WPIAL girls soccer players to watch

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 | 7:51 PM

Girls soccer season gets underway with kickoff tournaments Friday and Saturday. Section play starts Sept. 5.

Here’s a look at some of the WPIAL girls soccer players to watch this season:

Justine Appolonia, Yough, jr., F: The speedy Appolonia scored 52 goals in her first two seasons at Yough, including 32 last year to help the Cougars reach the WPIAL semifinals.

Megan Donnelly, Pine-Richland, so., F: Donnelly had no trouble adjusting to the high school game as a freshman, tallying 23 goals to lead the WPIAL quarterfinalist Rams in scoring.

Kiley Dugan, Penn-Trafford, sr., M: The Valparaiso recruit scored the biggest goal of the season for the Warriors in 2017, heading in the overtime winner to beat Norwin in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game, and should take on an even bigger role in 2018.

Eva Frankovic, Norwin, jr., D: The Pitt recruit is part of a talented Norwin back line that also includes Duquesne commit Maddie Genicola. The PIAA Class 4A champion Knights allowed 10 goals in 24 games last season, with 16 shutouts.

Regan LaVigna, Peters Township, sr., M: The Youngstown State recruit scored 11 goals and added eight assists for the WPIAL quarterfinalists, and she’ll again be a key contributor for the nationally-ranked Indians as they pursue a title.

Dalaney Ranallo, Thomas Jefferson, jr., M: The Old Dominion recruit led the Jaguars in scoring last season as they advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals and should pace another potent offense this fall.

Krystyna Rytel, Shady Side Academy, sr., M: The Pitt recruit scored more than 50 goals on the season, but she saved her best work for the playoffs, when she tallied nearly 20 to help the Indians win the PIAA Class A title.

Sidney Shemanski, Freeport, jr., F: She helped lead the Yellowjackets to back-to-back section championships as a top scorer her first two seasons, including 18 goals and 22 assists last season.

Gracie Stetson, Brownsville, so., F: She scored 40-plus goals as a freshman, an average of more than two per game, to lead the Falcons to the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals.

Hannah Stuck, Peters Township, jr., F: Already committed to Bucknell, Stuck and teammate LaVigna are on Top Drawer Soccer’s preseason All-American watch list and are a major reason why the Indians are championship contenders.

Claire Valentine, Mars, sr., GK: Valentine gets top billing for an impressive team defensive effort: The Planets allowed 14 goals last season, none in section play, as they wound up one win shy of the WPIAL title.

Michaela Watkins, Freedom, sr., F: Watkins helped Freedom win a WPIAL Class AA title in 2016 and followed that up with a 40-goal campaign for the WPIAL runner-up Bulldogs last season. Senior Myla Sharpless, a Florida Atlantic recruit, also returns to the Freedom lineup after sitting out with a knee injury last season.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Brownsville, Freedom, Freeport, Mars, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Shady Side Academy, Thomas Jefferson, Yough