Riverview girls advance to 1st PIAA semifinal after another win over rival Springdale

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, November 11, 2023 | 4:00 PM

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In Lola Abraham’s freshman year at Riverview, there weren’t enough girls to field a soccer team, and in her sophomore and junior years, the team didn’t get a win against neighboring rival Springdale.

So Saturday’s 3-1 win for the Raiders over the Dynamos in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals at Plum is one Abraham and her teammates will cherish for a long time.

It was the third win against them this season, an added bonus en route to clinching a spot in the state semifinals.

“The last two years we really didn’t come close to beating Springdale, so to get three wins in a season against them is pretty special for this group of girls,” Abraham said.

The Raiders (19-4) will face District 6 champ Bishop Guilfoyle in the state semis Tuesday at a site and time to be announced. Springdale finished 15-5.

Abraham had a pair of goals. The second one came during a defining sequence in the match.

With Springdale trailing 2-1 in the 67th minute, Hailey Marchlewski lined up for a free kick from 24 yards and put an excellent strike on goal. But the ball hit the crossbar and stayed out.

Three minutes later, Hannah Hudack put in a through ball to Abraham, who scored on breakaway to make it 3-1. It was the 73rd goal of the season for the Pitt recruit.

“Those are the fine margins,” Springdale coach Marc Bentley said. “A couple inches lower, and it’s a goal (for Marchlewski). They go up the other way and score and kill the game at 3-1. But I couldn’t be prouder of the way we played today.

“Lola is a fantastic player, and I thought we did a pretty good job for the most part of getting numbers at her when she had the ball, but good players are going to find a way. I know she gets the headlines, but their whole team around her is solid. It was a good game. Both teams played well. Good luck to them in the semifinals.”

Raiders freshman Juliette Brun scored what proved to be the winner in the 52nd minute off a corner kick by Abraham.

Abraham served it in, and it pinballed around a crowded 6-yard box until it settled for Brun, who slammed it home.

“I saw an opening and hit it and dove on the ground screaming,” Brun said. “It was one of the best feelings to be able to score against this team.”

Abraham scored on a penalty in the 13th minute to make it 1-0, but Springdale’s leading scorer, Briana Ross, responded with a goal seven minutes later.

On a counterattack after a Riverview corner, Ross pulled up just inside the 18-yard box on the left side and ripped a shot into the top right corner. It was her 51st goal of the season.

Both keepers had big saves in the first half. Riverview’s Chiara Brun stopped Ross with her foot on a point-blank opportunity in the 23rd minute and made a diving stop on a Ross shot a few minutes later.

Springdale’s Bailey Haas robbed Abraham on a free kick from 25 yards. She leaped high to punch the ball over the goal.

The Raiders will head to the state semifinals for the first time in program history, adding to a laundry list of firsts achieved for the program this year.

“It feels good,” Riverview coach Sean Abraham said. “The girls have been working hard all year. We had a goal coming into the season to win the conference outright, because our program has never done that. We did that. From there to get into WPIALs and states and make some noise. This is the year for us. The girls have a lot of fun, but they also put in a lot of hard work.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Riverview, Springdale