With 10 starters returning, Gateway girls soccer looks toward promising future

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 22, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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The Gateway girls soccer team finished eight points out of a playoff spot in Section 3-3A.

The Gators ended up 3-8-1 in the section.

However, looking within the record, coach Caleb Kyper noted the strong and competitive play from his team throughout the season, especially in a couple of games against section playoff qualifiers which were decided by one goal.

Gateway lost a pair of 1-0 games to Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford. The second matchup with Penn-Trafford went into overtime.

There also was a 1-1 tie against Greensburg Salem late in the section schedule.

“It was frustrating for the girls because I witnessed all the hard work and training they did in the preseason,” Kyper said.

“I know all teams do, but this team put in so much time and effort with the goal of making the playoffs. They made significant improvements, and we were right there in a lot of those games.

“Throw (section champion) Plum in there and also Latrobe, and it was a litmus test for us to see how far we’ve come throughout the season. We weren’t very offensive-minded, so we had to keep those games low-scoring. There was disappointment, certainly, that we didn’t get some of those wins, but the next day when we had a chance to reflect, we were proud of ourselves for where we stood.”

Kyper said the season went by in a flash.

“Mike Rugh, the (Gateway) boys coach, and I were working together over the summer going through some of the preseason stuff to get ready, and I told him that after the first game, you’ll blink and the regular-season will be over, and you’ll wonder where it went,” Kyper said.

“That is where I am at right now. We’re working on returning jerseys, getting ready for the postseason banquet (Nov. 12) and generally taking stock of how our season went.

“Knowing a week out (from the end of the regular season) that we weren’t going to make the playoffs, it gave us a chance to reflect on the season in practices. We had some lighter practices and were able to spend some final moments with the seniors and celebrate what they have meant to this program. We also had a chance to talk about the progress we made as a team from last year to this year and even from the preseason to the end of the season.”

Ten of 11 starters return next season.

Among those 10 starters returning is junior forward Hayden Price, the team’s leading scorer with 10 goals. She added two assists.

Price was trusted by the coaches to take all of the team’s penalty kicks.

Sophomore Julia Beam added a pair of goals for the Gators, and Addi Helman led the way with three assists.

Price scored one of Gateway’s two goals in a 2-0 senior-night victory over Penn Hills on Sept. 27.

The other goal was scored by senior Becca Ryan who, at the time, was working back from an ACL injury suffered during Gateway’s basketball season earlier this year.

“Becca said she was going to be a part of the team, and starting in the preseason, she was at almost every single practice and at every game,” Kyper said. “She kept the book for us, and was a true team captain from the bench. She got the OK from her doctor and her dad to play on senior night. That was the only game she played all season. She sang the national anthem and got a goal. It was a wonderful night for her.”

Senior Jada Settles earned the shutout win for the Gators against the Indians.

“She will be a significant loss, for sure,” Kyper said. “She’s made some A-1 save to keep us in games against some of those top-tier teams.”

Kyper said Beam will most likely take over in net next season.

“Julia has played in the field for us this year, but she’s also a very skilled goalie,” Kyper said.

“She filled in for Jada a couple of times when Jada got hurt and did a stellar job.”

Sophomore center back Emily Werner missed several games with an ankle injury.

“With our limited numbers, any starting position that went down was significant, especially our center back when we defend as much as we do,” Kyper said.

“We also lost (junior midfielder) Anna Walter, our first sub off the bench. She was out for five or six weeks. But to the girls’ credit, their fitness level was outstanding. We put a lot of stock into that in the preseason knowing the situation with the numbers. The starting 11 and the couple subs who got a lot of playing time really came to play. Very rarely did we have someone raise their hands to come out of the game.”

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: Gateway