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South Fayette eliminates Mars on penalty kicks

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 4 min read
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Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

South Fayette players mob Mia Deramo (wide green headband) after she converted a penalty kick for a 1-0 victory against Mars and a trip to the WPIAL Class 3A championship game.

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Caitlyn Thompson moves into position to make a save during the penalty kick portion of overtime in South Fayette’s 1-0 victory against Mars.

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Sydney Burns (12) battles for possession of the soccer ball with a defender during South Fayette’s 1-0 victory over Mars.

A penalty kick by Mia Deramo and key saves by Caitlyn Thompson propelled South Fayette to victory, 1-0, over Mars and into the WPIAL Class 3A championship girls soccer game.

After 80 minutes of regulation soccer and 30 minutes of overtime, the semifinal contest played Oct. 31 at Dormont Stadium between the top-seeded Planets and No. 5 Lions came down to a shootout. On the seventh round of penalty kicks, Deramo scored to snap a 2-2 tie and give South Fayette the triumph and berth in the finals.

“I was pretty nervous but I settled down and zoned in,” Deramo said. “I shot the ball and forgot about it.

Our goalie was making awesome saves during the whole game and the PKs. So all I had to do was just finish it.”

While Alex Delaney and Anna Fraps polished off their penalty kicks in the first round of the shootout, Thompson made a sensational diving save and swatted away another attempt that pushed the match into a second round of PKs, but this time sudden death.

Thompson said that she goes into shootouts knowing that there is a chance for her to make saves.

“It’s something I have prepared for all my life because I always have played goalkeeper,” she said. “You just have to read it in the moment,” she added.

Coach Nicholas Rosser agreed. He said that he was very confident going into the shootout.

“My goalie is fantastic,” he said. “She reads that stuff and we work on that daily. We practice (penalty kicks) a lot.”

South Fayette dominated the action on the pitch. The Lions forced Mars keeper Kate McEnroe to make five outstanding saves to go along with her routine plays.

“I felt like the goal was just shots away,” Deramo said. “We were working really hard but we just couldn’t get it. Throughout the game we dominated, but I felt it was a good match-up. Both teams played really well.”

The Planets had won eight WPIAL titles, five at the AA level and three in a row from 2019-21. They had not surrendered a goal in their last 15 matches. Mars was undefeated at 16-0 heading into the match against the Lions.

“Mars always competes. They have for years,” Rosser said. “My girls though were ready to go. They love the competition. My girls didn’t give up. They kept going. I’m very proud of them.”

Since the season commenced back in August, the Lady Lions were determined to compete in the district finals, which were played Nov. 4 at Highmark Stadium.

“We’ve been wanting to go to Highmark all season,” Deramo said. “It’s a great feeling.”

“From the get-go, (WPIALs) was definitely the goal,” Rosser added. “Their determination set the tone.”

Rosser noted that his 11 seniors set the tone for the team’s 14-3-3 season. Among the elder veterans on the squad are Delaney, Fraps, Maybree Neth, Olivia Rend, Delaney Duchess, Abbigail Rosser, Sydney Burns, Sammi Sharrer, Deanna Kanafani, Juliana Rossi and Keylee Hendricks.

“We really wanted this and we worked hard for this,” Deramo said. “It all came down to that.”

Both Deramo and Thompson are sophomores but they acknowledge their success came from their teammates.

“My whole team is ahead of me and they got my back,” Thomspon said. “I knew they were going to score. So I felt confident.”

The Lions were scheduled to face Moon in the Class 3A final. The Tigers, who won the 2022 WPIAL title, edged Montour, 1-0, in a shootout, too. The Tigers were the No. 3 seed in the tournament and had allowed two goals in 19 matches this season.

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