Westmoreland soccer playoff preview capsules for games of Nov. 16, 2022

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, November 14, 2022 | 4:56 PM

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Today’s games

Girls

Class 2A

Semifinals

Mt. Pleasant (21-2) vs. General McLane (15-5-1)

7 p.m. Wednesday at Slippery Rock High School, Slippery Rock

Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Wyomissing (21-1)/4-1 Central Columbia (23-0) in championship, 10 a.m. Saturday at Eagle View Middle School, Mechanicsburg.

District finish: Mt. Pleasant 7-2; General McLane 10-2

States so far: Mt. Pleasant — Defeated Bedford, 2-0, and Fort LeBoeuf, 1-0; General McLane — Defeated Avonworth, 5-1, and Clearfield, 3-0

Coaches: Rich Garland, Mt. Pleasant; Josh Hopkins, General McLane

Players to watch: Maddie Barrick, MF, Mt. Pleasant; Brooklyn Respecki, MF, General McLane

Throw-ins: This Mt. Pleasant team continues to be the benchmark for all that come after it in the program. The Lady Vikings posted their 17th shutout in the quarterfinals, 1-0 against District 10 champion Fort LeBoeuf, to advance to the state semifinals, the “West final,” for the first time. Barrick had the lone goal. It was just the second time Mt. Pleasant won without a goal from either Rylin Bugosh or Morgan Gesinski, who have combined for 62 goals. Mt. Pleasant has outscored six playoff opponents 21-2. The two goals came against Avonworth in the WPIAL championship. … Abby Walker had two goals, and Kelsey Berger added a third as General McLane blanked Clearfield, the District 9 champion, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. The District 10 champion Lancers knocked off WPIAL champion Avonworth in the first round 5-1. In that victory, Respecki and Sydney Rotko had two goals apiece. General McLane has never played in the state semifinals. … The game was moved from Tuesday after the PIAA postponed all soccer semifinals due to inclement weather.

Class A

Semifinals

Greensburg Central Catholic (15-5) vs. Freedom (19-4)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Gateway High School, Monroeville

Winner plays: Winner of 4-2 Southern Columbia (16-6-1)/4-1 South Williamsport (19-4) in championship, 10 a.m. Friday at Eagle View Middle School, Mechanicsburg

District finish: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-3; Freedom 7-1

States so far: Greensburg Central Catholic — Defeated Windber, 3-2 (OT), and Springdale, 3-1; Freedom — Defeated Rockwood, 10-0, and Karns City, 4-3 (2OT)

Coaches: Kara Batey, Greensburg Central Catholic; Colin Williams, Freedom

Players to watch: Jillian Botti, D, Greensburg Central Catholic; Shaye Bailey, F, Freedom

Throw-ins: This will be the sixth postseason meeting in four years for the teams. GCC has won five of them, but Freedom ousted GCC from the WPIAL playoffs with a 4-3 win in overtime in the semifinals. … GCC, which has only two seniors on the roster, advanced to its fourth straight state semifinal with a 3-1 win over Springdale led by its All-WPIAL pair. Riley Kerr had two goals, and Sara Felder added one. Kerr leads the team with 38 goals, and Felder has 35. All three scores came in the first half. The Centurions were the PIAA runner-up the last two years. … Freedom followed its second WPIAL title in five years with back-to-back PIAA wins. The Bulldogs sneaked past District 9 champion Karns City, 4-3, in double overtime. Bailey had the winner. Bailey, Jersee Melvin and Julia Mohrbacher are All-WPIAL players. The Bulldogs last made the state semis in 2018. They beat Shady Side Academy, 3-2, before falling in the final by the same score to Southern Columbia. … Southern Columbia beat GCC in last year’s final. It plays South Williamsport in the other semifinal. … The game was moved from Tuesday after the PIAA postponed all soccer semifinals due to inclement weather.

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

Tags: Freedom, Greensburg C.C., Mt. Pleasant