Upper St. Clair pins first loss on NorwinPanthers advance to PIAA state finals
Upper St. Clair (19-2-1) played its PIAA semifinal soccer match against undefeated Norwin just like a Nike commercial. The Lady Panthers adopted the “Just Do It” motto and did in the Knights, handing them their first loss of the season and earning themselves a trip to Hershey to compete in the state championship game against Central Bucks East at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21.
“We talked about coming out for this game and pinning our ears back,” said USC field general David Gray. “We talked about just go out and play. Pin your ears back. Go out and play and get after it. And I thought that we, from the whistle, did well at it.”
Indeed, 13 seconds into the contest, USC rocked Norwin, which finished the season at 24-1. Off the opening kick, Maddy Rocks scored.
“It’s not something we looked at,” Gray said. “It’s not something we knew they would do with the kickoff but it just worked out that way. The ball went negative. Maddy got a step on it and she was off to the races. It worked out well.”
Gaining the advantage played in USC’s favor.
“All year we have played really well with the lead,” Gray said. “That helps us. When they get up, they have a good attitude of still getting after the goal.”
The Panthers scored another goal before halftime. Off an assist from Emma Hasco, Landy Mertz lofted the second tally into the net for a 2-0 advantage.
“We talked at halftime,” Gray said. “Don’t try and protect the 2-goal lead, you have to get the next goal. We had some great chances.”
With 29 minutes to play, the Panthers hit the cross bar and Sam Wexall came up with some big saves for Norwin. She made a particularly great stop on a strong shot by Hasco in the second half.
“Their goalkeeper was exceptional,” Gray said. “The save on Emma was unbelievable. (Wexall) was unreal. They were great.”
On Nov. 6, Norwin was great, even better than the Panthers. The Knights defeated USC, 3-0, to capture the WPIAL championship.
We wanted to come out and do something different than we did the last time. They are such a good team. We have such respect for them that I think we played off them a little bit. Tonight we wanted to come out and get after them and certainly Maddy scoring 16 seconds into the game helped.
“It was the same game as last time but this time I think we were able to capitalize on our opportunities and we were able to fend them off a little bit and maybe make them change a little bit.”
What the Panthers did not change was their staunch defense, led by the goalkeeping of Nikki Gibbons. Though Norwin scored on a header by Jess Boytim with 12:30 left to play, the defense of Brianna Murgi, Mia Snyder, Elaina Walnoha, Reilly Ford and Jessica Murphy held up in the waning minutes as the Knights pounded the nets.
“When they get back into a game, they are scary,” Gray said of Norwin. “You can see they are class when they started playing. They are absolute class.”
Gray added that his players, too, are above par. They are a cohesive group, which is a blend of experience and youth.
“The energy of this team is wonderful. They are just great kids. There is no down time. No yelling and screaming. They battle for each other. They are an absolute joy to coach.”
And because the Lady Panthers pinned a loss on Norwin, Gray gets to coach them one more time this season.
Note: Rocks sat out the final 12 minutes of action due to an ankle sprain. In her absence, Lauren Hamel filled in nicely. “She did a great job for us,” Gray said.