Plum girls soccer team cruises past Kiski Area in first-round playoff game
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Monday, October 24, 2022 | 9:47 PM
Plum’s Kaitlyn Killinger works against Kiski Area’s Alexis Zidek during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Rayla Smith (4) celebrates her goal with Ashley Kovach during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Kiski Area on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Rayla Smith (4) battles Kiski Area’s Addison Bell for possession during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Ava Weleski (left) celebrates her first goal with Cami Collins during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Kiski Area on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Kaley Simqu battles Kiski Area’s Madison Bachar for a header during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Camryn Rogers (right) celebrates her goal with Serena Carnahan during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Kiski Area on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Gianna Revetta works against Kiski Area’s Riley Koziatek during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Mia Nardo (right) celebrates her goal with teammates during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Kiski Area on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Cami Collins battles Kiski Area’s Camryn Kunz for possession during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Kaitlyn Killinger (26) celebrates her first goal with Camryn Rogers during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Kiski Area on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Kaley Simqu battles Kiski Area’s Madison Bachar for a header during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
Plum’s Rayla Smith celebrates her goal with teammates during their WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Kiski Area on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Plum High School.
The Plum girls soccer team left no doubt in its WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game with Kiski Area on Monday at Mustangs Stadium.
The No. 3 Mustangs led 4-0 at halftime and added five more goals in the second half to post an 9-0 victory over the 14th-seeded Cavaliers.
“We talked about coming out with energy and enthusiasm, moving the ball, and creating scoring opportunities,” Plum coach Jamie Stewart said.
“Kiski Area played well, but I thought our ball movement and the chances we generated early led to more chances. Once we got a couple goals, the message was to continue with the energy, and we did that.”
Seniors Kaitlyn Killinger and Cam Rogers, juniors Ava Weleski and Alexis Rodda and sophomore Mia Nardo scored in the second half for Plum, which now has 78 goals in 16 games.
Killinger finished the game with a hat trick, upping her career goal total to 83, and Weleski ended with a pair of goals. Junior Rayla Smith also scored for the Mustangs, winners of five straight since their only loss of the season, a 1-0 final against Section 3 foe Latrobe.
Plum, with a secure advantage, began subbing midway through the second half.
Kiski Area and Plum played for the first time since the 2018 WPIAL Class 3A first round, a game won by the Cavaliers, 4-0, on their home field.
Plum improved to 15-1 on the season and will turn its attention to a Thursday quarterfinal matchup against No. 11 Montour. The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start time at a site and time to be determined.
The Mustangs and Spartans met in the regular season,with Plum winning 2-0 on Sept. 10.
“A lot of times, you can throw the seeds out the window,” Stewart said. “Montour is a pretty good team. They played us very, very well the first time. It’s going to be a battle on Thursday night.”
Kiski Area, which made its eighth straight WPIAL playoff appearance, concluded its season at 7-11-1.
“I thanked the girls for allowing me to be a part of the team and being able to get to know them,” said first-year Cavaliers girls coach Dave Anderson, also an assistant with the Kiski boys team.
“I am very proud of everything they did this year. We wanted a positive year this year, and the girls really came together as a team. They rose to the occasion against Indiana when they needed a win to make the playoffs, and they fought in a number of close games against some really good teams. They did a great job.”
The Mustangs’ first goal of the game with 25 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first half started with a free kick from senior Pitt commit Kaley Simqu near midfield. The ball sailed into the box where Kiski Area senior keeper Maxine Crosby stopped the ball but was not able to pull it in.
Smith was right there to clean up the rebound and deposit it in the open net.
Plum added to its lead at the 21:29 mark as senior Nina Kite fed Killinger for the goal
Kiski Area’s first shot came with 14:20 on the first-half clock, but the attempt rolled wide right of the Plum goal and out of play.
Crosby left the game with 12:21 remaining in the opening 40 minutes after a collision with Weleski, who had started on a breakaway towards the Kiski goal. Crosby came out 35 yards from her net to challenge the play.
Killinger and Weleski scored down the stretch in the first half to give Plum its four-goal halftime lead.
Crosby was able to return to the game at the start of the second half.
Plum finished with a 17-1 advantage in shots on goal. Crosby made eight saves, including a diving stop in the sixth minute to rob Rogers, who had used her speed to get past a couple of Kiski defenders and unleash a clear shot from 12 yards.
Plum played Monday’s game without senior forward Annabel Ahrin, who was injured in the regular-season finale against Penn-Trafford on Oct. 17. Stewart said he hopes she will be able to return at some point in the playoffs.
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: Kiski Area, Plum
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