Riverview soccer teams eager to be back on field

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, September 7, 2021 | 7:33 PM

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It has been nearly two years since the Riverview boys and girls varsity soccer teams played games that counted in the WPIAL.

That stretch, which included the entire 2020 season when low numbers prevented the teams from competing, came to an end when the Riverview boys faced section foe Eden on Tuesday and the girls visited Greensburg Central Catholic in section play Wednesday.

Numbers are up, and so is the confidence levels as the teams get into the heart of their 2021 schedules.

Seven girls players — senior captain Grace Flanick, junior Naomi Girson and sophomores Lola Abraham, Georgia Tsambi and Aine Hassleman — came into camp last year ready to play before the season was put on ice.

They are helping form the core of a girls roster that totals 17. The numbers took a hit after the 2019 season when 12 seniors, including seven starters, graduated out of a group of 16.

“We have many young and new players,” coach Sean Abraham said.

“After not having a season last year, it feels great to see them back on the field. I have multiple student-athletes participating in multiple sports and school activities. I have girls in the marching band, cheerleading, Raiderettes, volleyball and cross country.”

Flanick said she is excited to see the mix of new and experienced players continue to mesh.

“I was honestly really nervous about what could’ve happened for my senior year,” she said. “But the team is amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything better for a senior year. Even though we have our own friend groups and are different ages, we all come together to work really well.

“We actually started talking to girls to join the team at the end of last school year. Of course, we’ve had a lot of the freshman girls already stepping up.”

In addition to a home-and-home against GCC, Riverview will face Apollo-Ridge, Jeannette, Ligonier Valley, Serra Catholic and Springdale in section play.

Also on this year’s team are senior Kelsey Mayhood; juniors Emery Carangio, Alyssa Emanuele and Anna Smith; and freshmen Chiara Brun, Addison Carangio, Sofia Emanuele, Lily Hood, Genevieve Kadylak, Molly Morrissey, Cailey Trosch and Katerina Tsambis.

“We should be able to surprise some people,” said Lola Abraham, who also plays with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy club team.

“We’re a young team, and we’re going to keep improving throughout the season. I think the hard work is going to start paying off.”

The boys team also is young with nine freshman accounting for the majority of the roster that started at 16 and remains in flux.

“The guys have done an awesome job recruiting players for the team,” coach Mickey Namey said.

Those freshmen helped fuel last year’s co-ed junior high team that featured 22 players: 15 boys and seven girls.

There are no seniors, as juniors Max Catanzaro (midfield/forward), Jed Dreher (midfield/forward) and Patrick Harvey (midfield/defense), holdovers from the 2019 squad, are the elder statesmen.

Junior Vincenzo Lio, who also plays golf, is new to the team. He could be up at forward, back on defense or at goalkeeper.

“This is very exciting for all of us,” Catanzaro said. “I remember in ninth grade, I was having a lot of fun by the end of the season. It’s really cool to see all these freshmen come up and be ready to play varsity and junior varsity games. This team has really come together.”

The 2019 team made the WPIAL playoffs and finished 7-8 overall.

This year’s team tested its mettle Aug. 30 with a scrimmage against St. Joseph.

“We’ve been out for so long, so there was so much anticipation for this season,” Dreher said.

“The scrimmage result (3-1 win) gave us a lot of confidence and boosted our excitement for the season. We really showed a lot of promise. We came up with a lot of chances.”

Also on the team this year are sophomores Cohen Hoolahan, Spencer Myers and Brandon Williams; as well as freshmen Johnny Bertucci, Quin Catanzaro, Brody Deem, Quin Fischer, Drew Hunter, Simon Meals, Drew Ogrodowski, Matt Orbin and Chris O’Toole.

Riverview will play in Section 3-A against Eden and rival Springdale, as well as Aquinas Academy, Bishop Canevin, Carlynton and Winchester Thurston.

“The guys are really excited to get out there, prove themselves and push the section to see where we stand against some of the better teams in the WPIAL,” Namey said.

“I feel our section always is the most competitive. We don’t have that one team that goes undefeated every year, and the playoff chase usually goes down to the last week. I think that is good come playoff time because we know we are going to play a competitive section schedule.”

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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