WPIAL soccer playoffs: Madeline Marcotte leads Seneca Valley girls to 7th district final since 2003
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Seneca Valley celebrates the first goal of the game against Canon-McMillan scored by Madeline Marcotte (center) in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Lexi Shattahi (19) heads toward Canon-McMillan's goal in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley and Canon-McMillan go to battle in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Bella Gianfrancesco (26) takes the ball from Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Addison Shank (22) heads the ball against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Karly Majeski (13) heads the ball against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley defends its goal from Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley and Canon-McMillan battle for the ball in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley takes the field against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Ashlee Libby (17) and Canon-McMillan battle for the ball in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Sydney Postler was in as the Seneca Valley goalie against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's bench players watch their teammates take on Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Cassidy Stopchick (27) kicks the ball back into Canon-McMillan territory in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley takes the field against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Madeline Marcotte (7) scores her first goal against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Cassie Leonard (30) and Karly Majeski (13) attempt to head the ball against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Kailee George (12) eyes a teammate to pass the ball to against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley defends its goal from Canon-McMillan with the help of a header by Karly Majeski (13) in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Lexi Shattah (19) wins the ball from a Canon-McMillan defender in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Fox Chapel High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
FOX CHAPEL — Madeline Marcotte found her scoring touch — and Seneca Valley found its way back to the WPIAL finals.
The junior midfielder scored three goals Monday night at Fox Chapel High School, leading the Raiders to a 4-1 WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal victory over No. 6 Canon-McMillan. No. 2 Seneca Valley (14-2-2) is unbeaten in its last 14 games (12-0-2).
The Raiders will play top seed Peters Township, which beat No. 4 North Allegheny 2-1 in overtime in the other semifinal, for the district title later this week at Highmark Stadium. Date and time of the contest will be announced. Seneca Valley will be playing in its seventh WPIAL final since 2003.
“Madeline scored one goal all season. ... She was snake-bit the entire year before scoring four goals in our last regular season game against North Hills,” SV coach Mark Perry said. “We told our girls to shoot at the net as much as possible tonight because they (Canon-Mac) had a new goaltender in there.”
The Big Macs’ regular keeper was sidelined by injury, so sophomore Skyler Smith started between the posts. She stopped eight of 12 Raider shots.
But she couldn’t stop Marcotte.
“I can’t explain this,” Marcotte said of her sudden knack for finding the net. “Coach told us to shoot whenever we could. They just went in. I guess once one goes in, a few more follow.”
Marcotte scored the Raiders’ first three goals. Her first came with 12 minutes, 49 seconds left in the first half as she knocked home a pass from Giuliana DiTullo, who found her in front of the net from 40 yards out.
Marcotte’s other two goals were virtually carbon copies of each other. She lofted a high shot from 38 yards out that deflected in off the fingertips of a leaping Smith with 6:58 left in the half.
After the Big Macs (13-4-1) scored on a corner kick from senior forward Abby Ault that deflected off Raider defenders into the net with 33:48 left in the game, Marcotte struck again. This time, she lofted a shot off Smith’s fingertips from 35 yards away.
She has eight goals on the season.
“I usually shoot better from farther away,” Marcotte said. “I like kicking the ball up in the air and trying to drop it in behind the keeper.”
Seneca Valley’s scoring was capped by junior forward Ashlee Libby’s 10th goal of the campaign with 8:45 left. She lined a shot into the far left corner from 18 yards out.
The Raiders controlled most of the play, putting 12 shots on net to Canon-McMillan’s four. Seneca Valley had four corner kicks to the Big Macs’ three.
“They are really good on corner kicks, so I’m not too surprised they got one there,” Perry said of Canon-Mac’s lone goal. “I thought we responded really well after that goal. I think this is the best game we’ve played all year.”
Sophomore Sydney Postler was the winning goalkeeper, making three saves. She left the game for seven minutes of playing time after absorbing contact to her face in a battle for the ball, but returned to action.
Canon-Mac, which saw its season come to an end, entered the semifinal on a five-game winning streak, outscoring their foes 30-2 during that stretch. They were missing senior midfielder and Purdue recruit Lilly Bane due to injury.
“Seneca Valley played a great game. They deserved to win,” Big Macs coach Matt Fonagy said. “I don’t think we played our best, but that happens sometimes.
“We missed a couple of good scoring chances in the first five minutes. If we get that first goal, maybe things change, but Seneca Valley took control of things after that.”
