Franklin Regional boys look to reload, climb WPIAL soccer ladder

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, August 26, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Lukas Petersen remembers the empty feeling in his body as he watched Montour celebrate a 2-1 upset of his Franklin Regional Panthers in the WPIAL Class 3A first round late last October.

He doesn’t want to feel that again. He doesn’t want his players to experience it, either.

But nothing is guaranteed in WPIAL soccer, even for a perennial power like the Panthers, and Petersen wants his current group to use the playoff loss as an example of that.

“Expectations are always high for our group,” Petersen said. “I try to push the boys to be the best they can be on and off the field, and that means a constant mentality of improvement.”

Key returnees include junior forward Joey Bayne, senior defender Dom Kaforey, junior midfielder Danny Christofano and senior goalkeeper Aryan Selokar.

Bayne, Kaforey, Selokar and Noah Walker, a junior goalie, all played for the 05 BVB International Academy Premier team, coached by former Franklin Regional coach Thomas Louisy, that traveled to Florida in July for the United States Youth Soccer National Championship Series.

“Our main strength will be our midfield,” Petersen said. “But our success will be contingent on our ability to control the game.”

While Bayne and Christofano will be go-to legs, scoring could be a mixed bag for the Panthers, who again have speed and technique.

Sophomore Fabrizio Costa had his first career goal in that playoff upset.

“We have a bunch of players who can contribute to our scoring threat,” Petersen said. “There will be plenty of opportunity for other players to step up, after we graduated 12 seniors last year.”

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

Tags: Franklin Regional