Resilient Springdale girls soccer team eager for WPIAL Class A semifinal vs. Steel Valley

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 31, 2021 | 5:58 PM

Grace Gent led Springdale in scoring during the regular season with 23 goals.

The Springdale junior forward added her 24th as part of a strong effort by the No. 2 Dynamos in a 3-2 Class A quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Seton LaSalle last Wednesday at Steel Valley’s Campbell Field.

While Gent doesn’t mind helping her team on the scoresheet, she knows she is not alone in helping the Dynamos advance with solid contributions from the forwards, the midfield and the defense.

Springdale hopes to protect its 18-1 record at 6 p.m. Monday as it faces No. 3 Steel Valley in the semifinals at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium.

“I think strong passing, connecting with each other through the middle, moving the ball, keeping possession and getting our chances will be important in (Monday’s) game,” Gent said. “Those things we’ve been doing all season, and it has helped get us to where we are. I have the confidence that we can put it all together as a team again and win on Monday. We’re going to need a team effort. Steel Valley is a really good team.

“Two years ago, in my first season, we made it to the first round of the playoffs. Last year, we made it to the quarterfinals. Now we’re in the semifinals, and it’s an amazing feeling to know we have gotten this far. I am so proud of everyone on this team. I know we have it in us to keep going.”

Springdale jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half against Seton LaSalle on goals from Gent, as well as freshman Briana Ross. The Rebels rallied to tie it at 2-2 before halftime.

But a goal from senior Morgan Fitzgerald in the second half broke the tie and sent the Dynamos into the semifinals.

“Seton was a really good team,” coach Marc Bentley said. “They were strong, physical and really well-organized. We went up 2-0, but they fought back hard to get back into the game. It was nice to get to halftime, so we could talk to the girls and regroup for the second half. The girls came back out and responded like I knew they could.

“It’s been that way all season. I have been really impressed with their resilience. The girls were a little shaken when (Seton) got back into it. We had been in other situations where we got down a goal and fought back into the game. They have responded to adverse situations in games throughout the season, and they did it again (Wednesday).”

Springdale’s game Monday at Gateway comes 10 years to the day it defeated Avonworth, 2-1, in the 2011 Class A semifinals to advance to the title game against Greensburg Central Catholic at Baldwin High School.

The Dynamos finished as the WPIAL runner-up that year. The team was in the midst of a run of strong seasons tin which it won the 2009 WPIAL championship before making it to the PIAA finals.

Steel Valley, the Section 2 champion, and Springdale meet for the first time since 2015 when both were members of Section 4 in Class A. The teams split their season series that year, with Springdale winning 5-1 at home before Steel Valley returned the favor, 1-0, at Munhall’s Campbell Field.

The winner of Monday’s game will play for the championship Friday at Highmark Stadium and also secure one of the three berths from the WPIAL to the PIAA tournament.

“The girls are excited and ready to go for the semifinals,” Bentley said. “One of the main focuses for us in the playoffs has been to stay focused and stay in the moment. Throughout the season, the coaches have made sure the girls remember to not get too far ahead of themselves.

“Every team is in the playoffs for a reason. We’ve already had a couple of tough playoff games. The Bentworth (first-round) game was a tight, 1-0 win. The girls know to take it one game at a time and go from there.”

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.

Tags: Springdale