Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Schedule set for Moe Rosensteel Kickoff Classic

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, August 29, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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The 2nd annual Moe Rosensteel Memorial Kickoff Classic will be Saturday at Norwin Knights Stadium.

The three-game girls soccer showcase has the same schedule as last year with Franklin Regional vs. Thomas Jefferson at 10 a.m., Hickory vs. Ringgold at 11:30, and Latrobe vs. Norwin at 1 p.m.

Money raised at the event will go to the Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship Foundation, which annually awards a scholarship to a senior standout.

Rosensteel watch list

The 2023 Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year watch list is not short on Westmoreland County talent.

In fact, Latrobe has five players on it.

This is the fifth year for the award, which goes to the top girls soccer player in the WPIAL.

The nominees will be pared down to three finalists, who will be announced closer to the WPIAL championship games in November.

County players include Rylin Bugosh (Mt. Pleasant), Riley Kerr (Greensburg Central Catholic), Aris Lamanna (Franklin Regional), Ava Lorenzi (Latrobe), Maddy Petruzzi (Latrobe), Regan Reilly (Latrobe), Robin Reilly (Latrobe), Kendalyn Umbel (Yough), Grace West (Belle Vernon), and Ava Yurko (Latrobe).

Umbel opted not to play the high school season.

Past winners are Ellie Coffield (Mars), Sarah Schupansky (North Allegheny), Kelsey Salopek (Steel Valley) and Hailey Longwell (Moon).

Sasko tournament

The Paul Sasko Kickoff Classic will be this weekend at Belle Vernon’s James Weir Stadium.

Girls’ games Saturday are Kiski Area vs. Connellsville at 11:30 a.m. and Charleroi vs. Belle Vernon at 5 p.m. The boys schedule has California vs. Connellsville at 1:30 p.m., with Charleroi taking on Belle Vernon at 7.

On Sunday, the Kiski Area and Belle Vernon girls play at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Charleroi and Connellsville girls at 2:30, Charleroi and Connellsville boys at 4:30, and California and Belle Vernon at 6:30.

Nice start

Penn-Trafford could not have drawn up a better season opener.

The Warriors took returning WPIAL 2A runner-up Mt. Pleasant to double overtime before scoring late for a 1-0 win.

With three minutes left in the second extra period, junior midfielder Alexis Brian crossed to sophomore Miley Currie, who netted the game-winning goal.

Penn-Trafford played without junior goalkeeper Rease Solomon, who was scratched at the last minute due to foot soreness.

Sophomore Alannah Hall stepped in, made eight saves and recorded the shutout.

Helping hand

Aris Lamanna is one of the WPIAL’s top goalkeepers, so she doesn’t get many opportunities to make assists.

Off the field is a different story.

Lamanna and her teammates recently donated some of their old soccer apparel and cleats to Open Field, a non-profit youth-development organization that works with underprivileged children in Pittsburgh, using soccer as its core vehicle.

Lamanna met with a representative from Open Field at Franklin Regional and presented the gear.

“This experience allowed me to share the sport I love with those who are less fortunate,” Lamanna said.

Spartans win

Hempfield opened the season with a win, but not just any win.

When the Spartans blanked Greensburg Salem, 1-0, they snapped a 46-game losing streak that dated to 2019.

They had not scored a goal since 2021.

First-year coach Jim Jones thought his team could take erase the dismal string of defeats early in the season.

“The girls are excited,” he said. “We had shirts made up at the start of the season that say, ‘We are the change.’ A lot of hard work went into this. It’s good to see the positivity around the program.”

Game to watch

It looks like the Section 3-3A matchup of the night. Penn-Trafford (2-0, 1-0) will play at Franklin Regional (1-0, 0-0) Wednesday night in an early clash of outstanding defensive teams. Neither team has let up a goal so far.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin