The Shaler Area girls soccer team recently wrapped up their season with a final record of 7-10-1. The program has been consistently getting better, improving upon their previous records both last year and this year. This trend has put an unexpected but warmly welcomed spotlight on the girls.
This new era for the team did not just happen overnight. Head coach Bill Ament worked with assistant coaches Robert Yarnot and Robby Heinrich on and off the pitch.
“We put in a lot of hard work in the offseason with the strength coach (Robby) in the weight room and it paid off,” Ament said.
The girls compete in arguably the toughest section of the WPIAL, facing powerhouses such as Seneca Valley, Fox Chapel, Butler, and the previous section champion North Allegheny. Their record against these teams does not reflect the level of skill the girls played with every game. Most notably, the North Allegheny Tigers held only one goal over the Titans at halftime.
“Some of the bigger moments of the season were games we didn’t actually win. Historically teams like North Allegheny have beaten us badly but this year we took them on. They only had one goal on us for a majority of the game when we played them a second time,” Ament said.
The team had seven seniors, and contained a lot of younger players. They banded together to defeat Hempfield 8-0 for senior night. This game was great for the seniors, with six goals and four assists coming from their class.
The experience gained from having a younger team in a tough section only helps the Titans.
“The best part of the group is that we all just wanted a win and once we started working together to get it everyone could tell,” sophomore captain Zoey Cieslak said.
Another notable win was the team’s final game. It was a fierce battle against Pine Richland, with the Titans coming out on top.
“Everyone thought we were gonna lose but we won 3-1. That game really just showed how much we grew and matured as a team. It was also a great way to end the season and my high school career,” senior Lexi Tylenda said.
The program is starting a winning culture that is showing no signs of slowing down. Their mentality and the amount of work put in out of season ensures this.
Coach Ament knows the future is bright for the girls, and this season gave a glimpse of that.
“We can hang with some of the big dogs. We saw that we can really compete. There’s a good possibility that soon we will be a team that is in the playoffs of one of the hardest sections in the WPIAL, and that’s awesome,” coach Ament said.
