, who has 46 goals and 111 points, the second most in a single-season at Quaker Valley.

“All credit to my teammates, because without them I wouldn’t have any of those goals,” Dom Reiter said. “It’s easy being a striker on a team like this. I just happen to be up top on a team with great players who can move the ball up for me to have easy tap-ins.”

The Quakers’ overpowering offense extends to players like Fritz Reiter and sophomores Rowan Kriebel and Keller Chamovitz, who have combined for 53 goals.

The only uncertainty surrounding Quaker Valley is who will play goaltender.

Senior Rees Edwards and sophomore Zach Buhr have split time in net, and Marshall said freshman Isaac Waller would contend for playing time, too.

“It’s worked, because we have the right people buying in to support one another and working hard,” Quaker Valley coach Andrew Marshall said. “I don’t think there’s necessarily a cookie-cutter way of doing things, and this team shows support regardless of who starts and gets the goal or assist.”

The Quakers’ team-first mindset begins with the captains, Marshall said.

“Their leadership is contagious throughout every player,” Marshall said. “Every player has these moments where they are our leader, which includes guys that honestly don’t get much time on the field. If there were more games and more minutes, you’d see a lot more players getting the time they deserve.”

If the Quakers win another title, Guild said, it will be because of how close they are to each other.

“You see how much we want to win it for each other every day,” he said. “I’ve been with these people the last four years, and they’re my closest friends on and off the field, so I think I’ll be happy with whatever happens.”

Tags: Quaker Valley