Westmoreland girls soccer notebook: Yough lighting up scoreboards

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024 | 6:04 PM

Yough has struggled with low roster numbers in recent seasons, and with standout Youngstown Stat commit Kendalyn Umbel choosing not to play prep soccer this year and in 2023, the Cougars appeared headed for an uphill climb.

But they won three of their first four games, scoring 10 goals in two of them. They had 25 goals at the start of the week, the most in the WPIAL.

The scoring has been balanced.

Britany Baumeister had two goals, and Kate Slavick, Leah Slavick and Daisy Miller scored once each in a 5-0 win over South Allegheny.

Carly Fitzgibbons posted a shutout between the pipes.

In a 10-1 win over California, Gillian Baloga, Kate Slavick, Miller and Gionna Piontka scored two goals each, and Ashtyn Younkin and Mya Broadwater had one apiece.

After a 6-0 loss to perennial 3A power Mars, Yough blanked Highlands, 10-0. Goals came from Brooke Wieland (hat trick), Baumeister (2), Kate Slavick (2), Piontka, Grace Tomko and Miller.

The Cougars open Section 4-2A play Wednesday at Deer Lakes.

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Double duty

Belle Vernon played two games on one day.

The host Leopards took the pitch twice Saturday in the Paul Sasko Memorial Kickoff Classic, playing a pair of 2-1 games.

They defeated Baldwin, then lost to Connellsville.

“We dug deep and played very well against a good quad-A Connellsville team,” coach Tracy Lovett said. “We never let down.”

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Top games

Penn-Trafford visits Latrobe Wednesday night in a matchup of local teams that were elevated from Class 3A to Class 4A.

It will be the teams’ Section 1-4A opener.

Other area games of note include Norwin at Hempfield in the same section, Indiana at Franklin Regional (Section 4-3A), and Ringgold at Belle Vernon (Section 1-2A).

On Saturday, Mt. Pleasant plays at South Park in what should be a playoff-like atmosphere in 2A. Also that day, North Allegheny visits Norwin.

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Family tree

Hempfield junior Jiana Patterson, the Lady Spartans’ leading goal scorer this season who transferred from Greensburg Central Catholic, has athletics talent in her blood.

Let her explain.

“My family is huge. I’m talking over 150 first, second and third cousins,” Patterson said. “We’ve got a long and strong line of athletic talent.”

It begins with her father, Jimmy Patterson, a Greensburg Salem graduate who wrestled at Clemson.

But her other relatives include three-time NCAA wrestling champion Greg Jones, who went to Greensburg Salem and West Virginia; and wide receiver Skyy Moore of the Kansas City Chiefs. Moore is from New Kensington and attended Shady Side Academy.

“Greg’s brothers and sisters all went on to earn D-I athletic scholarships, and I’ve got other cousins making waves, too,” Jiana Patterson said. She included Joe Gunn, Jr., who played baseball at Penn State; Aaron Gunn, who is playing football at Duquesne; and Mike Gunn, Jr., a baseball player at Slippery Rock.

“Oh, and I have a cousin who is one of Snoop Dogg’s security guards,” she added.

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Color splash

Fans might have noticed the color of the soccer ball is different this year. There is a reason for that.

The Wilson Vivido is the official ball of the PIAA, but teams can choose to use different colors. Many have gone with a duller-looking finish, so the ball does not seem as bright as in past years.

With that being said, teams can use any ball with a National Federation of High Schools authentication mark but must use the Wilson ball, which the state provides, in the postseason.

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Throw-ins

Mt. Pleasant has played only two games but has not allowed a goal. A nonsection game against Greensburg Central Catholic was postponed last week. … Southmoreland senior Aubrey Seder had a four-goal game in a 5-0 win over Beth-Center. Seder is a Slippery Rock commit. … Hempfield had as many goals in two games this season (3) as it did in 18 games last season.

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

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford, Yough