Zero tolerance
WHITEHALL — And to think that Jess Neill was a forward just three short years ago.
Seneca Valley's junior goalkeeper resembled a brick wall Monday night, making 10 saves in the Raiders' 3-0 win over Upper St. Clair in a WPIAL Class AAA girls soccer playoff at Baldwin Stadium.
The victory sends Neill and the Raiders (17-2-1) to the WPIAL title game where, in a rematch of last year's final, they will meet Peters Township, which defeated Bethel Park 2-1 on Monday. The championship will be played at a date, time and site to be determined.
When Neill came to SV's varsity team as a freshman, Raiders' coach Dave Sylvester moved her to goalkeeper.
“It wasn't that difficult of a switch for me,” said Neill following her shutout. “I already had the hand-eye coordination from playing softball.”
Possibly the most impressive sequence turned in all night by Neill came in the 13th minute of play when, after making a save on a breakaway by USC's Emma Hasco, Neill booted the ball upfield, but soon found herself under attack again. The goalie then saved a header, keeping the game scoreless while the Raiders tried to find their groove on offense.
“At the start of the game, Upper St. Clair had a midfielder right in front of their three backs,” said Sylvester. “We panicked a bit and were all over the place.”
But as the first half wore on, SV's offense settled down. In the 29th minute, it paid off when junior forward Kelsey O'Connor got to a ball that came loose out of a crowd that included Panther goalkeeper Sarah McMurtry, who had come out of the net only to see the ball booted past her.
“It was just the right bounce of the ball,” said Sylvester of his team's first goal. “We were just hoping to get somebody on it and we did.”
Early in the second half, Neill again turned the Panthers (11-6-2) away. This time, it was on a header following a USC corner kick to the left of the net. Neill dove to her right, snagged the ball and held onto it after hitting the turf.
“She was just sick tonight,” Sylvester said, shaking his head. “She is just a pure athlete. Her speed and reaction time are so good. She is 32-2-2 in section games for us since she began starting and yet, she wasn't named all-section.”
Seneca Valley iced the game with goals from Caroline Miller and Sarah Anderson in the 50th and 71st minute, respectively.
McMurtry made four saves for the Panthers.
The Raiders lost to Peters Township last year in both the WPIAL final (2-1) and PIAA quarterfinals (1-0). But the Indians will be facing a Seneca team that has not lost since Sept. 21.
“I'm really proud of the team,” said Neill. “I'm excited to play Peters again. We want revenge.”
Monday's victory guarantees the Raiders a spot in the PIAA playoffs, which begin Nov. 5.
