Warriors topple Wildcats
By Dean Dellamalva Jr.
MVI Sports
The Elizabeth Forward girls soccer team came out a little flat and allowed East Allegheny to control the opening eight minutes and score the first goal in Thursday night’s Section 4-2A matchup.
The momentum quickly turned, however, and helped propel Elizabeth Forward to a 4-2 win over EA at Warrior Stadium.
The swing in the game came thanks to a former Wildcat as Brianna Hartford streaked down the right side, beating two EA players along the way and eventually finding Anna Resnik for the game-tying goal in the 14th minute.
“This was really great for (Hartford), she came to me a week before the season started and had just moved to the district,” EF coach Brandon Gerba said. “She was very excited to play her former team.
“She has been working on that outside position, she was formerly a defender, but with her speed and touch, it’s better for her and what she can be (outside midfield). She can create a lot of chances.”
From there, Natalie Beinlich took over for the Warriors (2-0, 2-0).
The senior forward tallied the next three goals, matching her teammate Resnik’s performance from Tuesday night.
“When Anna and Natalie get going, they can go on a scoring tear,” Gerba said. “They are my scorers. As seniors, they push the tempo.”
Beinlich put Elizabeth Forward ahead in the 23rd minute. After Bria Vahosky fed her the ball, Beinlich made a fancy move past two East Allegheny (0-2, 0-2) defenders and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net. The Warriors took a 2-1 lead into halftime.
Freshman midfielder Abigail Beinlich, who was just as skilled with her footwork as sister Natalie, found her sibling just outside the goal box. This time, Natalie hit a low roller along the turf into the bottom right corner of the goal for a 3-1 advantage in the 51st minute.
Beinlich capped off her night by stealing the ball from a Wildcat defender and scoring in the 66th minute.
East Allegheny never quit and notched a second tally as Madison Connors knocked a rebound home off a corner kick in the 67th minute. The first Wildcat goal was scored by Dalia Bello on a nice cross from Aniya King. Both plays showed that EF still has room to improve in spots.
“We’re still at that point where this is our second game in seven months against someone other than ourselves,” Gerba said. “Sometimes, it is hard to replicate game situations when we are practicing against ourselves. But some of that is stuff we have not even gotten to yet.”
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Friday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.
