AAHS wins first game without fallen teammate | News, sports, jobs

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Altoona’s Lilyahna Wisor pushes the ball up the field.

By Andy Stine

Sometimes the results of a game take a back seat and an event is put into perspective.

The Altoona girls soccer team, in the midst of mourning the loss of teammate Lundyn Treese this weekend, opened the District 6-8-10 Class 4A sub-regional with a 5-0 win over Allderdice on Monday night at Mansion Park.

Treese, a senior for the Lady Lions, was killed early Sunday morning in a car accident in downtown Altoona.

“The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind,” Altoona coach Marc Frye said. “Lundyn was a great teammate, a great friend to the girls. She made everyone around her happy. We are still trying to adjust to a new life without her in it.

“We met here on Sunday. The girls made shirts. There were many tears and many emotions. Then the happy stories started coming out. We sent them onto the field (Monday). Everyone came with tears in their eyes, but once they started playing football they loosened up.”

Tuesday’s game was originally scheduled to be held on Monday at Allderdice in Pittsburgh, but when Allderdice learned of Treese’s passing, they agreed to move the game back to Tuesday and travel to Altoona.

“It wasn’t a decision,” Allderdice coach Jeremiah Dugan said. “When we found out what happened, we wanted to do everything we could do to help. Ultimately it is a game.”

Before the game, the Treese family received flowers from the Altoona coaching staff and Lundyn’s cousin, freshman midfielder Lilyahna Wisor. A moment of silence was also observed for Treese, as well as Altoona sophomore Keagahn Smith-Price. Smith-Price also died in a car crash in Bedford County on Sunday.

To make matters even more difficult, Wisor was taken off the field on a stretcher late in the second half with a back injury. However, Frye said taking Wisor in an ambulance was a precaution.

When the game started, the Lady Lions came out with three goals in the first 25 minutes. Alannah Irwin, Sophia O’Dea and Allison Little all scored in the first half. Lia Sankey, who assisted on the Irwin goal to open the scoring, showed an example of the shirt she made with the text #LiveForLundy underneath her jersey.

“It was Ava (Frye)’s idea,” Sankey said. “We talked about it two days ago and we thought this was the best way to honor her. Let the public know that we are doing it for her.

“She has had such a big impact on the team. She was very vocal. She had one of the best personalities. It felt like something was missing.”

“Lundyn was so outgoing and fun as a teammate,” Ava Frye said. “She brought so much energy. As a teammate, she has lifted us all to the next level.”

After taking a 3–0 lead at half-time, Sankey scored on a header in the 50th minute, while Little scored her second goal of the evening with four seconds left to determine the final.

“They came out with an energy that was hard to match,” said Dugan, whose team finished the season at 4-11. “We were in a sectional with North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, the 4A powerhouses of western Pennsylvania and they came out with the speed and intensity we see in those schools. I was impressed by what I saw. They’re going to have a tough time the rest of these play-offs.”

“It was a little sloppy compared to how I like to see it,” Coach Frye said. “We tried to go a little too fast, but overall I’m very satisfied. We found the back of the net when we needed it.”

Altoona (14-5) will play McDowell at 4 on Thursday at Mansion Park for a spot in the PIAA tournament. McDowell defeated Erie 9-0 earlier this week in the District 10 championship.

“I am extremely proud of the maturity these girls have achieved (Treese’s passing) and the strength they have with it,” Coach Frye said. “We definitely built a bond because of that.”

SCORE BY HALF

Allderdice 0 0 — 0

Altoona 3 2 — 5

First half: ALT – Irwin, (Assist Sankey), 7:04; ALT – O’Dea, 23:33; ALT – Allison Little, 24:26

Second half: ALT – Sankey, 49:49; ALT – Small, 79:56.

Shots: Allderdice 6, Altoona 15

Saves: Allderdice (Cohen) 7; Altoona (Rodriguez) 5.

Corners: Allderdice 2, Altoona 1.

Data: Allderdice (4-11); Altoona (14-5)