Soccer roundup: OLSH boys keep on rolling; Carlynton girls take two

As the fall WPIAL soccer season wraps up, a number of important matches took place last week. In boys play, Our Lady of Sacred Heart extended its unbeaten run at the top of Class A Section 3 against Serra Catholic and Sewickley Academy, and Carlynton took down Bishop Canevin on the road, 6-1.

In girls action, Carlynton beat Bishop Canevin, 3-1, and the Cougars pulled out a 1-0 win in a road match against Hopewell.

In boys action, OLSH – 11-1 overall and 8-0 in the section – started the week with a big 8-1 win Tuesday at Brentwood (5-8, 1-7). Jonathan Mackin netted a hat trick, Chad Minton scored a pair of goals and Isaac Tarbuk managed one for the Chargers.

Two days later, OLSH won 3-0 at Serra Catholic (3-11, 3-5). OLSH controlled possession of the game, and the Chargers defense did well to hold off the Eagles.

Midfielder Seth Therrien grabbed the first goal for OLSH off captain Grant Griesacker’s corner kick. Shortly following the first goal, OLSH got a second when Minton headed home from a Mackin cross. Mackin, who scored a hat trick in the Chargers’ previous game, scored barely a minute into the second half. The OLSH goalkeeper and defense did well to keep the clean sheet, and the Chargers continued their incredible run.

Finally, OLSH ended its perfect week with a 3-0 win over Sewickley Academy (7-3, 4-3 in Section 1). OLSH started the game very aggressively, and within two minutes Tarbuk headed in off a corner kick to score the opening goal.

After several minutes of the two teams exchanging possessions, Minton received the ball at the top of the box and hit a low shot into the left corner to make it 2-0 for OLSH.

In the second half, the Chargers took more control of the possession and were better able to dictate the style of play of the rest of the game. OLSH finally netted its third goal when Therrien’s shot got deflected and wrong-footed the Sewickley goalkeeper.

Carlynton, 10-4 overall and 6-4 in Section 3, cruised past Bishop Canevin, 1-12 overall and 0-8 in the section, 6-1.

Carlynton took the lead early, when a deflected shot went past the Bishop Canevin goalkeeper’s reach just 6 minutes into the match. The game stayed at 1-0 until the 31st minute, when a Cougar player had a powerful shot from outside the box go in to give his side a second goal.

It stayed 2-0 until late in the first half, when the Cougars drove up the field once again via the sidelines and crossed to a player right on the goal-line for an easy tap-in. In the opening minutes of the second half, Carlynton scored again to take a 4-0 lead.

About 7 minutes into the second half, the Crusaders finally got on the board when Gavin Jaki jumped on a headed clearance from a Leo Shorthouse cross and beat two Cougar defenders to slot the ball to the left of the Carlynton goalkeeper. Carlynton added two more goals by the final whistle, making the score 6-1.

In Class 3A Section 4 play, Moon continues to roll along with an overall 14-0 record and a 9-0 mark heading into Tuesday’s 6 p.m. game at Montour (8-7 overall and 6-4 in section play).

In girls play, Carlynton (11-3 overall and 6-3 in Class A Section 3) had a very exciting week. On Wednesday, the Cougars visited Bishop Canevin, which is 4-9 overall and 4-6 in Section 3 play. It was set to be a difficult match, but after 20 minutes the Cougars took the lead when Riley Mauro received Gigi Choate’s through-ball and slotted the ball past the Canevin goalkeeper.

A few minutes later, Carlynton got a chance to double its lead when the referee called for a penalty after a Crusaders player handled the ball inside her own box. Mauro converted the penalty, getting herself and her team a second goal.

In the 54th minute, the Cougars had a direct free kick 25 yards from goal, and Bella D’Antonio stepped up with a roaring shot that eluded the Crusaders’ goalkeeper. With 93 seconds left in regulation time, Bishop Canevin got a goal back when Cali Evans found Natalie Kirsch five yards from the goal line, and she slotted home to get her 11th of the season. Still, it wasn’t enough for the Crusaders, and they are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Finally, the next day, Carlynton faced off against Hopewell, 1-7-2 overall and 1-5-1 in Section AA1, a whole class above the Cougars, in a match that was decided in the closing seconds. The Vikings started out trying to dominate the game with some tough, physical play. However, with neither team able to capitalize on its chances, the match sat at 0-0 for most of the game.

Cougars goalkeeper Anita O’Leary had an inspired match, facing a barrage of shots, but she still kept the clean sheet for her team. In the match’s closing moments, Carlynton had possession and Sophia O’Brien received the ball and hit a shot that the Vikings goalkeeper couldn’t cleanly catch.

Mauro was the fastest on the scene to react to the goalkeeper’s spill, poking the ball home and getting her 21st goal of the season, and the Cougars’ first of the day, clinching their win.

Photos by Mike Longo Jr.