Rivet hosts No. 2 Pioneers for regional | Sports | suncommercial.com

Rivet’s Cassidy Risley (7) holds up the game ball while the Patriots’ other senior captains show off the trophy to their fans after the team’s sectional championship win over White River Valley on Saturday at Sullivan.

One of the goals coach John Anderson had when Rivet launched its girls soccer program in 2016 was to eventually host a sectional. That goal still hasn’t come to fruition yet, but on Wednesday the Patriots will host a regional semifinal.

Rivet (12-5-1) welcomes No. 2 Providence to St. Vincent’s Field at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Providence (16-3) is also host of Saturday’s regional championship, so if the Pioneers get by the Patriots, they’ll have a home game with a regional title on the line.

But first, it’s Rivet that gets one last home. St. Vincent’s Field doesn’t have lights, so there was some concern after last Saturday’s sectional win about when and where, the regional semifinal might be played. But parents and volunteers in the community have helped add bleachers, extra bathrooms, and yes, even temporary lights, so that the regional semifinal goes off without a hitch.

“This team has a group of parents that have pulled together and done an incredible job, giving us everything we need,” Anderson said. “We’ve had great community support, and that’s the amazing part, the fun part. We’ve got the field all ready to go. My dream when we started our team was to be a sectional host. We didn’t get a sectional, but I’ll settle for a regional semifinal.”

The Patriots earned the regional trip by topping No. 19 White River Valley, 2-1, in overtime Saturday to win the Sullivan Sectional championship. It was the team’s fourth sectional overall but first since 2019, when it capped an early run three titles in its first four years.

“(Winning the sectional) means a lot to the girls, to the school, and the community,” Anderson said. “When we first started the program, we were hot. We had our down years like every other school, and we were down numbers wise, playing two years with nine players. That taught the girls how to play a lot of positions, and they know how to cover a lot of areas.”

The four seniors who played in those lean years were Lissa Willis, Blaize Wagner, Cassidy Risley, and Emma Gafner. Willis scored both goals on Saturday to add to her area-leading total of 34.

“Those girls have been with us in bad times, and now we’re back to the good times, where we expect to be,” Anderson said. “They’ve done a fantastic job, and the additions of (other seniors) Natalie Earley and Alyssa Hedge have been instrumental as well with their leadership.”

Freshman Bridget Stine has 11 goals for the Patriots, and junior Elle Stoelb is next with seven. Junior Emma Stine leads with 12 assists, and Bridget Stine and sophomore Leela Gilmore have eight. Sophomore goalkeeper Allie Stearns has supplied six shutouts this season, and junior Ava Benson anchors the defense. Anderson subs freely, and the rest of the roster is junior midfielders Jaclyn Campbell, Kali Klem-Kixmiller, and Maddie Lemons, and sophomore forward Kevi Black.

Providence destroyed its competition in the sectional, disposing of its three foes by a combined score of 36-0 on its way to winning a fourth consecutive sectional. Senior Molly Richards and junior Kamden Pierce appear to be the top goal scorers for the Pioneers, and each put in four goals Saturday in their 8-0 sectional title win over Shawe Memorial. Senior Brookelyn Schneider is the keeper.

“It’s going to be a test for us. We’re going to be out-manned, out-gunned, and their quickness is probably better than ours,” Anderson said. “A lot of kids in that area play travel ball, so it’s a tall order we’ll be facing. Pierce is going to be a handful, and she handles the outside well, attacking the net. Richards controls the middle of the pitch. If we don’t’ stop those two, it’s going to be a long night, so we’ll have to focus on them, but also keep an eye on their other potential scorers.

“It’s going to be a long day for them, and they’re used to playing on a turf field, which is a little quicker. Hopefully those things work to our advantage. One thing about our team is they don’t give up. We were down (Saturday) and kept fighting.”

Providence’s three losses this season are to 2A No. 2 Lawrenceburg (3-1), 2A No. 11 Heritage Hills (1-0), and Assumption (4-1), a Louisville-based school that MaxPreps has ranked as the ninth-best team in Kentucky.

The other regional semifinal has Pike Central (12-5) hosting No. 8 Forest Park (14-5) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The regional final is at Providence on Saturday with a time to be determined, as Providence also hosts the boys regional championship.

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