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PIAA Soccer Championship Saturday Scoreboard: Moon girls complete 3-Peat

PIAA Soccer Championship Saturday

Saturday, November 18 (Eagle View MS, Mechanicsburg)

 Class 1A Girls –  FINAL Dock Mennonite 5, Riverview 1

Class 1A Boys – FINAL Delco Christian 1, Charleroi 0

Class 3A Girls – FINAL: Moon 3, Abington Heights 1

 

Match Updates

A trio of WPIAL runner-ups, Riverview Girls, Charleroi Boys and Moon Girls entered PIAA Super Saturday seeking PIAA Soccer titles at Eagle View High School in Mechanicsburg. 

When the smoke cleared after the first three matches featuring WPIAL schools, it was Moon, who once again left Central PA with another PIAA Title, earning its third straight title, following an impressive second half performance as Anna Palm scored twice, and Gabrielle Larson added an important insurance goal.

In the Girls and Boys Class 1A finals played earlier in the day, Riverview girls, and Charleroi boys came up short in their first-ever appearances in State Title matches.

The full thread of updates/highlights and more can be found below. 

Girls 3A Final Thread

FINAL: Moon 3, Abington Heights 1

HALF — MOON 0, ABINGTON HTS 0

Moon has at least a half dozen corners (maybe more), but both sides with clean looks near goal, but solid goalkeeping keeping it scoreless.

Boys 1A Final Thread

FINAL — DELCO CHRISTIAN 1, CHARLEROI 0

67′ — Jude Sacks off with a yellow but Charleroi wastes the FK.

https://twitter.com/sportsdoctormd/status/1725960806527832185?s=46&t=PLefbmPtRItUe7psJibWdw

57′ — Both sides very sloppy clearing their lines. Nearly costs DC but Dylan Klinger fires over

14′ — GOAL — Delco Christian 1, Charleroi 0

Delco strikes first!

Griffin Schmitt geys the byline and crosses to Cortez Cardone, who buries a header.

Girls 1A Final Thread

FINAL — DOCK MENNONITE 5, RIVERVIEW 1

DM freshman Ashley Brown with four goals.

73′ — DOCK MENNONITE 5, RIVERVIEW 1

70′ — DOCK MENNONITE 4, RIVERVIEW 1

It’s becoming the Ashley Brown show…

67′ — GOAL — RIVERVIEW

DOCK MENNONITE LEADS 3-1

Mary Quinlan Quinlan is there at the far post, takes a touch, then buries it, after Lola Abraham pulled half the DM defense to the corner, then sends cross gets across the box

60′ — GOAL — DOCK MENNONITE 3, RIVERVIEW 0

28′ — GOAL — DOCK MENNONITE 2, RIVERVIEW 0

8′ — DOCK MENNONITE 1, RIVERVIEW 0

 

Match Capsules/Previews: 

Class 1A Girls – Riverview vs Dock Mennonite

Riverview Roster

John Krysinsky previewed this match on Friday, plus spoke with Riverview’s leading scorer, Lola Abraham and the team’s Head Coach (and Lola’s father) Sean Abraham.

PIAA Girls Soccer Class 1A Final Preview: Out of nowhere, scoring wiz Lola Abraham leads Riverview into first-ever State Title game appearance

1:00 p.m.   Class 1A Boys – Charleroi (22-1-0) vs Delco Christian (18-3-2)

Charleroi Roster

Both teams are seeking their first PIAA championship and both needed dramatic wins in the semifinal round to get to Saturday’s Final.

PSN’s Matthew Baldwin was on site, as Charleroi defeated WPIAL section rival and fellow Washington County school, Bentworth, in the fourth go-around between the two sides on Tuesday with ‘Grit and Heart’.

It was another tight contest, and in a game where clear chances were few and far between, it was a game that was going to be decided by fine margins, Bryce Large’s finish with 25 seconds remaining was the difference.

‘Grit and heart’ gets Charleroi over the line as they squeak past Bentworth to advance to 1A finals

“Whenever it gets down to that, it’s all about grit and heart, and keeping that nose to the grindstone and keep on working, and keep doing what’s working for you.”

The victory saw Charleroi knock off the team that beat them for the WPIAL title 11 days ago. However, Ducoli didn’t have ‘revenge’ on his mind at the final whistle, but rather a message of determination to overturn the heartbreak at Highmark Stadium and find a way for a team that only lost one time this year, to make it to the final destination, in Mechanicsburg, to play for a State Title.

“Coming from  a small public school, we’ve been trudging along through the bracket,” Ducoli said.

“These boys work all year long for me, for them to be able to cash in and go to the big dance, that’s good for them.

 

Delaware County Christian School (Delco) rallied in the PIAA playoffs after falling 3-2 in the District 1 title game to Faith Christian, winning the rematch in the state semifinals. It was Griffin Schmitt who scored the game-winner in the penalty kick shootout in the semis while keeper Jacob Matthews made big saves to secure the win. Cortez Cordone scored with just over a minute left in regulation to force OT in the semifinal game.

The Cougars departed campus Friday with a grand send off from students district wide.

The marching band lead the parade around campus and then the team was escorted through Charleroi by the Charleroi, Fallowfield Township, Lock Four and Stockdale volunteer fire departments and Charleroi Regional Police Department before heading to Mechanicsburg for the PIAA state championship game set for 1 p.m. today.

4 p.m.    Class 3A Girls – Moon (18-2-2) vs Abington Heights (23-0-0)

Moon Roster

In WPIAL Girls Class 3A Girls soccer this season, it wasn’t so much about super teams, as it was last year, when Moon and Mars had highly anticipated and memorable clashes both in the District finals and PIAA semifinals, but instead it was about survival of the fittest.

In this match, Moon might looking at a mirror of their past selves — as Abington Heights comes into this match as the team looking to cap a perfect season (as Moon did a year ago).

District 2 champions though are playing in the state final for the first time, while Moon may be more battle-tested at this level, and the WPIAL wars they’ve gone through this season may have them ready for anything that Abington Heights will throw at them.

In constant intense regular season battles with section rivals South Fayette and Montour, and in the WPIAL playoffs, each time Moon girls soccer team were pushed to the brink of playing hard fought, very low-scoring matches that went to extra time.

Only South Fayette got the better of the two-time defending PIAA champions twice this season, once in the regular season, and again, in the WPIAL Final, scoring a goal late in extra time to deny Moon from winning a third straight district title.

Head Coach Bill Pfeifer has won more than 500 wins in his career, and admitted, that this year’s edition of the Moon Tigers is not as talented as last year’s team, but they play with tons of cohesiveness and right down to the final whistle.

Following its loss in the District final, Moon had a chance for another run battled its way through the PIAA playoffs.

On Tuesday night, they were pushed to the distance again — and this time they finally pulled through for an extra time win, as Sydney Felton scored on a shot off a cross by Marina Mollica with 1 minute, 19 seconds remaining in regulation for the lone goal as Moon defeated Mars, 1-0, in the PIAA Class 3A girls soccer state semifinal, where they’re return looking for its fifth State crown since 2016. (Moon won state championships in 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2022 — all under Pfeifer’s direction).

Solid defending has kept Moon at the top of the table and given them a chance all season long.  The win provided Serayah Leech with an impressive 53rd career clean sheet, and 20th on the season.  Moon brings experienced team back to the State Final, with five players picked to the All-WPIAL team —Felton — a senior midfielder, senior defenders Gabrielle Larson and Marina Mollica, junior midfielder Lilly Snyder and Leech.

District 2 champion Abington Heights is playing in the state final for the first time. The Comets are led by Calvert, who scored two goals in the semifinal victory over Shilkellamy. The sophomore has a single-season school record 64 goals this season. Allie Rothenberger also scored in the win. The Comets built an undefeated record, claiming Lackawanna League Division I and District 2 titles along the way

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