Leopards edge Bearcats in girls soccer showdown
Belle Vernon scored the first two goals and held off Bentworth for a 2-1 victory over the defending WPIAL Class A Champions on Monday night in girls non-section soccer play at James Weir Stadium in Rostraver Township.
Laila Kruppa recorded the first goal of the match on an assist from Ali Watson and the Leopards (4-0-1, 6-1-3) had 1-0 lead at the half.
Deaulla Lightfoot set up Reagan Sobczak to double the Belle Vernon advantage in the second half.
“We dominated possession and spent most of the game in their end tonight,” Belle Vernon coach Tracy Lovett said. “It was a great game by two strong Mon Valley teams. Bentworth is the defending 2025 WPIAL champs, so getting a victory tonight showed what type of team we are. They beat us the past two years, but we ended that streak tonight.”
Bella Moyer scored for the Bearcats (3-0-0, 8-1-0) on a penalty kick with less than five minutes remaining in the match. Bentworth was awarded the penalty after a teammate was fouled inside the 18-yard box.
Skylar Salay made four saves to earn the win in goal.
Despite the loss, Bearcats head coach Tyler Hamstra was proud of his team’s effort against one of the top clubs in Class 3A.
“It was a great non-section game for us,” Hamstra said. “Belle Vernon is a pretty old team, and very big, strong and physical. I can definitely see why they are leading their section. They are a great squad.
“We were able to see some depth of our squad, and Brynn Dillon was fantastic for us. You have to be willing to test yourself, and I am very happy with how we played with them. They won the possession battle, but we defended well and had some counter attacks that almost happened for us.”