WPIAL Girls Soccer Class 1A Final
Greensburg CC (15-1-1) vs Steel Valley (17-3-0)
Friday, November 5, 2021 | 6 p.m. | Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
PSN Coverage team: Ed Rosensteel / Jordan Smith (Reporting) / Ed Thompson (Photography)
WPIAL Soccer History (List of WPIAL Champions)
About the schools
Steel Valley (Munhall):
Section 2 Champions
Head Coach – Bill Abraham
1st ever appearance in WPIAL Finals
Twitter: @SteelValleySD
Greensburg Central Catholic (Greensburg)
Section 3 Champions
Head Coach – Olivia Kruger
Seven-time WPIAL Champion (defending WPIAL champions)
Twitter: @GCC_Centurions
Preview / Key Storylines:
The defending champions Greensburg Central Catholic Centurians can light it up, but they also showed last year that once the games become tighter and more contested, they could clamp down and play solid defense.
Can they do that again this year? Or will they simply outscore their opponents, even as the competition becomes more challenging?
GCC outlasted Freedom, 4-3, in the semifinal round in another back-and-forth match between those two teams.
Now, the Centurians, who overcame a 100-plus career goal scorer Renae Mohrbacher’s hat trick for Freedom in the semifinal, will have face another dangerous player, Kelsey Salopek, who has also racked up triple-digit goals in her career at Steel Valley.
In a tight match against Springdale on Monday, Salopek’s goal was the difference to lift the Section 2 champions to its first-ever WPIAL girls soccer finals appearance.
The Kent State commit scored the game’s lone goal, her 50th tally of the season, with a laser shot just inside the box in 35th minute, then Steel Valley buckled down to deny Springdale a chance at getting an equalizer.
Greensburg Central Catholic have a potent attack, with a balanced group of scorers. On Monday in the semifinal, it was freshman, Riley Kerr, who led the way with two goals, along with goals from Addison Vacanti and Sara Felder.
GCC have reached the final with out senior midfielder and New Hampshire recruit, Bethany Winnor, who is out after having surgery on her right ankle on Friday.
Greensburg Central Catholic wins seventh WPIAL girls soccer crown