Mount Carmel Area's girls soccer team hopes its strength of schedule will be a factor today when the Red Tornadoes (14-8) open the PIAA Class A state playoffs against District 11 champion Schuylkill Haven at 5:30 p.m. at Hamburg High School.
The Hurricanes have a better record (16-5, compared to Mount Carmel's 14-8) and have some gaudy statistics, but the Red Tornadoes have something in their favor - playoff experience, even though this is their first official state playoff game in several years.
That's because Mount Carmel has played the past two state champions - Warrior Run and Loyalsock - a combined total of five times this season. True, the Red Tornadoes have lost all of those games, but they've improved in them as the season progressed. They lost last week's District 4 semifinal game to Warrior Run on a goal with just 2:42 remaining in overtime, and had the defending champs concerned.
Schuylkill Haven beat Minersville 1-0 (3-2 on penalty kicks) in the District 11 title game. This will be the Hurricanes' second appearance in the state playoffs, with a 6-0 loss to Milton in 2000 its previous appearance. Freshman Rileigh Evitts has 30 goals and seven assists to lead the team in scoring, and another freshman, Kelsey Sisko, isn't far off that pace, with 24 goals and 11 assists. Senior goalkeeper Caitlin McGarry leads a defense which has recorded 11 shutouts, including two in the postseason, and the Hurricanes have given up just two goals in the past seven games.
Mount Carmel counters with some firepower of its own. Senior Ranotta Ahrensfield has 24 goals ands seven assists, and is hovering around the 100-goal mark for her career, and on the other side of the offensive attack, sophomore Ali Varano has 17 goals and six assists. Jen Bolick has seven goals and four assists, and the Red Tornadoes have a strong midfield group, led by junior Heather Bolick and senior Taylor Getty. Another senior, Kim Andruscavage, heads the defensive front, and senior goalkeeper Megan Van Doren has recorded 136 saves with a 1.50 goals against average.
Mount Carmel reached the state playoffs with a 6-2 win over Millville in Saturday's district consolation game.