YAIAA girls soccer rankings: Who tops the list?
The calendar has flipped over to October and with that, we've hit the midway point of the YAIAA girls soccer season. It's time to check in on the league and see which teams have stood out. We've put together a top five list, so who tops the chart?
Dallastown (8-2, 6-0 YAIAA Division I)
The Wildcats, who have won at least a share of the Division I title each of the last seven seasons, take the top spot this week. The only blemishes on Dallastown's resume are an overtime loss to Northern York and a loss at Hershey.
Led by returning GameTimePA all-star Paige Hartman and an impressive season from Carson Gold, the Wildcats are undefeated in the division and won all five games by a combined score of 15-0.
The biggest remaining test on Dallastown's schedule comes Oct. 13 when the Wildcats travel to Central York.
Central York (8-4, 6-1)
The defending league champs got off to a hot start, winning five in a row over a 12-day span in early September, but have since cooled off, alternating wins and losses over the last six games.
The Panthers have already swept South Western in the division and picked up a crucial 2-0 win over Susquehannock, but fell, 2-0, at Dallastown.
Good news for the Panthers: They play three of their last four games at home.
Susquehannock (6-2-1, 5-0-1)
It's hard to choose between Susquehannock and Dover for this spot considering they tied, 2-2, in their only matchup this season. They also split the division title last season, so they should be very familiar with each other.
Second-year coach Pat Brubaker and the Warriors did give Dallastown the best battle the Wildcats have seen all season in the league, but eventually fell, 1-0.
Susquehannock has outscored its divisional opponents, 14-5, this season. Circle Oct. 13 on the calendar. The Warriors host Dover in the season finale, potentially with a division title on the line.
Dover (5-1-2, 4-0-2)
The good news: The Eagles, who came just short of winning the league title in 2014, haven't lost a game since the season opener against Cumberland Valley.
The not as good, but still not bad news: Dover has just one win against a team with a winning record (Gettysburg) and tied twice against Susquehannock and York Suburban. Dover gets all three of those teams again in October.
The best news: Brooke Firestone, who owns the school scoring record, tallied her 100th career goal Wednesday in a 4-0 win against West York.
York Catholic (6-2, 5-0)
The Irish get the nod over Fairfield thanks to an impressive 6-1 win over the Green Knights. What else do they have going for them? Five straight wins, three double-digit margin victories and a fairly easy remaining schedule.
An Oct. 13 rematch with Fairfield on the road is the biggest game left on the slate.
Could it be a three-peat in Division III for the Irish?
Honorable mention: Fairfield (8-1, 4-1), Northeastern (6-3, 4-2), Gettysburg (6-4, 4-2), York Suburban (6-4-1, 3-3-1)