Canon-McMillan, USC, SF lead leagues in girls’ soccer
Landy Mertz (No. 6) beats her defender during recent soccer action. Mertz scored the first goal in Upper St. Clair’s 3-2 victory against Bethel Park.
Peters Township’s Breanna Latsko (No. 21) kicks the ball just before Canon-McMillan’s Riley O’Korn can make a play. During this key Section 4-AAA contest, the Lady Macs used overtime to thwart the Indians, 2-1.
Canon-McMillan established itself as the team to beat in Section 4-AAA as the Lady Macs completed the first half of league play with a perfect record and a 2-1 triumph against rival Peters Township.
But the Indians are not that far behind as evidenced by their performance. They trail the Lady Macs in the standings after suffering their first loss of the season. They beat Section 5-leading Upper St. Clair on Sept. 28 to improve to 8-1 overall.
Four minutes into overtime, Addie Roman scored the game-winner for the Lady Macs, who trailed, 1-0, at halftime. Regan Lavigna staked PT to the lead, off a corner kick from Mariah Vucich in the 19th minute. Twelve minutes into the second half, Aideen O’Donoghue notched the equalizer. Cheyenne Trest earned an assist on the play.
Despite falling behind, Dave Derrico believed his Lady Macs would prevail. “The key was keeping it close,” said the C-M skipper. “If it’s close, I know we can come back. Their offense is all about set pieces, so we expected it, but it was about intensity and effort.”
Although just a freshman, Roman gave her best effort to give C-M the win. “Addie is a bull in a China shop,” Derrioco said. “She may be inexperienced, but she has the ability and she’s strong. She’s hungry to score in every situation. That was a big goal for us.”
With the overtime victory, the Lady Macs improved to 6-0 in the division. They were 9-0 after beating Trinity, 18-0, on Sept. 28.
Maddy Rocks had two big goals and an assist for USC when the Lady Panthers blanked Mt. Lebanon, 3-0, to stay atop the Section 5 standings. Emma Hasco supplied the other tally. Elaina Walnoha and Kelsey McCown racked up assists in the win.
At the midway point in league play, USC had compiled a 5-0 record. Lebo followed in second place in the section with a 2-1 mark.
South Fayette also completed the first half of section action undefeated. The Lady Lions improved to 6-0 in Section 5-AA by toppling South Park, 1-0. The Eagles had dominated the division for the past 18 years, either winning or sharing the section crown.
Autumn Heineman scored the lone goal, and Natalie Caraway earned her sixth shutout in the nets for the Lady Lions.
C-M boys
Nick Sodini scored twice to spearhead Canon-McMillan to victory, 3-1, against Peters Township in a key Section 5-AAA boys’ match.
It was the Big Macs’ first win over the Indians since the first round of the PIAA playoffs in 2012 and the first time in the regular season since Oct. 19, 2010.
Canon-McMillan (5-0, 9-0) looked very much like a program that returned the bulk of its roster, while the Indians (2-2-1, 5-3-2) struggled at times after losing eight starters from last season, which ended with state and WPIAL championships for Peters Township.
Peters Township pressured the Big Macs’ defense in the opening minutes and created scoring chances on set pieces by winning battles to loose balls. But it did not earn a corner kick until the 18th minute of the second half and could not contain Sodini in a five-minute span.
“We had a bad five minutes in the second half,” Peters Township head coach Bob Dyer said. “The better team won tonight, there’s no doubt, but those five minutes really hurt us.”
A foul gave Peters Township sophomore striker Logan Brinsky a free kick from 25 yards. Instead of firing a shot on net, Brinsky placed a touch pass through a group of defenders and into the box, where senior midfielder Brady Pike directed it in for a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore defender Jonah Moore’s free kick from 50 yards was deflected just wide of the goal in the 14th minute, and three minutes later another free kick by Sodini hit the crossbar. The pressure finally paid off when Moore collected a ball at midfield, sprinted up the sideline and fired a rising shot from 25 yards that soared into the back of the net to tie the score 1-1.
Peters Township, which has just six goals in three matches against opponents with winning records, already has more losses this year than it did in 24 matches a year ago.
“We try to be a complete soccer team,” Canon-McMillan head coach Larry Fingers said. “Peters plays the same way they play every year. I don’t want to say we were prepared, but we knew. It worked out. Peters is a good team and so is everyone else in our section.”
The Big Macs, meanwhile, took advantage, using their quickness and experienced strikers to create scoring chances. They have outscored five section opponents 15-3.
South Fayette boys
Cory Supan recorded the shutout in the nets and Nick Aul scored twice in South Fayette’s 4-0 win against West Allegheny in Section 5-AA action Sept. 24. The Lions also bested Steel Valley, 10-0, bringing their record to 9-1 overall. The Lions were scheduled to play Obama Academy Sept. 29, and they will host Quaker Valley Oct. 6.
Seton-La Salle boys
A pair of goals from Chris Stack paced Seton-La Salle to victory, 2-0, against Bishop Canevin, to improve to 5-4 overall and 5-2 in Section 3-AA play. The Rebels were scheduled to play Carlynton Sept. 29 and take on Our Lady of the Sacred Heart for a home match Oct. 1.