MT. LEBANON - Mt. Lebanon girls soccer coach Pat Vereb knows a good sign when he sees one.

This was not one of them.

Having seen his squad hit two shots off the top of the Seneca Valley goalpost in the first half of Tuesday's WPIAL Class AAA playoff game, he wasn't sure what to make of it.

But when Casey Baranet fired a shot past Raiders goalie Aly Intihar with 14:55 left before halftime, that pointed the Blue Devils on their way to a 2-0 victory.

"That's how a game can go," said Vereb. "That's just how this game can go. We scored off two throw-ins. Seneca Valley could have done the same thing.

"Getting matched up with Seneca Valley in the first round is not what you want," he added.

The Blue Devils (15-3-3) saw a shot by Lauren Beuke hit the top of the crossbar from 45 yards away before Intihar knocked the deflection away just 5:40 into the game.

With 21:50 minutes left before the half, another Blue Devils shot hit the crossbar.

Baranet's goal, however, was able to elude Intihar. It was a hard grounder that came off a loose ball in front of the net following a throw-in.

"We're used to the fast pace. That didn't bother us," said Seneca Valley coach Dave Sylvester. "I knew they'd throw the ball long in the box. The ball bounced around and they were able to boot it in."

The Raiders had a good opportunity to score the equalizer when Carrie Wack lined the ball towards the net with Cassie Berlin nearby, but Berlin couldn't rein in the ball at point-blank range to get off a shot.

"From youth to professional soccer, the first goal sets the tone and gets you going," said Vereb.

It didn't take Mt. Lebanon too long to expand its lead as Abby Coffin scored off a loose ball in front of the net just 6:59 into the second half.

Despite the deficit, Sylvester said he didn't expect his team to fade.

"We came in here with a good frame of mind," the SV coach said. "I think we've responded like we did all year. We had six or seven double overtime games and came from behind.

"There's not anyone who would give up," Sylvester added.

The Raiders' best chance to avert the shutout was when Berlin fired a shot from 35 yards away at Mt. Lebanon goalie Jess Boyer, who made a diving save, knocking the ball away with 9:52 remaining.

Both Boyer and Intihar finished with eight saves each.

"Jess is a fantastic keeper," said Vereb. "She doesn't get the recognition. We've had older kids playing before her and this is her first year starting. She's a big-time goalie."

The Raiders finished the season with a 12-5-2 record, including a section title and a playoff win, a 6-0 victory over Belle Vernon Saturday.

"That game didn't prepare us much," said Sylvester. "I would have rather had a hard practice, but we had to do what we had to do.

"We came in here with a good frame of mind," he added.