Upper St. Clair wins PIAA girls’ soccer title
Upper St. Clair defeated Central Bucks East, 2-1, and captured its first state championship for girls’ soccer during the PIAA Class AAA final played Nov. 21 at HersheyPark Stadium.
It was the Panthers’ second appearance in a state final. In 1994, they fell, 2-1, to Great Valley.
With 6:59 left in the game, Emma Hasco scored the decisive goal. It was the second tally in the contest for the Penn State recruit.
Hasco received the ball at midfield and dribbled past a couple defenders. Then she combined with Rachel Witte on a give-and-go before she finished into the lower right-hand side of the net.
With 16:51 to play in the second half, Central Bucks East scored the equalizer. Emma Loving converted from short range.
Hasco scored the first goal of the game with 6:18 remaining in the first half. Abby Perri assisted.
Central Bucks East had more than a dozen corner kicks but the USC defense, spearheaded by Nikki Gibbons in goal, contained the attack. Elaina Walnoha, Brianna Murgi, Reilly Ford, Mia Snyder and Jessica Murphy played strong in the back.
Landy Mertz, Maddy Rocks and Melody Vissman also made strong contributions in the middle. Kelsey McCown came off the bench and provided a strong physical, ball-winning presence in the middle of the field.
With the win, USC concluded the season with a 20-2-1 record. The Patriots finished the year at 24-1-1. It was the second straight win for the Panthers against an undefeated club.