Karns City girls’ soccer advances to PIAA quarterfinals

CLARION, Pa. – Megan McCartney scorded twice, as Karns City built a 3-goal lead before holding off a late comeback attempt by Shady Side Academy to claim its first PIAA playoff win in 10 years with a 3-2 victory in the opening round of the girls’ Class A tournament Tuesday night at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium.

McCartney staked the Lady Gremlins to a 1-0 lead with a first-half penalty kick goal then assisted on a Haley Scherer tally seven minutes into the second half to make it 2-0. McCartney then seemingly put D9 champ Karns City comfortably ahead with her second goal not long after the Scherer tally to make it 3-0.

But Shady Side Academy, the third-place team out of the WPIAL, rallied scoring twice with the second goal coming with still 17 minutes left to make it 3-2.

Karns City, though, held off a final push and picked up its first PIAA playoff win since beating Shady Side Academy in 2005.

The Lady Gremlins will now take on WPIAL Champion Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals Saturday at a site and time to be determined. GCC beat District 10 champion Wilmington 4-0. GCC beat Freedom 1-0 in overtime in the WPIAL semifinals, and Freedom lost to Shady Side Academy 3-2 in the WPIAL consolation match.

BOYS’ CLASS A FIRST ROUND

CLARION, Pa. – Five second-half goals from Sewickley Academy helped the WPIAL’s third-place finishers oust District 9 champion Karns City 5-0 in the opening round of the PIAA Class A boys’ soccer championships Tuesday at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium.

The game was knotted at nil at the break with neither team generating much offense, but Sewickley Academy got three goals in the first 11 minutes of the second half to quickly pull away. Matt Teitelbaum had the hat trick for the winners.

VOLLEYBALL

GIRLS’ CLASS A FIRST ROUND

Purchase Line tops ECC

EBENSBURG, Pa. – Despite six kills each from Reilly Herzing and Cassidy Cunningham and five from Machenzie Gahr, District 9 runner-up Elk County Catholic was swept from the PIAA playoffs by District 6 champion Purchase Line 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 28-26) Tuesday night at Central Cambria High School.

“Purchase Line is a very solid team,” ECC head coach Diane Gies said. “They played a great match. We just comitted too many unforced errors to be able to beat a very talented offensive and defensive team.”