Section title still elusive for Waynesburg
BELLE VERNON – History was not made Monday night and it was the right foot of Belle Vernon striker Sierra Lynn that forced Waynesburg to postpone any celebration.
She grabbed, or kicked, Waynesburg’s fate out of its hands and helped the Leopards position themselves for a second consecutive section title.
With the Raiders needing a win to clinch the first section title in program history, Lynn scored twice in less than 10 minutes as Belle Vernon defeated Waynesburg, 4-0, in a Section 4-AA match on the gold turf at James Weir Stadium.
The Raiders (10-2, 11-2) need Belle Vernon (8-1-1, 10-4-1) to lose to Elizabeth Forward and McGuffey to have a shot at the section championship.
Waynesburg is now 0-13 against Belle Vernon since 2006 and has been outscored 65-4 in those matches. Though the Raiders’ section title hopes rest with the Leopards’ two final opponents, Waynesburg has clinched its first playoff appearance since 2008.
“We can’t worry about what Belle Vernon does or scoreboard watch,” Waynesburg head coach Joe Kijowski said. “We have to get back to our game. I was more displeased with how we played than the actual result.”
Lynn, a junior who did not start the match for Belle Vernon, gave the Leopards a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute when she collected a lead pass from senior Marissa Hasson and directed the ball into the back of the net.
A little over two minutes later, Belle Vernon senior Meghan Lovett fended off a Waynesburg defender 20 yards to the right of the goal and fired a cross pass toward the box, where Lynn was there to chip the ball inside the far post for the early 2-0 advantage.
Lynn almost completed the hat trick in the 10th minute of the second half, but Waynesburg senior goalkeeper Josey Evans made the save and Lynn was injured on the play. She did not return.
“We wanted to play the ball wide and cross it in,” Belle Vernon head coach Paul Sasko said. “Our forwards are strong up there and they can get the ball in to create those chances. We wanted to pass, possess and keep.”
Belle Vernon did not slow down. It controlled possession throughout the first half, gathering every loose ball and keeping the Raiders’ defenders off balance with precise passes. The Leopards outshot Waynesburg, 12-1, and created key scoring opportunities with 10 corner kicks.
After allowing the Raiders one corner in the first half and barely missing the net on four attempts in the first half, Belle Vernon capitalized when Lynn served up a ball into the box. Waynesburg freshman Bailey Fudala tried to clear it, but Leopards senior defender Baylie Campbell quickly fired a rebound into the net for a 3-0 lead in the 4th minute of the second half.
The Raiders also struggled in the second half, failing to generate a shot on net or any kind of attack on offense.
“(Belle Vernon) was really on point and they stepped to every ball,” Kijowski said. “We weren’t aggressive enough and I don’t know why. We didn’t play well in every facet, but (Evans) did play well.”
Waynesburg’s best scoring chances in the first half never produced a shot on net. A lead pass to sophomore striker Madison Clayton, the Raiders’ leading scorer who was shadowed by a defender the entire match, was collected by a Belle Vernon defender who appeared to have tripped over the ball, leaving Clayton by herself for a breakaway, but Clayton was called for a foul in the 10th minute.
Ten minutes later, a deep pass by Waynesburg’s Lauren Rose landed near the box and was deflected just wide of the net by Fudala.
Belle Vernon added its fourth goal in the 36th minute of the second half when sophomore forward Erin Sassak’s high shot snuck under the cross bar.
Now, the Raiders must wait and see if they can make history.
“We have to get back to playing the way we know how to play,” Kijowski said. “We have to get back to playing fast and creating chances. That didn’t happen tonight.”