By:
Tuesday, November 7, 2023, TRIB-LIVE
Two weeks ago, the Fox Chapel girls soccer team was the sixth seed in the WPIAL bracket.
Now the Foxes are two games away from playing for a state title after a 3-0 win over Landisville Hempfield in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs Tuesday.
It’s a run that may seem like a surprise to those on the outside, but not to Taylor Wilkinson and the rest of her teammates.
“I don’t think anyone expected us to make it this far,” Wilkinson said. “Everyone underestimates us, and we come out and beat them.”
Wilkinson, a freshman, helped the Foxes’ cause Tuesday with a goal in the first half. Fellow freshman Emily McKee scored twice in the second half to help put the match away.
The Foxes (14-4-2) advanced to play District 1 runner-up Conestoga in the state quarterfinals Saturday at a site and time to be announced. Landisville Hempfield finished 13-3-2.
As the sixth seed, Fox Chapel went through the WPIAL bracket to win its first district championship in 38 years, clinching the title with a 1-0 victory in overtime over North Allegheny on Friday night.
After a few days off, Foxes coach Carlo Prati said his team wasn’t at its sharpest Tuesday, but it did enough to advance.
“We had a few days off this weekend and a banquet on Sunday, so I think the girls were a little off from their usual selves,” Prati said. “I made sure to tell them at the end that we need to make sure we clean it up, because we can’t go another round with sloppy play. We just weren’t ourselves, but we found a way to win. We’ll take it and move on.”
The Foxes are in the state tournament for the first time since 2016.
They applied pressure early, but a pair of offside calls ended threats before Wilkinson broke through in the 27th minute.
Wilkinson’s goal came amongst chaos in the box following a corner kick by Alyssa Quackenbush. Landisville Hempfield initially defended the corner kick, but the ball bounced to the foot of Wilkinson, who roofed a shot into the net.
The Black Knights started to control possession and pushed for a tying goal in the second half, but Fox Chapel’s back line of Maya DiPasquale, Bella Urso, Anna Troutman and Caylie Wilkinson, as well as keeper Lia Pizzella, was steady. They limited any really dangerous attempts at goal.
Then the backbreaker came in the 65th minute, courtesy of McKee.
The play started with an outlet pass from Sydney Schutzman to Quackenbush that sprung a counterattack. Quackenbush raced down the left side and slipped a pass in the box to a charging McKee, who deposited the ball into the net.
“Alyssa did a good job slotting (the pass) behind the defense,” McKee said. “The goal helped a lot, because (Landisville Hempfield) was getting a lot of offense, and if we don’t score maybe they keep getting confidence in the game.”
McKee added an insurance goal in the 74th minute.
Prati said they’ll have to play smarter Saturday if they want to continue on, but he knows what they are capable of. He saw it long before the WPIAL playoffs, and now it’s come to fruition.
“I told the girls halfway through the season if they play the way I know they can play, then we’re going to be really dangerous,” Prati said. “They believed it, and you can see that. We’re just going to go one game at a time and try to get a state title here at Fox Chapel.”