Reflected photo by Patrick Waksmunski Altoona’s Lilyahna Wisor pushes the ball down the field.

By Andy Stine

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

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

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

“The last few days have been a real 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.

“We met here on Sunday. The girls made shirts. There were many tears and many emotions. Then the happy stories began to come out. We take them out to the field (Monday). “They all came in with tears in their eyes, but once they started playing football, they relaxed.”

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

“It wasn’t a decision,” Allderdice coach Jeremiah Dugan said. “Once we found out what happened, we wanted to do everything we could to help. At the end of the day, it’s a game.”

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

To further complicate matters, Wisor was stretchered off the field with a back injury late in the second half. However, Frye said taking Wisor in an ambulance was a precaution.

When the game began, the Lady Lions came out firing with three goals in the first 25 minutes. Alannah Irwin, Sophia O’Dea and Allison Little scored in the first half. Lia Sankey, who assisted on Irwin’s goal to open the scoring, showed an example of the t-shirt she made that said #LiveForLundy underneath her jersey.

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

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

“Lundyn, as a teammate, was very outgoing and fun,” Ava Frye said. “She brought a lot of energy. As a teammate, she encouraged us all.”

After taking a 3-0 lead into the break, Sankey scored a header in the 50th minute, while Little scored his second goal of the night with four seconds left to decide the final.

“They came out with an energy that’s hard to match,” said Dugan, whose team finished the season 4-11. “We were in a section with North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, the 4A powers in Western Pennsylvania and they came out with the speed and intensity that we see from those schools. I was impressed by what I saw. “They are going to be tough for the rest of these playoffs.”

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

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

“I’m so proud of the maturity these girls handled (Treese’s passing) and the strength they have with this,” Coach Frye said. “We definitely bonded over that.”

SCORE BY HALF

Allderdice 0 0 — 0

Altoona 3 2 — 5

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

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

Shots: Allderdice 6, Altoona 15

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

Corner kicks: Allderdice 2, Altoona 1.

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