Westmoreland PIAA girls soccer playoff capsules: Games for Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 7:14 PM

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Today’s games

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

Mt. Pleasant (20-2) vs. Fort LeBoeuf (15-1-2)

Noon, Wright Field at Newman Stadium, North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of 9-1 Clearfield (21-1)/10-2 General McLane (14-5-1) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

District finish: Mt. Pleasant 7-2; Fort LeBoeuf 10-1

First round: Mt. Pleasant 2, Bedford 0; Fort LeBoeuf 3, North Catholic 2 (OT)

Coaches: Rich Garland, Mt. Pleasant; Bryan Kowalczyk, Fort LeBoeuf

Players to watch: Maggie Piper, Jr., D, Mt. Pleasant; Savannah Jones, MF, Fort LeBoeuf

Throw-ins: Mt. Pleasant’s young lineup continued to blossom before the fans’ eyes by winning a state playoff game for the first time in the program’s 25 years. Sophomore Maddie Barrick and freshman Morgan Gesinski scored in the opening-round win at Richland High School in Johnstown. Freshman keeper Laurel Rummel posted her 16th shutout of the season. The back line limited the Bisons to four shots. Gesinski (33) and Rylin Bugosh (29), who assisted Barrick’s marker, front the Lady Vikings’ rare 3-5-2 shape. … Like Mt. Pleasant, Fort LeBoeuf has a mix of underclassmen, including several freshmen, in its starting 11. The Region 4 winners scored a pair of first-half goals before they were taken to overtime by WPIAL third-place team North Catholic. Emily Samluk netted the winner in extra time for the Bison. Elise Cacchione and Jones also had goals in the win. Fort LeBoeuf lost to Avonworth in the first round last year 4-0 after a runner-up finish in District 10. Goalkeeper Gabby Green is solid in net. The Bison never have won a state title.

Class A

Quarterfinals

Greensburg Central Catholic (14-5) vs. Springdale (17-4)

Noon, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Winner plays: Winner of 9-1 Karns City (18-4)/7-1 Freedom (18-4) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

District finish: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-3; Springdale 7-2

First round: Greensburg Central Catholic 3, Windber 2 (OT); Springdale 2, Mercyhurst Prep 0

Coaches: Kara Batey, Greensburg Central Catholic; Marc Bentley, Springdale

Players to watch: Riley Kerr, F, GCC; Grace Gent, F, Springdale

Throw-ins: Greensburg Central Catholic advanced to the quarters with a 3-2 overtime victory over previously unbeaten Windber. Lexi Graham scored the winning goal as GCC knocked off the District 5 champions. Sara Felder and Jillian Botti had goals, and Kerr had two assists for the Centurions. GCC has been to the state semifinals three straight years. The Centurions are 2-2 in one-goal games this season, with both losses coming in a pair of 3-2 decisions against Springdale. This game is at Norwin. Batey is a Norwin alum. Kerr has 36 goals and Felder has 34. Both are All-WPIAL selections. … The Dynamos earned another shot at GCC with a shutout of District 10 champion Mercyhurst Prep as Grace Gent netted both goals. Springdale has 10 shutouts. The Dynamos have not been to the state semifinals since 2011, when they met GCC and won 2-0 before losing to Warrior Run in the title game 3-1. In the teams’ last meeting this season, both teams were red-carded late and had to play a girl down with about a minute to play. Brooke Taliani scored the game-winner with 28 seconds left. Georgia Dale of Springdale and Botti received the reds. A 3-0 loss to Freedom in the WPIAL championship was the Dynamos’ first shutout loss of the season. Gent, who has 26 goals, had a hat trick in the WPIAL semis, a 5-0 win over Waynesburg. Gent and sophomore Molly Hurley are All-WPIAL players.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Mt. Pleasant, Springdale