YAIAA girls' soccer tournament: 5 teams to watch
The regular season has come to an end in YAIAA girls' soccer and the league playoffs are set to begin Saturday.
After a crazy end to the year, there will be plenty of teams to keep an eye in the tournament. Here are five teams to watch in the YAIAA tournament:
Northeastern Bobcats
The Bobcats captured a share of the Division I title this season, locking it up in the final game of the regular season. Northeastern just missed out on clinching the division title last season and fell to Dallastown in the second round of the 2015 YAIAA tournament.
The Bobcats have had a lockdown defense this season and two solid players in net. MaKaylah Pizzino has been the technically-sound player in net, while Rachel Reeser has found ways to come up with big saves during the year.
Brittany Arentz and Amanda Bentz have led the offensive charge, with Arentz leading the team in scoring and Bentz setting up plays.
Susquehannock Warriors
The Warriors went through some turnover in the offseason, but still managed to come away with their third consecutive Division II title. Susquehannock had a deep run in the postseason, however, they were knocked out in the first round of the league tournament.
Maggie Sisler has taken over the mantle in net for the Warriors after star netminder Ashley Stone graduated last season. The team's scoring has been more spread around this season as well, after the departure of leading scorer Maddy Mummert last year.
The Warriors have not surrendered more than two goals in a single game this season.
Dallastown Wildcats
The 2015 YAIAA champions will be looking to defend their title. The Wildcats beat out Dover 3-2 in the league championship game last season, their first YAIAA title since 2012.
The Wildcats won a share of the Division I title this season with Northeastern. Dallastown won all but three divisional games this season, with its only losses coming to Central York and Northeastern. The Wildcats have not allowed more than two goals against when playing a divisional opponent this season.
Fairfield Green Knights
The Green Knights went undefeated in the regular season for the first time in program history and captured their first Division III title since 2012.
Moriah and Hannah Logue have been major contributors to the Green Knights’ success this season. Sarah Heinbaugh has been an offensive contributor as well, and Fairfield has benefited from having Annabel Anderson back from injury. On the opposite side of things, Mily Heinbaugh has helped create a stable defensive unit.
York Suburban Trojans
The Trojans squeaked into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, defeating Division II champion Susquehannock. This will be York Suburban’s first trip to the YAIAA tournament since 2013, when the Trojans finished third in division.
Suburban has wins over Red Lion, division foe Gettysburg and Dover. The Trojans finished the regular season with a 7-3-1 record in Division II and 8-7-1 overall mark.