In years past, using freshmen was usually a case of necessity for girls' soccer coach Wayne Capra at South Fayette High School, now he is using them to win games.

In his fifth year at the school, Capra has the middle school program developed to the point where the ninth graders are prepared to make an immediate impact on the high school level ... and they have this season.

Before last night's game against McGuffey, South Fayette was 9-4-1 overall and 8-1 in Section 1-AA trailing only South Park (13-1-1, 11-0), the top ranked team in WPIAL Class AA. South Fayette is ranked No. 7.

The seeds that Capra planted five years ago when he came over from Upper St. Clair have started to produce on the high school level and just in time, too. The Lions have eight new starters in the lineup this season and in his 20 years of coaching girls' soccer Capra said this is the youngest team he has coached.

"We are young overall as a team and I said before the season we could be pretty good or really bad," Capra said. "We are turning out to be pretty good."

Capra coached previously at Mt. Lebanon for five seasons and Upper St. Clair for 10. He helped lead the Upper St. Clair girls' to four WPIAL titles benefiting greatly from a solid feeder system. Looking at the middle school program and the incoming freshman class, Capra sees similarities between his situation at Upper St. Clair and now.

"At Upper St. Clair the old saying was we don't rebuild, we reload," Capra said. "Now here we are able to graduate seniors and bring in freshmen who can contribute immediately."

One of those freshmen, Liana Leja, is doing a lot more than just contributing. She is the team's leading goal scorer with 17. Even though she is a freshman, Capra is not at all surprised at her performance.

"Yes I was expecting this, she is one of those players when you are coaching and you have been around awhile, you look at players every now and then and say 'That kid has it,'" Capra said.

"And she has it. Of course, she is going to have to go through growing pains and she is going to get bounced around and get an education, so to speak, but that kid has it."

The last time Capra said he has seen a talent like this was with Holly Law a former High School All-American at Upper St. Clair. Law went on to play at Notre Dame, a perennial NCAA powerhouse.

Joining Leja up top are forwards Maura Vitelli and Lindsay Rzepecki. Vitelli, one of the smaller players on the team at 5 feet 1, made the unusual move from goalie to forward this season.

"Maura is a very intelligent player," Capra said. "She is a very good goalkeeper but there are going to be a lot of taller keepers out there and she said she would like the chance to play in the field.

"I told her 'You are going to have to prove that you are the one who needs to be out there, not just because you are a senior.' I put her out there for games and she has been more than adequate."

In Vitelli's place in net is sophomore Sarah Pruss. After starting as a goalie for the junior varsity last season, Pruss has become a standout on the team, according to Capra. She put in countless hours of goalie training in the offseason.

Pruss played goalie all winter during the indoor season and from March through the end of July, Pruss attending goalkeeping camp with the Beadling Club soccer program.

"Every Sunday for two and a half hours she would be at goalkeeping camp and she never missed it once," Capra said.

"She has just stepped up tremendously this year and we got her for two more years. I am really high on her."

Senior defender Brooke Wise and junior midfielder Nicole Hilton have also been key players for the Lions. Another freshman goal producer is Sierra Molinda, who had scored seven goals this season going into this week's action. Capra said she is the fastest player on the team. Sierra is the cousin of former Mt. Lebanon standout Jackie Molinda. Another player who brings speed to the lineup is outside midfielder Jessica Barton.

A trio of players averaging 6-feet tall provides plenty of height and physical play for the Lions. Sweeper Heather Holeva, freshman defender Morgan Fink and sophomore midfielder Erika Ford provide most of the height on the field for the Lions.

Senior Chelsea Gaab has been the leader. Capra calls her the best pure leader he has ever coached in his 20 years. She is a captain along with senior defender Maggie Mitchell, Wise and Hilton.

Although the Lions have reached the WPIAL playoffs four times in four years under Capra, including four consecutive 10-plus section-win seasons, Capra knows there is still a lot of work to do to get the program to where he wants it to be.

"This is the beginning, it's just the beginning," Capra stressed. "We are not there yet but we are building that feeling of excitement in the youth ranks."

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