Future looks bright for local soccer
When Addie Roman’s shot late in the first overtime Saturday evening hit the back of the net, giving Canon-McMillan a 1-0 victory over Central Bucks South in the PIAA Class AAAA girls soccer championship match, it capped a long climb to the top for the Big Macs.
Canon-McMillan had been close to a championship before, both in the WPIAL and the PIAA tournaments. There was an overtime loss to Central Bucks West in the 2014 state final and there were losses to Seneca Valley and Norwin in recent WPIAL championship matches.
But Roman’s golden goal finally put the Big Macs at the zenith of soccer in the state and gave them the distinction of being the first Class AAAA champion in state history. The PIAA expanded to four classes in soccer this year.
How long the Big Macs remain at the top remains to be seen. Staying on top, just in rugged Section 2-AAAA, is difficult enough. Doing so without nine talented seniors, including high-scoring forwards Sabrina Bryan and Aideen O’Donoghue, who played their final match Saturday, might be asking too much.
Yet it seemed fitting that Roman, who is only a sophomore and will likely be the focal point of the Big Macs’ offense next season, scored the championship-winning goal. If there is one thing that stood out this postseason about the local soccer scene — both boys and girls – it was there is more talent among the underclassmen than ever before.
From Roman to Waynesburg’s Madison Clayton and Kaley Pell, to Bentworth’s Paige Marshalek and Rori Schrieber, the future looks bright for girls soccer in the area. And the boys have young upper-tier talent, too, including Waynesburg’s high-scoring freshman Gavin Benson and Belle Vernon sophomore Markello Apodiakos, among many others.
• The weather for Canon-McMillan’s match against Central Bucks South was as wide-ranging as you’ll ever find. When the Big Macs arrived Saturday afternoon at Hersheypark Stadium, it was sunny and the temperature was in the mid-to-upper 60s. Before the Big Macs hit the turf to warm up, a cold front moved in and the wind gusted to 30 mph. Rain started falling during the second half, and by the time the medals ceremony started, the rain had turned to ice. The temperature dropped 27 degrees during the game.
The conditions were miserable, at best.
“We’ve had all four seasons in one day,” Canon-McMillan athletic director Frank Vulcano said.
Actually, in about three hours.
• California University, after having a first-round bye, gets back on the football field Saturday at Adamson Stadium in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Vulcans (10-0) will host a familiar opponent, arch-rival Indiana (10-1). The Vulcans defeated IUP, 31-28, on the same field Oct. 8. Cal had to rally and outscore the Crimson Hawks 10-0 in the fourth quarter to win that game.
The rematch will come down to one key matchup: IUP’s running game against Cal’s defense. The Crimson Hawks rushed for 235 yards in the first meeting with Cal and are coming off a 62-13 rout of Fairmont State in the first round, a game in which IUP rushed for 372 yards.
“We have the best offensive linemen in the country,” IUP quarterback Mike Pietropola told reporters after the win over Fairmont State.
• It’s way too early to make any predictions about how the season will turn out for the California women’s basketball team but one statistic is especially impressive about the Vulcans’ 5-0 start: Cal has not been outscored in any of the 20 quarters they’ve played.
The Vulcans will face their biggest challenge of the nonconference portion of the schedule when they host Ohio Dominican today (5:30 p.m. tipoff). Ohio Dominican has a 3-1 record with its lone loss coming in overtime.
Here’s one suggestion for Cal: don’t foul. Ohio Dominican is shooting an outstanding 88 percent from the free-throw line as a team. Who said nobody can make free throws anymore?
• The opening day for the high school basketball and wrestling seasons is Dec. 9.
Sports editor Chris Dugan can be reached at dugan@observer-reporter.com.