Coach Crivelli, Coach Mundy, and the girls’ soccer team welcomed in the 2023 season with hard fought battles in hopes of scoring themselves a spot in the playoffs.

“Our preseason camp at Cal U was outstanding and I believe that we should have a successful season. We have a lot of returning talent from last year’s playoff team,” shared Coach Crivelli.

Before the season’s official kickoff, the girls played two scrimmages. The first scrimmage was against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart August 19 ending with a solid 8-0 win for the Bobcats. The second, against West Allegheny August 23, ultimately ended in a 1-1 tie after being rained out shortly after the second half started.

The first section game took place August 28 with an intense game against the Hopewell Vikings. The game went into overtime after a 2-2 tied game in regulation. Within the first 30 seconds of overtime, senior Marina Hahn scored the golden goal to end the game 3-2 securing a Bobcat win.

Hahn said the game was, “a great way to start senior year.”

The second section game took place August 30 at Central Valley. Sadly, the game ended in a 3-1 loss after a hard fought battle by the Bobcats.

“We had most of the possession in that game, but it didn’t end up in a dub. Hopefully we can learn to grow from this loss,” said sophomore Lyra Kuhlman.

Coach Crivelli had a slightly different take: “It may sound harsh but our two wins and one loss start is a little disappointing. We’ve played well for the most part but we have some areas that we need to work on. I expect better results from this group moving forward. I have a lot of confidence in them.”

After having over a week without games. The girls jumped back into playing with a non-section game against South Side September 9. The time off must have helped because the girls went crazy putting up a 9-0 score and securing another win.

Senior Sophia Hahn remarked on the game by saying, “It was a great way for everyone to work on their touch since [South Side] was a grass field rather than turf. We were able to work as a team.”

Sadly, the South Side win doesn’t count toward points in securing a playoff spot, but the game was great practice preparing the girls for their toughest competition: Avonworth.

Check the next issue for coverage of the Avonworth game.