When it comes to competitive high school soccer in Western Pennsylvania, it doesn’t get much more intense than a Class 4A Section 2 clash between Canon-McMillan and Upper St. Clair.
Many of the players on both sides grew up competing against—and alongside—one another. In some instances, they share club badges, have common coaches, and deep bonds both on and off the pitch. But on Monday night, before the opening whistle, those rivalries were set aside as both programs joined together for Upper St. Clair’s annual Green Out Mental Health Awareness match, keeping the spotlight on crucial messages surrounding Suicide Prevention.
Organized by former Beadling SC coach and Upper St. Clair parent Libby Mascaro, the pre-match ceremony set a meaningful tone for an evening that blended high-level competition with a shared community mission.
Match Report
Once play began, Canon-McMillan wasted little time taking control.
In the 6th minute, Lady Macs left winger Sarah Coffman got around her defender, drove inside the edge of the 18-yard box, and launched a top-shelf strike past Upper St. Clair goalkeeper Sam Baldasare. Just seven minutes later, lightning struck twice. The 5’2″ speedster isolated her defender on the left flank again, beat the edge, and buried a pinpoint shot into the upper-left corner to make it 2-0.
Upper St. Clair settled in and began finding more time on the ball, earning repeated set-piece opportunities through the foot of University of Delaware commit Abby Mascaro. However, despite generating five first-half corner kicks, the Panthers were unable to solve Canon-McMillan’s defensive shape.
In the 30th minute, Canon-McMillan delivered the clinical knockout blow of the half. Off a splendid corner service from Rachel Tomley, Elana Moreschi rose above the crowd and snapped home a header to send the Big Macs into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Upper St. Clair came out of the intermission eager to spark a comeback, leading directly to the wild sequence of the match in the 47th minute.
Abby Mascaro broke free down the left side and ripped a close-range attempt, but Canon-Mac keeper Skyler Smith stood tall, punching the dangerous shot away. The rebound fell right to the Panthers’ Penny Walker, who drove a low strike back toward the open net—only for Moreschi to retreat, track the ball, and clear it off the line to preserve the clean sheet.
“Our defense just stayed composed,” Moreschi noted after the match. “We knew they were going to throw everything at us coming out of the half, so making those defensive stops was just as important as scoring early.”
While Upper St. Clair continued to push—including a clever 68th-minute cutback and left-footed strike from Mascaro that required a sprawling save from Smith—Canon-McMillan took advantage of the open space on the counter and tired Upper St Clair legs.
In the 69th minute, Ella Shields broke through the Panthers’ high line and converted on a breakaway to extend the lead to 4-0. Two minutes later, after applying non-stop pressure along the right wing, Ariane Saintonge capped off the scoring with a brilliant individual run toward the box, slotting home the fifth and final goal in a 5-0 victory.
Post-Match Reactions: Momentum and Mental Health
The victory gives Canon-McMillan (5-1-0 in section) a crucial three points in the tight Section 2 standings as they look to build momentum down the stretch against section leaders Mt. Lebanon (5-1-1) and Peters Township (5-1-1). Upper St. Clair drops to 3W-4L-1D in section, holding on to the fourth and final playoff spot in WPIAL Class 4A Section 2.
“Getting off to a fast start was huge for us, especially on the road against a quality team like Upper St. Clair,” said Canon-McMillan head coach Matt Fonagy. “We knew they were going to have spells where they held the ball, but our group stayed resilient, defended our box well, and took advantage of our clinical moments.”
Coffman credited the team’s early energy for setting the tempo: “We talked before the game about coming out with high intensity right away. Once we got that first goal, it gave everyone a lot of confidence to keep pushing the pace.”
Beyond the scoreboard, both programs reflected on the significance of playing in the Green Out match.
“High school soccer brings a lot of pressure, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed with school, sports, and everything else,” Moreschi said post-game. “Events like this remind everyone that it’s okay to have tough days and that no one has to go through it alone.”
Prior to kickoff, PSN spoke with Libby Mascaro, who has been a driving force in integrating mental health education and awareness into the local soccer community.
“Soccer gives these athletes an incredible platform,” Mascaro emphasized. “When players see both teams standing side by side for mental health awareness, it breaks down stigmas and lets them know there is always support available.”
Ed Thompson Photo Gallery
Match Highlights
First Half
6′ — GOAL — Canon-McMillan 1, Upper St Clair 0
Sarah Coffman — beats her defender takes a run inside the edge of the box, then drives a shot — top shelf — over Upper St Clair keeper Sam Baldasare
13′ — GOAL — Canon-McMillan 2, Upper St. Clair 0
Lightning strikes twice! Once again, the 5’2″ speedster on the left wing, Sarah Coffman again gets around the edge and has only Baldasare to beat — and this time she puts it in the upper left corner.
19′ — Upper St. Clair with good spell of possession but can’t capitalize folloiwing a corner kick.
25′ — The Panthers have been better on the ball — extending possession and generating another corner. Again, ball to middle of box is cleared away.
30′ — GOAL — Canon-McMillan 3, Upper St. Clair 0
Corner conversion! Elena Moreschi with the header. Assist came from an excellent service from Rachel Tomley
37′ — Triple corners for USC — all coming off the capable foot of Abby Mascaro (University of Delaware commit) – but well defended by Canon-McMillan.
2nd Half
47′ – Best chance for Upper St Clair — Mascaro breaks down left side — her close range shot is right at Canon-Mac keeper Skyler Smith who punches it away. Rebound chance is there for the Panthers too, it looked like Penny Walker redirected a chance back on target but it was saved off the line by Canon-Mac’s Elena Moreschi.
65′ — Yellow card to Upper St Clair — a bit too much of a hip-check there as Canon-McMillan’s right winger Ariane Saintonge draws the foul. Free kick from edge of box misses left.
67′ — Canon-McMillan bringing more pressure again. Though they’ve been more willing to absorb pressure in the second half, they’ve brought more heat in the past five minutes.
68′ — Chance for USC again — it’s Mascaro with a clever cut-back, and left footed chance through traffic that forces Skyler Smith to go down to make the save.
69′ — GOAL! Canon-McMillan 4, Upper St Clair 0
This time it was on the counter, as Ella Shields broke through for the conversion!
71′ — GOAL! Canon-McMillan 5, Upper St Clair 0
This time — after much effort throughout the second half — Saintonge finally gets her goal with a solid run nearly to the goal box and delivers a splendid chance.
PSN’s Featured Community Partner: Open Field International
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
USL Championship Atlantic Division Preview: Familiarity breeds contempt
