Seton-La Salle blanks Bentworth, 3-0
Julie Deklaven (No. 2) kicks the ball while Mofoluke Obri (No. 19) looks on for Seton-La Salle. The pair combined for the Rebels’ first tally, DeKlaven assisted, Obri scored, during a first-round WPIAL Class A girls’ playoff win against Bentworth, 3-0.
Katie Banbury celebrates after scoring a goal off a penalty kick during Seton-La Salle’s 3-0 shutout of Bentworth in the first round of the WPIAL Class A girls’ soccer playoffs.
Good things have come in three for the Seton-La Salle girls’ soccer team this fall.
After winning three games last year, the Lady Rebels roared to a 3-0 victory over Bentworth in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs.
“It was great to score three goals,” said Brooke Mangis “We are not a high-scoring team. Our offense got the job done.”
Mofoluke Obri got the action started. With 22:43 to play in the first half, she deposited the ball into the net. Julie Deklaven assisted.
Obri is one of three freshmen on the club that sees action. The others are Kaylee Russman and Tori Hudson. Obri has a handful of goals this season, along with four assists. Four of those points have been gamewinners in overtime.
With 12:27 still left in the first half, Katie Banbury scored on a penalty kick to increase the Rebels’ lead to two goals. A junior, Banbury is SLS’s playmaker. “She has tremendous skill and controls the game from center midfield,” said Mangis.
With 27:24 left in the game, Maggie Ianchione iced the Bearcats with SLS’s third tally.
Bobbie Garrity anchored the defense and earned the win in the nets.
“Our defense did a great job of keeping the ball away from our net,” Mangis said.
Garrity is one of nine seniors on the club. The others include Deklaven, Ianchione, Shannon Perrett, Samantha Hilderbrandt, Brittany Fitzgerald, Emma Borofski, Kelsey Reiser and Hanna Marrone.
“Three things have helped turn around this team: good senior leadership, new faces and our goalie,” said Mangis.
After tearing her ACL last season, Garrity recovered. She worked to improve her skills by training with Cory Smiegelski. The SLS alum, who has played on the boys’ championship clubs, is the Lady Rebels’ goalie coach.
“Bobbie came back better than ever,” Mangis said. “She has improved tremendously. During the season, she made many big, game-changing saves for us. She’s become one of the best goalies in the section. Without her, we would not have won the section,” Mangis added.
In addition to Garrity, the Rebels have benefited from strong senior leadership and an influx of new blood.
“This group of seniors is one of my favorite classes,” Mangis said. “They have always worked hard and are such great examples to the rest of the team. They are also a lot of fun. They are liked by the entire team, so we have good team chemistry.”
One of the newcomers that have sparked the Rebels has been Rachel Graziano. The junior is the team’s leading scorer with 11 goals.
Maria Mastrangelo has also been a great addition to the midfield. The sophomore moved into the school district from Eastern Pennsylvania.
Juniors Olivia Caragein, Julie Cippoline, Jenna Vojtecky and Victoria Bullotta, along with sophomore Bethanie Whalen, have contributed to SLS’s success. All but Bullotta, a forward, play defense for the Lady Rebels.
The Rebels, who improved to 12-6-1 overall, were scheduled to play Mohawk at 8:15 p.m. Oct. 22 at West Allegheny in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals.