Avonworth benefits from early injuries
Every coach, in every sport, will tell you that “we have to stay away from injuries.”
But injuries can help a team, especially if they come early in the season.
Avonworth’s girls soccer team is a good example of this.
The Antelopes opened the season with three consecutive losses. They lost by a 1-0 tally in both games at the Avonworth tournament against North Hills and South Fayette. Three days later, they dropped a 4-0 decision to North Catholic in their Class 2A Section 1 opener.
“We had 5-6 players out with injuries,” Avonworth coach J.C. Mahan said. “The lack of starters in those games allowed us to rotate other players into the lineup who normally wouldn’t have started. I wasn’t concerned because I knew we had a talented group of kids. We actually played well in all three matches, but just couldn’t find the net.”
Avonworth has rebounded with eight consecutive victories, including a 2-1 win in its rematch with top -ranked North Catholic on Sept. 28.
The Antelopes began the season ranked No. 2, dropped out of the rankings after their slow start, and have since moved back to No. 3.
“Having so many players out early in the season has made us a better team with more depth,” Mahan said. “In fact, we still don’t have a full complement of starters back yet.”
Ava Wert, Avonworth’s top scorer in 2020, has missed most of the season.
“Ava has barely played,” Mahan said. “She played some in our first three games, but wasn’t 100%. We shut her down after that. She returned to the lineup for Saturday’s game against Riverside.”
Wert, a senior forward, recently committed to Messiah College, an NCAA Division III school located in eastern Pa.
“She committed to play goalkeeper for them,” Wert said. “She’s actually a goalkeeper by trade, but she’s also a very good goal scorer and we needed her more at forward.”
With Wert out of action, Mahan has had three younger players providing much of the Antelopes offense.
Going into the week, Gianna Babusci, a sophomore forward, has been Avonworth’s top scorer with eight goals and one assist. Fiona Mahan, a freshman forward and daughter of the coach, had six goals and three assists. Minah Syam, a sophomore midfielder, has contributed five goals and six assists.
“Gianna started for us last year as a defender, but we had to convert her into a forward due our injuries,” Mahan said. “Minah and my daughter both attend the Riverhounds Academy and both were invited to the U.S. National Team camp.”
Mahan wouldn’t mind having a third game with North Catholic. The two
teams played three times last season, with the last one coming in the WPIAL title game. Unfortunately, the Trojans posted a 1-0 victory.
“Our goal is to get back to the WPIAL title game and come home with the championship trophy this time,” Mahan said.
Elizabeth Forward
Elizabeth Forward has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs six times since Brandon Gerba took over as head coach in 2012, but the Warriors have not posted a playoff victory during this stretch.
“It’s an accomplishment to get to the WPIAL playoffs, but we just can’t seem to get out of the first round,” said Gerba, now in his 10th season as head coach and 16th year with the program. “Our last playoff wins came in 2011, the year before I took over as head coach. We placed third in the WPIAL that season.”
Elizabeth Forward entered Wednesday’s match against West Mifflin with a 6-0-1 record in Class 2A Section 4, which ties them with defending section champ South Park. Both teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, which are scheduled to begin Oct. 21.
On Sept. 22, Elizabeth Forward and South Park faced off in the first of two section matches and the game ended in a 1-1 tie after two scoreless overtime periods.
“About 15-20 minutes into the game, Abby Beinlich scored on a rebound of a shot that came after a free kick,” Gerba said. “South Park tied the game five minutes later. Both teams had chances after that, but neither were able to score.”
The rematch is at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with South Park playing host.
“We played a lot of defense in the first game,” said Gerba, when asked what it will take to beat the Eagles. “We need to refine some things to deal with their speed. We can’t let them handle the ball as much.”
Gerba has a young squad. The Warriors top three scorers are underclassmen.
Beinlich, a sophomore midfielder, leads the team with 11 goals and seven assists. Brooklyn Baldensperger, a freshman forward, has 10 goals. Giovanna Ferraro, a sophomore forward, has seven goals and five assists.
“It’s great to have three scorers,” Gerba said. “That makes it harder to defend us.”
The Warriors have used two goalkeepers. Junior Emma Durant has made 52 saves and allowed only five goals. Adysson Davis, a freshman, has made 25 saves and allowed nine goals. The team has three combined shutouts.
Section battle
The playoff race in Class 2A Section 3 has come down to a three-team race. Mount Pleasant’s performance over the final two weeks will determine the champion.
Mount Pleasant entered Wednesday’s action with a 6-0 record, while Southmoreland is second at 5-1-1 and Yough is 4-1-1.
“Southmoreland is still the section champs until they are dethroned,” Mount Pleasant coach Rich Garland said.
That’s an interesting statement since Southmoreland’s only section loss was to Mount Pleasant, by a 1-0 score. Southmoreland handed Yough its only section loss, 4-3, on Monday. The two teams also tied 00 on Sept. 16.
“We have a chance to win the section title, but it will not be easy,” Garland said. “We still have two games with Yough and a rematch with Southmoreland, and two of those games are on the road. We could finish first, second or third in the section, depending on how we perform in those matches.”
Mount Pleasant, ranked No. 5 in Class 2A, plays host to Yough on Oct. 11, then travels to Southmoreland the next day. The Vikings conclude their section schedule on Oct. 19 at Yough.
“Southmoreland has been dealing with injuries to its top two players [Olivia Cernuto and Kendall Fabery], but are still a very good team,” said Garland, prior to Monday’s game in which Cernuto returned to Southmoreland’s lineup and scored three goals against Yough.
“Yough is a very organized team that is good at making adjustments. We have to stay organized to beat them.”
Mount Pleasant has been led by freshman forward Rylin Bugosh, who has 14 goals.
“We knew coming in that Rylin would be able to contribute,” Garland said. “She is a great athlete who has the speed to blow by opponents. She’s been playing soccer since she was a kid, so it’s no surprise she’s done this well.”
Marissa Garn, a junior midfielder, and Riley Gesinski, a sophomore midfielder, have six goals. Carsyn Rivardo, a senior forward, has five goals. Jenna Piper, a senior goalkeeper, has eight shutouts.
“This is my second season as coach,” said Garland, who spent 20 years at Franklin Regional before making the move to Mount Pleasant. “We implemented my system last year. The girls have bought into that system this year and have worked very hard.”