Raiders drop feisty Planets, 3-1
ADAMS TWP — Having won the WPIAL Class AAA title a season ago, Seneca Valley girls soccer coach Dave Sylvester knows what it takes to succeed on that level.
He can see the beginning of that in the Mars program.
The Raiders used a pair of second-half goals to down the Planets 3-1 Monday in a Section 2 contest at the Mars Athletic Complex, but the Planets are showing they will be competitive in their first season in a tough section.
"We played them last year in a 2-1 affair," said Sylvester. "They have a very nice program and they play hard and physical. They'll fit right into the section."
"I think we outplayed Butler (last Thursday) but they found a way to score two goals," said Mars coach Blair Gerlach on his team's 2-1 overtime loss. "(Monday) we competed. For the most part, we did what we had to do.
"They broke us down tactically, but the girls stayed in it. There's no easy games in this section so we'll have to step up and learn to compete at this level, and we will,"Gerlach added.
Seneca Valley (4-0, 2-0) grabbed a 1-0 lead with 11:38 before halftime when Mandy Cerminara's shot hit the top of the crossbar and dropped near the goalmouth before Kate Kelly knocked the ball through for the score.
"We always say in the huddle before we go out, 'Look, we'll see a lot of good defenses, so don't get frustrated,'" said Sylvester. "We did that, except for the last nine or 10 minutes of the first half."
Mars goalie Megan Kelly made a diving save with 32 seconds left in the first half, then made another off a kick by the Raiders' Karisa Fernandez with 33:25 left in the second half to keep the Planets close.
Raiders goalie Keara Lydon countered by making a leaping catch of a kick from the sideline about one minute later.
With 23:40 remaining, Kate Kelly tallied her second goal of the game when she slipped a shot past a charging Megan Kelly for a 2-0 lead.
The Raiders made it a 3-0 advantage with 8:15 remaining when Fernandez's kick from the sideline managed to hit the far side of the net for the score.
Mars (1-2-1, 0-2) broke through with 6:23 remaining when Alana Haefner scored on a penalty kick,.
"I think they were a couple goals better than us," said Gerlach. "I think, later in the season, we may surprise some teams."
The Raiders, however, are showing they are still one of the premier teams in the WPIAL. They have a strong senior squad with several younger players supporting them.
