Boys Soccer: 2011 East Season Recap

Sports Town will review the 2011-12 school year during July. Today we are visiting the boys soccer season.

The 2011 season yielded productive times for East boys’ soccer teams. Central Catholic and Greensburg Central Catholic were the most successful. Both advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, but no further.

Central Catholic (18-2-0, 12-0-0) entered the Class AAA bracket as the No. 1 seed after claiming the Section 3-AAA title. The Vikings received a bye in the first round, then posted a 3-0 quarterfinal victory against Pine-Richland. The Vikings season ended with a heartbreaking 2-1 semifinal loss to Peters Township, which ended in a shootout. Midfielder Osas Malkin was a four-year starter for Central Catholic, while forward Zachary Johnson led the Vikings with 25 goals. Goalie Brenden Alfery recorded 12 shutouts.

Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5-0, 12-0-0) entered the Class AA bracket seeded No. 2 after capturing the Section 3-A title. The Centurions posted a 5-1 victory over St. Joseph in the first round, then advanced to the semifinals with a 2-0 win against Riverside. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the No. 11 seed, pulled a major upset in the semifinals, defeating the Centurions, 2-1 in overtime. Greensburg C.C. was led by senior forward Brad Appleby.

Kiski Area (12-3-2, 8-1-1) won the Section 1-AAA under the direction of coach Robert Wright. The Cavaliers were seeded No. 6 in the WPIAL Class AAA bracket an opened the playoffs with a 2-1 overtime win against North Allegheny. A 1-0 loss to Seneca Valley in the quarterfinals ended their season. The Cavaliers were led by three senior leaders: center back Kyle Terrill, midfield wing Brandon Jenkins, and forward James Wisniewski.

Norwin (13-6-0, 8-2-0) was a close second in Section 1-AAA. The Knights dropped a 2-1 decision in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. The Knights were led by tri-captains Charlie Indyk, Ben Gallina, and Derek Bacco. The Knights based their charge on what head coach Kevin Chitester described as “crafty forwards.” Chitester felt his forwards were good with ball possession and one-on-one situations.

Hempfield (7-8-1, 5-4-1 in Section 1-AAA) and Plum (7-7-4, 6-3-3 in Section 3-AAA) also qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, but were defeated in the first round. Hempfield was led by Jonathan George, while Kyle France led Plum.

Burrell (12-3-2, 10-0-2 in Section 1-AA) and Trinity Christian (8-9, 7-5 in Section 1-A) were also WPIAL qualifiers, but both were defeated in the first round.

Overall, it was an exciting season for East boys’ soccer teams. Check Sports Town to follow these East teams and more in 2012.