Breaking through
ADAMS TWP — One door had already closed on Seneca Valley's boys soccer team, but another remained open.
Wednesday night, the Raiders walked through it for the first time in school history.
Just two days after losing in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals, the Raiders defeated Kiski Area 4-0 in the consolation game at the Mars Athletic Complex, earning third place from the district and securing their first-ever berth into the state playoffs.
“It's a huge moment for Seneca Valley soccer,” said Raiders' coach George Williams. “These players worked hard for it.”
Seneca's girls also extended their season with a 1-0 victory over Fox Chapel in the night's first consolation contest.
Williams said the semifinal loss to Canon-McMillan on Monday was a tough pill to swallow.
“We had high hopes going into that game,” he said. “The bus ride home that night was dead. Fortunately, our guys were able to bounce back and win tonight.”
Senior midfielder Adam Mascio scored twice in the second half of Wednesday's win.
“It means a lot for me to be part of this team,” he said. “Ever since I was a freshman, my goals have been to win WPIAL and go to states. The WPIAL title is gone for us, but it feels great to be going to states.”
Seneca Valley controlled play from the start against Kiski (9-11-2), but was met with missed opportunities in the attacking third.
Senior forward Matt Saluga had four excellent chances to score on Cavaliers' goalkeeper Nick Bisceglia in the first 32 minutes of the game. The first three were either high or wide of the net. The fourth was saved by Bisceglia, but the ball came right back to Saluga, who buried the rebound for a 1-0 lead.
Saluga said he didn't let the early misses get to him.
“I stayed pretty calm,” he said. “We were getting a good push and I was confident me and the other forwards would keep getting chances.”Williams was pleased his team was on the board, but thought SV's second goal was just as important.It came in the 41st minute when Mascio headed in a crossing pass from Saluga to the right of the net.“The second goal was big,” said Williams. “The longer a team stays in a game, the longer they have to make it a game.”Mascio scored again 17 minutes later when the Cavaliers failed to clear a corner kick from Sam Patry.Cole Dengler capped the scoring with a goal in the 68th minute, with Mascio assisting.The Raiders (15-2-1) earned eight corner kicks to none for Kiski, which received six saves from Bisceglia. SV's Luke Pecora had one save before Dylan Good finished the game in net.Seneca will face District 6 champion State College in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.Girls Soccer Seneca Valley 1, Fox Chapel 0Raiders' coach Dave Sylvester took a chance prior to his team taking the field.He was concerned that his girls weren't motivated enough after falling to Norwin in Monday's WPIAL Class AAA semifinal.“I talked to them in the locker room,” said Sylvester, who did not go into detail about his message. But he did allow, “I made them mad. It could have backfired, but it unified them. They came out and played as a team.”Freshman forward Lauren Sileo scored the game's only goal in the fifth minute. Her shot from 25 yards away wasn't handled by Foxes' keeper Julie Scheffler.Both teams struggled to find an adequate attack for the rest of the first half. The second half brought with it some tense moments, none greater than in the 79th minute.Seneca goalkeeper Jessica Pollaci slid to her left to thwart a scoring chance and collided with a Fox Chapel player. Pollaci remained on the turf long enough for the clock to be stopped, meaning she had to come out of the game.In came sophomore backup Isabella DeFabbo, who was greeted with Fox Chapel's first and only corner kick of the night, which the Foxes (18-4) earned from the previous collision near the net.Deena DeBaldo took the corner kick to the right of the goal. A tied game was just feet away for the Foxes, but Seneca's Morgan Hoffman cleared the chance. The final minute came off the clock without another rush by Fox Chapel.Sylvester said after the game that Pollaci was fine and came off the field only because of the rule.Scheffler and Pollaci both made three saves in the second half. Pollaci stopped five shots on the night.“At times tonight, it was a matter of inches,” said Fox Chapel coach Peter Torres. “We just didn't have that last stretch to score a goal. The girls did everything asked of them, except putting the ball in the net.”The teams had met in a regular-season game Oct. 15, with the Raiders winning 3-0.“I really didn't think that what happened in October was going to matter tonight,” said Sylvester. “We knew we were going to have to play hard.”The Raiders (17-4) will play the winner of Saturday's WPIAL title game between Upper St. Clair and Norwin in the first round of the state playoffs on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
