Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Olivia Cernuto and Luke Rivardo

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, September 10, 2022 | 7:14 PM

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Olivia Cernuto

School: Southmoreland

Sport: Soccer

Year: Senior

Claim to fame: Cernuto has been scoring goals at a torrid pace and reached a career milestone in the process.

The standout forward scored her 100th career goal Thursday in the Scotties’ 7-1 victory over Penn Hills. She had four scores in the win, giving her 18 in four games.

Her 100 goals are a school record. Andrea Wisniewski, a 2011 graduate, scored 95 in her career for the Scotties.

A talented three-sport athlete, Cernuto also is a terrific point guard in basketball and a WPIAL champion-caliber triple jumper in track and field.

What does the 100-goal milestone mean to you and how hard have you worked to get it?

Coming in freshman year I never expected to even be close to that. It was never even a thought of mine to get it, but it’s really an achievement for me and my team because without all of them and all our hard work together, I definitely would not have had a chance to even come close to it.

How has this season gone so far for Southmoreland?

I would say our season is going well. As a team we have really connected well, and I’m excited to see what happens.

How badly do you want 1,000 career points to go with 100 goals?

I definitely want to reach 1,000 career points, not only to go along with 100 goals, which would be amazing, but also to be up there with my mom (on the 1,000-point list).

You’ve had at least four goals in every game. Does scoring goals ever get boring?

I wouldn’t say it’s boring because each one is so different in the play that leads up to it. It’s just different every single time, and it’s never really the same.

Luke Rivardo

School: Mt. Pleasant

Sport: Soccer

Class: Junior

Claim to fame: Rivardo scored two goals and had an assist in helping Mt. Pleasant defeat Southmoreland, 6-0.

He also had the winning goal in the Vikings’ 3-2 victory against Brownsville.

Mt. Pleasant is 4-1 overall and 4-0 in WPIAL Class 2A Section 3. The only loss came against Class 3A Ambridge.

What is your college future?

I haven’t decided just yet. I want to get into running my own business.

You already are working for yourself. What are you selling?

Shoes. I sell Jordans and Yeezy on Instagram (LJS.Kicks).

What music do you like?

I like listening to Rap. It gets me fired up before games.

Who is your favorite soccer player?

Mbappe.

What do you think of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds?

It’s cool to have a professional team in Pittsburgh. I used to play for the Riverhounds Cup team.

If you can have lunch with anyone, who would it be?

I’d like to have lunch with Elon Musk. I like what he says.

What is your favorite meal that your mom makes?

I like her mac and cheese. It doesn’t matter if it’s homemade or out of the box.

Where do you and your friends go for snacks?

We go to Sheetz, and I get the sampler: mozzarella cheese sticks, tots and mac and cheese bites.

Where would your dream vacation be?

I’d like to go to Hawaii. I’ve never been there.

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

I like the Outer Banks. It’s cool there.

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

Tags: Southmoreland