Trib Cup: Charleroi girls soccer overcame adversity

The Charleroi girls soccer team was faced with a tough situation early in the season.

After losing Jensen Fleming and Sierra Short to injuries, not only was the team down two starters, but the Cougars stumbled out of the gate with a 1-1-1 record.

Yet, just two months after its season-opening loss, the program can proudly say it advanced to the WPIAL championship for the first time in 15 years.

What led to the team's turnaround? For coach Jim Rue, it was a case of his team having to evolve.

“I think from the beginning of the year, we weren't quite the team that we ended up being, so this was kind of an evolution of a team as the season went on,” Rue said.

“Losing those two players right off the bat, it put me in a position where I was just trying to come up with some combinations that I hoped would work.”

Ending the season with an 18-3-2 record, along with appearances in the WPIAL Class A final and PIAA quarterfinals, the Cougars are highlighted as this week's Trib Total Media/WPXI High School Sports Award feature team, and are a big reason why Charleroi sits in fourth place in the Class AA standings.

The team was certainly able to jell after its first few games, and hit its stride as the season progressed, evidenced by the fact that Charleroi didn't lose a game from its season opener Sept. 5 until its narrow 1-0 loss to Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL championship Nov. 7.

“I think the more experience we got, the more comfortable we got throughout the season, and I think that definitely showed once we got to playoffs,” senior goalie Sydney Toth said.

Charleroi was led by senior Kyra Watkins, who not only scored her 48th goal in the team's PIAA opening-round win over Conemaugh Township, but also the 101st of her career.

“She's able to set up shots for other people, but still be able to take the shots when she needs to,” Toth said of the All-WPIAL selection who is only the fourth player in program history to surpass the 100-goal plateau.

But it was also the scoring abilities of her teammates that helped Charleroi get on the scoreboard and help the Cougars earn their second consecutive Section 2-A title.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Riley (22 goals), freshman Megan Sterner (13) and junior Adrianna Gottheld (11) all scored in double figures while another All-WPIAL selection in Morgan Riley added nine and sophomore Shayla Watkins chipped in with six.

“It put some pressure on the other team, and we weren't as easy to defend because of the fact that we had other kids scoring,” said Rue, who also credited the play of defender Aislyn Lee. “Kyra was willing to sacrifice some games so that they can score, and when they try to watch someone else, then she became open.”

Rue said that the team surpassed even his expectations, leading to what proved to be a memorable season.

“Really, our goal this year was to repeat as section champions and to make it past the second round of the WPIAL playoffs,” he said. “That was our goal. The rest speaks for itself.”

“It was definitely exciting, because that's the first time we've ever experienced that and it's the first time the school district experienced that in 15 years, so it's something we'll remember forever,” added Toth.

Alex Oltmanns is a freelance writer.