Springdale girls, boys sweep soccer doubleheader from rival Riverview

By: Michael Love
Thursday, October 3, 2024 | 10:25 PM

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The Springdale girls soccer team suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday against Class 2A power Burrell.

But the Dynamos got that winning feeling back Thursday evening with a convincing 3-0 triumph over rival Riverview in a Section 4-A clash under the lights at Riverside Park in Oakmont.

Springdale (10-1, 9-0) won the battle for first place in the section and completed the season sweep of the Raiders (8-2, 7-2). The Dynamos won the first meeting between the teams 1-0 in overtime Sept. 11.

“I think it showed great resilience for the girls to come back from that loss,” Dynamos coach Marc Bentley said. “Burrell is a good team. They outplayed us and deserved to win. It kept us humble and made us hungry for this game. I feel we played our best game of the season tonight. We were able to control large portions of the game, make some really nice plays, and score at the right times.”

Springdale hopes to keep it going as it hosts Winchester Thurston in section action Saturday at noon.

Riverview had won four in a row between the first loss to Springdale and Thursday’s game. That included section victories over Greensburg Central Catholic (3-2) and Ellis (2-1, overtime).

“We want the girls to let this one burn a little bit, but then they need to have a short memory, get back in practice, and prepare hard for the next game,” Raiders coach Sean Abraham said.

Riverview was dealt some adversity just 29 seconds into the game as sophomore midfielder/defender Emma Battaline went down with an injury. She was on the turf for about 15 minutes before taken to a medical facility for evaluation.

“The girls were concerned, and it probably had some affect on how they played after that,” Abraham said. “Then we started to get some players banged up. But the girls kept battling. It was just a tough one to lose. You can’t take anything away from Springdale. They played a really good game.”

Springdale recorded first shot of the game in the 13th minute as senior Briana Ross made an attempt from about 18 yards. The ball hits a rough spot in the natural-grass turf and slowed to where Riverview senior keeper Chiara Brun was able to scoop it up for the save.

The Dynamos then got on the board first with 13 minutes left in the first half. Seniors connected as Ross fed a streaking Molly Hurley, who took the pass, dribbled in, and fired it into the right side of the Riverview goal from 15 yards.

It was Hurley’s second goal of the season against Riverview as she also tallied the lone score in the overtime win Sept. 11.

Springdale doubled its lead to 2-0 with 6 minutes, 35 seconds left until the break as Ross moved down the right wing and crossed the ball to the middle at 18 yards to junior midfielder Hailey Marchlewski, who finished off the scoring play.

The Dynamos took full control of the game just 1:14 into the second half as Ross again provided a pass to senior midfielder Carissa Walsh, who one-timed the ball in the back of the Riverview goal.

Riverview’s first shot on goal of the game came on a direct kick from sophomore Hannah Hudak with 28:12 left in the second half. The booming shot from 30 yards sailed directly into the waiting arms of Springdale keeper Baileigh Haas.

“Moving forward, if we continue to play like we did tonight, the sky’s the limit for this team,” Bentley said.

Springdale boys rally

It was expected to be another low-scoring affair between the Riverview and Springdale boys soccer teams Thursday evening at Riverside Park.

The Dynamos won the first Section 4-A meeting 1-0 on Sept. 12, and they were seeking a season sweep of Riverview for the sixth consecutive season.

But the Raiders had different hopes on their home turf and sought a seventh straight victory after an 0-4 start.

In the end, a pair of late goals were enough to lift Springdale to a 12th straight win over its cross-river rivals.

Springdale senior Nathan Dubas scored on a rebound in front of Riverview senior keeper Quin Fischer with seven minutes left in regulation. Senior Colton Gent added insurance with a goal off an assist from senior Caleb Leahy five minutes later, and the Dynamos left Oakmont with a 2-0 victory.

“We knew it was going to be a tight game the whole way through and that the first goal was most likely going to be the game winner,” Springdale coach Mario Liberati said.

“I give credit to Riverview. They played excellent defense. They did their best to annoy us. I felt we did have the better of the possessions and also made a couple of adjustments at halftime. I thought it would only be a matter of time before we broke through and got a ball in.”

Springdale improved to 12-2 overall and 7-1 in section play, while Riverview fell to 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the section.

“That first goal kind of took the wind out of our sails,” Riverview coach Mickey Namey said.

“Now, we knew we needed to score a goal against a team that hardly gives up any goals. Our backs were against the wall, and we tried to push up a little bit. We gave up that late second goal as we were trying to tie it up.

“It is a rivalry. We expect this type of game. The last game was 1-0, and (Springdale) got that goal with four minutes left. We prepare for this type of battle every time we play Springdale. The guys have to remember that after the first time we played Springdale, we ran off six straight (wins). We now have to refocus and look to make another run.”

Each team produced several strong defensive plays in front of their respective goals to prevent shots from getting to the keepers.

Springdale senior keeper Noah Skaugan and Fischer also were quite active in thwarting scoring attempts front of their respective nets.

As the clock ticked down in the second half and the game remained scoreless, anxious feelings grew for the Raiders and Dynamos players as well as the fans of both teams who packed the bleachers.

Springdale led 4-1 in shots on goal over the first 40 minutes. Neither team was able to produce a shot on goal over the first 19 minutes of the second half.

Fischer stopped a charge to the goal by Dubas with 20:35 to play in regulation.

Close calls continued at both ends. Dubas made another run with 12 minutes left, but Riverview sophomore Carson Bodner was there to break up any hopes of a shot from the Dynamos striker.

Riverview senior midfielder and captain Drew Hunter missed the game after suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Sewickley Academy.

Springdale ended the game with an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Skaugan made three saves, and Fischer stopped six Dynamos shots.

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.