Beadling sends teams to nationals
Defense wins championships. Just ask the six South Hills ladies that play for the Beadling Soccer Club’s U18 squad.
Thanks to their combined efforts, the Gunners are one of the club’s three teams bound for the US Youth Soccer National Championships set for July 22-27 in Tulsa, Okla. Round-robin action starts that Tuesday and concludes during the weekend with the crowning of the national champions in boys’ and girls’ divisions from U13 through U19.
Arch rivals on the pitch during their scholastic careers, Canon-McMillan’s Kyra Murphy, Abbie Gillespie and Allie Thomas, Laurel Carpenter from Peters Township, Sami Lackner of Upper St. Clair and Emily Tolmer from Chartiers Valley united to spearhead the Gunners to victory. Murphy anchored the unit in goal while the quintet in front of her shutdown the opponent’s attack. The Gunners recorded eight shutouts and in 13 other contests limited the competition to one goal.
The Gunners, who are coached by Mt. Lebanon product Erik Duffy, rolled up a 20-0-2 record en route to qualifying for nationals. At this year’s Region I tournament held in Barboursville, W.Va., the Gunners won five straight games, including a 1-0 triumph against Virginia in the finals. The victory vaulted Beadling to a national berth. During the regionals, the Gunners also posted wins against New York West, 5-0, Connecticut, 5-1, PA East, 6-1, and Vermont, 4-2.
Success is no stranger to Gunners. They have won the PA West state championships six times and by doing so moved on to the regionals at the U12, U13, U15, U17 and U18 levels. They were regional semifinalists two other times, placing third and second, before clinching their first title and trip to nationals.
All six of Beadling’s defensive standouts will play collegiate soccer.
Murphy, who set school records in leading the Lady Macs to their first WPIAL and PIAA finals in 2014, is enrolled at Duquesne University this fall, while Carpenter will play at West Virginia. Tolmer is headed to Carnegie Mellon. Gillespie will play at Edinboro while Lackner attends West Virginia Wesleyan. Though she will be a senior at Canon-Mac this fall, Thomas is already committed to Winthrop. The South Carolina university competes at the Division I level.
Other members of the Gunners’ squad include: Jane Schleicher, Jennifer Vietmeier, Isabella Spadafora, Italia Biondi, Juliana Vazquez, Abby Losco, Casey Aunkst, Savana Yurick, Kara Batey, Cassandra Sauter, Katherine Felitsky and Leah Roth.
In dramatic fashion, the Beadling U19 girls also advanced to the nationals. In the Region I championship final, decided in overtime on penalty kicks, the Thunder edged Continental FC Premier 95, 2-1. The Thunder also edged, 4-3, MUSC Shox from West Virginia in the semifinals. In preliminary competition, Beadling blanked the Vipers FC, 2-0, and Epic Pride, 9-0, before tying Continental, 0-0.
Maggie Scott (four), Malea Fabean (three), Greer Monahan (two) and Mary Kate Zahorchak (two) ranked among the leading scorers in the regional tournament for Beadling, which also won the PA West title.
Veronica Latsko of Peters Township and Halle Hammer from Bethel Park were among the area contributors for the Thunder’s success. Latsko is a standout at the University of Virginia.
Among the other area players for the Thunder include: Katie Alexander, Eleni Carr, Rachel Collage, Frances Crouse, Amber Fichter, Lauren Kelly, Cassidy LeDonne, Ashley Mutkus, Karli Paracca, Theresa Scheiffarth, Sydney Schipani and Macey Thomas.
Beadling also dominated the U16 division. The Bulldogs head to nationals sporting a 21-2-1 records.
Behind seven goals by Makena Silber, the Bulldogs made it three teams to advance to the nationals for the first time in Beadling’s 100-plus years of existence.
Thanks to a tally from Emma Thomas, Beadling slipped past Annandale United FC from Virginia, 1-0, in the regional championship match. The Bulldogs blanked Loudoun Red from Virginia, 2-0, in the semifinals. In preliminary action, the squad posted a 3-0 record with wins against ASA Azzurri of Maryland, 1-0, New England Rush, 3-0, and River City Athletics, 8-0.
Members of the Bulldogs’ team also include: Anna Marie Alfery, Lauren Bell, Athena Biondi, Taylor Burkely, Deena DeBaldwo, Isabelle Engel, Kenzie Gentile, Morgan Henderson, Lexie Kolano, Delaney Lisco, Madison McKinley, Emily Paszkiewicz, Keli Rosensteel, Maggie Sabol, Marley Smith, Dixon Veltri, Megan Virgin, Ryley Watt and Samantha White.
“Beadling is incredibly proud of this great group of girls who are realizing their dream of competing for a national championship,” said Denny Kohlmyer, who is president of the soccer club. “They are all deserving of this win and ready to make a run for the title in Tulsa,”
Beadling is the only club to represent PA West soccer at the 2015 national championships and one of the first in the history of the region to send three teams to the event in one year. As the oldest soccer club in the United States, Beadling enjoys a long record of success. Of the 13 Western Pennsylvania teams that have won Regionals and moved on to the National Championships, 12 have come from Beadling. The soccer club has produced 12 regional Champions, 11 finalists, with eight advancing to nationals as well as 75 regional and 10 national team players. Eighty players have gone on to play professionally.