By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR.
MVI Sports
A steady downpour fell at Peters Township Wednesday as the Belle Vernon Area girls soccer team took on West Allegheny with a trip to the PIAA playoffs on the line.
Unfortunately for the Leopards, it was the Indians who ended up dancing in the rain.
No. 3 West Allegheny used a suffocating defense and scored three second-half goals to put an end to No. 5 BVA’s season, 3-0, in the WPIAL Class 3A consolation game.
The Indians (16-3) got two goals and an assist from junior forward Mackenzie Taranto with their third marker coming from sophomore Mackenzie Evers.
“That first goal kind of set the pace for them. The second goal kind of sealed it,” Leopards coach Tracy Lovett said. “They started to control the ball and they held possession most of the second half. The first half I thought was an even game, the first goal was going to be the big goal.”
“I think once we settled down and started putting the ball on the ground, you could see the difference,” said West Allegheny coach Dave Tissue. “Taranto, that’s every game for her, she’s a beast.”
The Leopards (16-5) packed it in defensively in the first half to try and slow down the Indians attack. The strategy seemed to pay off early as BVA quelled several West Allegheny scoring chances thanks to the defensive efforts of Chloe Morgan and Marissa Grubbs.
“Chloe made a lot of big plays, her and Marissa,” Lovett said. “My defense has been pretty solid all season. I just noticed in the playoffs we have gotten even more cohesive and played more defensively as a unit. My defense has been pretty strong in the playoffs.”
The defense faltered in the 48th minute when West Allegheny sprung a counter-attack. A long lead pass found the foot of Taranto, who blasted a shot through the rain past BVA goalkeeper Grace Henderson for a 1-0 lead. Taranto added to the lead in the 57th minute on a shot just inside the upper-left corner of the goal, bouncing in off the post. Evers got her tally in the 61st minute, burying a rebound for the Indians’ third goal.
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