In Soccer: Lady Raiders Struggle, Boys Team Picks Up Wins

In the past couple of weeks, both Riverview Raiders soccer teams really got into the meat of their season. Despite initial losses on the boys' side, they have picked up some speed, tallying a couple more wins.

On the girls' side, however, things haven't been looking as bright. With key players out for the Lady Raiders, this week will be a tough one.

Although the week of Geibel and Jeanette started things off well for the Lady Raiders with two wins, they fell to Serra Catholic 3-0 and St. Joseph 3-1, two teams they could have fought better against, if not beaten.

Highlights of the Jeanette game include an excellent first career goal by Barbara Hipp, which tied the game and notched a goal off of her personal bucket list. Roya Fashandi added another goal to her list on a penalty shot that game as well.

Following a strong week, the Lady Raiders sadly came out flat against their next two opponents. St. Joe's, a conference game that was an expected win for the coaches, didn't exactly pan out positively.

Injuries began to spark up throughout the week, and as they begin this next full week of soccer, both goalies are hurt, Fashandi is suffering a bad contusion on her foot/ankle and two new players have been added to the roster.

With those changes, the Lady Raiders fell to conference leader, Shady Side Academy, 8-0, and they lost 5-0 to conference powerhouse Springdale on Tuesday. If they play defensively and mark their key players, they could have a shot at holding them to a few goals.

The girls' current record is 3-4, and their section record is 2-3.

Now let's take a look at the boys' side. Two weeks ago they were sitting on a 1-3 record and an 0-2 record in the section. They have thankfully climbed their way back up to success and now have a .500 record of 4-4 and a section record of 3-3.

The Raiders started their strong streak with a heavy win over Elderton, 4-1, thanks to a resilient defense that held their opponent to seven shots. Tyler Murphy's two goals and a single tally by Dom DiSanti and Jon Wright kept the offense cruising. The Raiders had an overpowering 29 shots on the match.

The boys then proceeded to rout conference opponent, Jeanette, 8-2, with a hat trick by Cole Wilson, two goals by Dom DiDominico, and a single tally each by Dom DiSanti, Zach Lear and Cole Quinio. Lear and Quinio also pitched in with the additional goals, tallying two assists each. Goalkeepers Jason Anthony and Zack Lesnick shared time in the net, saving 12 shots total on the match.

The Raiders continued their streak as they beat West Shamokin 2-1 with help from Lear and Quinio's single goals. Keeper, Anthony, contributed to the win with nine saves on the match.

The Raiders sadly fell to their rival, Springdale on Saturday, 3-1. Quinio assisted Murphy's goal and the three red cards in the game proved it to be a tough match. The Raiders face off against Vincentian Academy and St. Joseph this week hoping to add a couple more wins to their .500 record.

Stay tuned for more updates in a couple weeks.