Westmoreland County soccer notebook: All-WPIAL honors handed out

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, November 11, 2021 | 7:10 PM

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Several Westmoreland area players were named to the All-WPIAL boys soccer lists, compiled by the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association.

Norwin seniors Caleb Yuricha and Riley Zimmerman were selected in Class 4A, and Franklin Regional senior Anthony DiFalco and juniors Colton Hudson and Jake Kimmich made the 3A list, along with Belle Vernon senior Daniel Sassak and juniors Anders Bordoy and Nate Coleman of Kiski Area.

DiFalco was named WPIAL Class 3A Player of the Year.

In Class 2A, Burrell senior Ethan Croushore and junior Joe Obeldobel of Yough were selected.

Class A has not been released.

Quarterfinal sites

Greensburg Central Catholic’s boys and girls teams will play a PIAA quarterfinal doubleheader Saturday. The Class A games will take place at West Allegheny in Imperial.

The boys will play Eden Christian at noon, with the girls to follow against Freedom at 2 p.m.

“Usually when we play a doubleheader, the girls play first,” GCC boys coach Rob Fabean said. “So this will be different.”

Assisting on the goal

A pair of Greensburg Central Catholic assistants are sharing the coaching duties after head coach Olivia Kruger left the team to have her baby. GCC alum Sarah Ward and Hope Creamer, a Greensburg Salem and Seton Hill graduate, led the Centurions in the WPIAL title game and will continue to do so in the PIAA playoffs.

“We knew it was coming, so we tried to prepare the best we could,” Creamer said. “We knew it was coming. We just thought it would be a few weeks later.”

Creamer and Ward hope Saturday’s quarterfinal comes with less stress. GCC has played in four straight one-goal games. It has beaten Freedom four consecutive times, with three of those games decided by a goal.

“Our girls know it’s not going to be a cakewalk,” Creamer said. “They know they need to step up.”

Kruger went into labor on the morning of Nov. 5, the day of the WPIAL Class A championship at Highmark Stadium.

“The baby was born two minutes into the game, at 6:02 p.m.,” Cramer said. “She was watching the game from (the hospital) and texting us.”

Baby James Thomas Kruger and his mother are doing well. So is dad: Seton Hill women’s soccer coach Zak Kruger.

It’s a safe assumption the baby will be a soccer player. Odds are also with him playing in front of the net. Both of his parents were goalkeepers.

Rosensteel Award finalists

Three finalists were announced for the third Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award, which recognizes the top player in WPIAL girls soccer.

Moon junior midfielder Hailey Longwell, senior midfielder Kelsey Salopek of Steel Valley and junior forward Lucia Wells of North Allegheny are up for the award started in 2019 by the Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship Foundation in the name of the former Ringgold soccer standout from Donora who died that year.

The award goes to the player “whose play, leadership and passion for the game emulates that of (Rosensteel).”

The winner will be announced after the PIAA championship games.

Past winners were Ellie Coffield of Mars (2019) and Sarah Schupansky of North Allegheny (2020).

All three finalists were All-WPIAL selections this season.

Longwell helped lead Moon to the WPIAL Class 4A championship, and Salopek, a 50-goal scorer, won a WPIAL Class A title with the Ironmen.

Wells led North Allegheny with 23 goals.

The award watch list, compiled by a panel of foundation officials, coaches and media members, included these local players: Sophomores Ella Bulava and Regan Reilly and junior Sofia DeCerb of Latrobe; junior Olivia Cernuto of Southmoreland; seniors Morgan Einodshofer and Adeline Guess and junior Farrah Reader of Belle Vernon; junior Sara Felder and senior Tatum Gretz of Greensburg Central Catholic; seniors Malia Kearns of Penn-Trafford; senior Sydney Lindeman of Franklin Regional; junior McKenzie Pritts of Yough; and senior Paloma Swankler of Norwin.

Fabean deciding

Greensburg Central Catholic senior Mason Fabean could be nearing a decision on his college destination. Fabean, a midfielder who has moved around in the GCC lineup, is looking at several Division I programs.

The same is true for DiFalco, who said recently he isn’t pigeon-holing himself into playing close to home like he mentioned previously. He also has multiple Division I schools interested.

Lorenz shining

Former Franklin Regional standout Zach Lorenz netted a goal and had an assist to lead Woodstock Academy (Conn.) to a 2-0 victory over Putnam Science Academy in the finals of the Woodstock Academy Showcase. Lorenz is attending the first-year prep school as he builds toward a college career.

He recently was named to the top 11 list of noncommitted seniors in his class by Prepsoccer.net.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Kiski Area, Latrobe, Norwin, Southmoreland, Yough