Photos by T-Mac Photography

The Back-to-Back Section 3 Champion Plum Mustang boys soccer team is scheduled to play Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL semi-finals next Tuesday. The winner will advance to the Championship game at Elizabeth Forward on Saturday November 5th and play the winner of the other semi-final game between Baldwin and Peters Township.

Plum earned a berth in the semifinals with two convincing wins this past week, improving their record to an outstanding 18 wins, 1 loss and 1 Tie.

Plum posted a 5-1 victory over the Kiski Area Cavaliers at home on Monday night. Senior midfielder Michael McDade led Plum with 3 goals in the game. Senior Ben Fecik and Sophomore Anthony Russo also scored. Ben Fecik led the Mustangs in scoring during the season.

In their WPIAL quarterfinal game played at Shaler on Wednesday night, Plum overwhelmed Seneca Valley by a score of 6-2. Plum Junior midfielder Paul Paradise scored 4 goals for the Mustangs. The talented Paradise is Western PA's only representative in the Region I Olympic Development Player Pool for his age group. Seniors Michael McDade and Brice Lott each added a goal.

Expectations have been high all year for the Mustang squad that features 12 seniors on the roster. Many of the seniors have been enjoying soccer success together since they were 6 years old, initially as a Plum Area Soccer club team and later as the Pittsburgh Strikers cup team. Amazingly, seven of these boys played together on the Plum Power team that won the U-10 PA State Championship in June 1998.

Plum entered the current high school season as the number 2 ranked AAA team in both Pittsburgh newspapers. After losing in the quarterfinals last year, the players came back this year with their sights set on WPIAL and PIAA Championships. They still have a number of tough games to go, but Plum Coaches Jeff and Rick Nese will make sure that the boys are ready for every game.

Head Coach Jeff Nese is in his third season at Plum after coaching at Class A power East Allegheny. While leading Plum, Nese has compiled an incredible overall record of 52-5-1 and section record of 32-3-1. Plum has won two section titles and qualified for the WPIAL playoffs each year. Rick Nese returned to Plum as an assistant this season after coaching the Fox Chapel girls and a previous stint with the Plum boys. The Nese brothers are the sons of long time Penn Hills High School boys soccer coach, Dick Nese.