Bentworth girls fall in semifinals, still have shot at state tournament
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter BentworthþÄôs goalie Candelaria Kossel watches helplessly after being tangled up in players while Shady Side AcademyþÄôs Krystyna Rytel kicks a goal at an empty net during the first half of the game.
Bentworth’s Paige Marshalek fights for possession with Shady Side Academy’s Krystyna Rytel and Gabriella White during the first half of Saturday’s game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter BentworthþÄôs Meghan Cicci kicks the ball down the field to a teammate during the first half of SaturdayþÄôs game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Teammates Paige Marshalek and Jocelyn Timlin congratulate and check on player Rori Schreiber after Schreiber scored a goal with a header. Schreiber was down on the field for several minutes but returned to play during the game.
McMURRAY – Entering the 2016 playoffs, the Bentworth High School girls soccer team had never won a postseason game.
That didn’t stop the second-seeded Bearcats from making their way to the WPIAL Class A semifinals with a chance to head to Highmark Stadium for a shot at the WPIAL championship.
Unfortunately for the Bearcats, they met their match in the Shady Side Academy Indians.
Shady Side (15-3), which had outscored the opposition 13-0 in two prior playoff games, dominated the match from the beginning and will compete for the WPIAL title after defeating Bentworth 3-1 Saturday afternoon at Peters Township High School.
Despite the loss, Bentworth (17-2) will have a chance to qualify for the PIAA tournament when they play in the third-place game Wednesday against Vincentian at a site and time to be determined. The winner advances to the state playoffs.
“We played well,” said Bentworth head coach Tyler Hamstra. “We were in the game.”
The Indians controlled the play early as it was a struggle for Bentworth to get out of the defensive zone for most of the first half.
Shady Side out shot Bentworth 10-1 in the first half and things would have been worse for the Bearcats had it not been for goalkeeper Cande Kossel, who made eight first-half saves. Kossel was busy, having to make 16 saves on the day.
The Bearcats’ lone shot on goal in the early going wasn’t a planned attempt, but worked out as an improbable goal to give Bentworth a 1-0 lead.
Shady Side Academy’s Eliza Cochran attempted to clear the ball but kicked it off the face of Bentworth’s Rori Schrieber.
The ball caromed over the head of Indians’ goalkeeper Alicia McMahon. Schrieber, who was hurt on the play, was credited with the goal and the Bearcats had a 1-0 lead only 4:34 into the match.
That would be the only shot on goal for Bentworth during the first 40 minutes.
After that, it was all Shady Side Academy.
After plenty of good chances, the Indians finally scored on a goal by Paige Moritz with 13:33 left in the first half.
SSA took the lead for good a little over four minutes later when Krystyna Rytel found a loose ball and buried it into a wide open net with 7:54 left in the half.
The Indians started the second half in similar fashion. Rytel scored her 23rd goal of the season just 3:58 into the second half on a nice drop pass from Elizabeth Harper.
“The first half, I thought we defended well,” Hamstra said. “It would have been nice to go to the half 1-1. Down 2-1 makes it hard and they got the backbreaker to start the second half. The first half we did what we wanted to do, though. We wanted to be in the game and still in striking distance and we were.”
Rytel nearly had a hat trick, hitting the crossbar on three different occasions.
Shady Side outshot Bentworth 19-3.
The Bearcats suffered multiple injuries, including freshman Caroline Rice, who had to be taken off by ambulance with apparent neck and back injuries.
“We played well and played really hard,” Hamstra said. “It took its cost in terms of injuries. Going forward though, after Greensburg Central Catholic and Shadyside, there is a big gap between everyone else. We just have to come out hard Wednesday and we have as good as a shot as anyone.”