Quick strike
JACKSON TWP — The affect of an early lead in soccer, especially a playoff contest, cannot be overestimated.
Seneca Valley's Sarah Anderson delivered just that on Wednesday night.
The sophomore midfielder beat Canon-McMillan goalkeeper Kyra Murphy in just the fourth minute of play. The Raiders went on to defeat the Big Macs 2-0 in a WPIAL Class AAA girls quarterfinal playoff at NexTier Stadium.
“Getting to their keeper early gave us momentum,” said Seneca Valley coach Dave Sylvester. “We wanted to get an early opportunity and had to take advantage of it.”
It was the second time this season that the Big Macs lost to the Raiders. SV earned a 1-0 home victory Sept. 5.
Seneca Valley (16-2-1) will face Upper St. Clair, a 2-1 victor over Fox Chapel, in the semifinals at a site and time to be determined Monday.
Canon-McMillan coach Dave Derrico had little to say following his team's season-ending loss, but did admit of the Raiders, “They were the better team tonight. They outplayed us.”
Anderson's goal was set up by a pass from the right side by junior forward Kelsey O'Connor. Anderson shed the lone Big Mac defender in the area, then booted home the game's first score.
The goal was a welcomed sight for Sylvester, whose team had not played since defeating Pine-Richland 3-1 in the regular-season finale on Oct. 14.
“You have a long layoff like that and I was a little concerned with how we would respond,” he said. “We went really hard in practice on Saturday, but you could tell our legs were fresh. It looked like Canon-Mac was kind of dying out there.”
Seneca Valley's defense frustrated the Big Macs (13-4-3) all night, giving up just a pair of corner kicks, both coming in the first 11 minutes of the game.
SV junior goalkeeper Jessica Neill had to make just three saves on the night.
“We always make sure we have good athletes back on defense,” said Sylvester. “They're pretty tough and don't give up many shots.”
The Raiders had several chances to add to their lead and finally did so late in the second half.
The insurance goal came off the foot of junior midfielder Alicia Hart in the 68th minute. The Raiders had been awarded a direct kick 19 yards from Canon-McMillan's net. Hart sent a laser shot past a diving Murphy, who made six saves in the game.
“I was a little nervous right before taking that shot,” said Hart. “I just focused on putting it in the net. It was a key score because it gave us a two-goal lead.
“We were ready to go tonight,” she added.
