by Matt Koll
Plenty of drama has already unfolded in this year’s women’s soccer PAC Tournament. Both quarterfinal matches went into extra time and both finished with upset victories. Can the underdogs keep the good vibes alive? Or will the top seeds show their dominance?Let’s look at the field for this year’s semifinal round…
#1 GROVE CITY WOLVERINES (12-4-1, 9-0-1)Grove City finished unbeaten in conference play this season and ripped off a 7-game winning streak to round out the regular season, out-scoring its opponents by an incredible 24 to 4 margin.
But according to head coach Melissa Lamie, things clicked for the Wolverines before the winning streak began.“The win at Westminster was a bit of a turning point for us mentally. It was such a solid team effort that game and beating an undefeated squad who won the PAC last season on their home field was a big boost of confidence for us,” said Lamie. “We drew a lot of confidence from that and I think that had a lot to do with our run down the stretch.”
Grove City won that match 1-0 in New Wilmington and apparently never looked back. Junior Emma Herrmann has been the catalyst for this team offensively. She finished tied for the PAC-lead in goals with 16 in the regular season as well as tied for 2nd in points with 34.“I don’t know that I’ve had a player who has such a solid foot on the ball around the goal. She just strikes the ball so purely and is very accurate, especially around the goal,” Lamie said. “She is also someone who just loves to play the game. She is early to practice every day working with the ball and she never gets tired of it.”
With the resume Grove City’s boasts, it’s easy to say that they are championship capable. But why does Lamie believe this squad can get it done?
“Two things,” she said. “We are very well-led by our senior class. They have invested a lot in the program over their 4 years and they have been through a lot. They make everyone around them better and people want to win for them. Secondly, we have won games in a variety of ways. We have led start to finish, we have had to overcome a deficit to win, we have scored first and then given up a goal, we have scored in bunches, but also won tight games. We have found a lot of ways to win games and that should serve us well in the unpredictable playoffs in the PAC.”Next game: Wednesday 7 pm vs. #5 Waynesburg
#2 WESTMINSTER TITANS (14-3, 8-2 PAC)
The Titans aren’t the one seed for this tournament, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t play like the top team in the conference. They come in with by far the largest scoring margin in the PAC at 2.81. They own the highest average goals per game (3.4) and the lowest average goals against (0.63) making them about as complete a team as you’ll find.
“The big part of our philosophy is to have a team first mentally,” said head coach Girish Thakar.
“We do not like to rely on only one or two players as not everyone is available and injuries are part of the game. Yes, we do have a couple of players that have had great seasons like Brooke Horvath and Chloe LaRosa, but someone is always stepping up when they are not playing well or injured.”Speaking of Horvath and LaRosa, LaRosa’s 16 goals are tied for the most in the conference and she’s the conference leader in points (35) and game-winning goals (7). Horvath has the 2nd-most shots and tied for the 4th-most shots on goal, she’s tied for 5th in goals, 2nd in assists and 4th in points.
“I nominated Brooke for our Offensive Player of the Year because of the balance she brings. She has scored over 10 goals but also has created close to 14 assists . She is unselfish and is fun to watch,” said Thakar.Thakar also said that at its best, his squad plays with speed at the top and is a great passing team that shows how much they love to play together. Next game: Wednesday 7 pm vs. #6 Franciscan
#5 WAYNESBURG YELLOW JACKETS (9-6-2, 5-3-2 PAC)
Freshman goalkeeper Alexus Greenlief was put to the test early and often against W&J in the quarterfinal round. But she held strong. Facing 13 shots, Greenlief made eight saves and kept the Presidents off the scoresheet in the first half. And then she went ahead and kept them from scoring for the entire match. It was only Greenlief’s second shutout of the year and it was a huge one. One that allowed the Yellow Jackets to win 1-0 and keep the season alive.
“Lex has done a great job this season,” said Waynesburg head coach George DeAugustino. “She has brought a lot of energy and competitiveness to our goalkeeping group. Her athletic ability on the field has been a huge addition to our program and our team loves playing in front of her. She has brought a great competitive spirit to our team this year and we are super happy she is on our team.”
Despite the low scoring affair in the quarterfinals, the Yellow Jackets also pack a punch offensively. They are one of only two teams in the conference to average over three goals per game. Julz Mohrbacher finished the regular season 4th in goals with 12 while Kate James landed tied for first in assists with 10 on the season. Both rank in the conference’s top 10 in points as well.
DeAugustino took more of a big picture approach when asked about what makes his offense successful.
“I think the work the team has put in since last November has played a major factor. We were honest with ourselves and identified the areas of our game we needed to improve,” DeAugustino said. “The returners have worked extremely hard over the last year to improve in those areas especially in the final third when it comes to finishing chances. That factor plus our freshmen class coming in and quickly learning and buying into our vision has lead us to have great offensive success this season.”
In the previous matchup against Grove City, Waynesburg got out to a 1-0 lead in the first half but two goals from Grove City’s Emma Herrmann in the second half did them in and they lost 2-1. DeAugustino said that he was proud of his team’s effort that day and that they learned that they can play with any team in the conference.
The Jackets are excited for another crack at the #1 seed.
Next game: Wednesday 7 pm @ #1 Grove City
#6 FRANCISCAN BARONS (7-7-2, 5-4-1 PAC)For a little while, it seemed like the Barons weren’t going to be rewarded for their offensive effort in their quarterfinal matchup against Saint Vincent. They held a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal and it took a season-high 12 saves from the Bearcats goalkeeper to keep things tied.
The game went into two overtimes scoreless and ended in a shootout in which they came out on top. A game like that, so tight and so full of emotional ups and downs can sometimes hang around into the next game both negatively or positively. That’s not a concern for head coach Sarah Salamida, though.
“The team knows what it takes to get back to a final match and are determined to compete with that in mind,” Salamida said.Tania Davidson leads the way offensively for this team. And really, she leads the way offensively in the PAC. She’s the conference leader in shots and shots per game. Her 14 goals are good for 3rd and her 34 points are good for 2nd in the PAC.
“Tania Davidson is having a great season, really impressed with her ball distribution this year as well,” said Salamida. “She is playing well right alongside Juliana Rubino and Elise Winnogradoff and with our style of play, it requires the front five to be a unit, so any success achieved up front is very much off the backs of each other.”Franciscan fell 3-1 to Westminster in their matchup earlier this season, the Titans scored three goals in the first half and closed things out from there. Getting off to a better start will be essential for the Barons in this one.
Next game: Wednesday 7 pm @ #2 Westminster
