More than any of its 14 regular-season or three playoff wins, the two games that define the Beaver Area girls' soccer season are its two postseason losses.

WPIAL Class AA girls' soccer has been dominated the past four years by South Park and Springdale. The two programs have combined to win the past four WPIAL titles. Beaver came close to reaching the elite status in Class AA.

In the WPIAL semifinals, Beaver stayed with South Park throughout the game before losing, 1-0. In the PIAA quarterfinals this past Saturday, Beaver met WPIAL champion Springdale. The Bobcats took the Dynamos into overtime before losing on penalty kicks.

"We knew we had to play good games against them," Beaver coach Gregg Gailey said. "We thought we could play with them and we did. We have a bunch of talented players. We thought if we could control the ball on the ground, we had a chance. We just couldn't score a goal."

The Bobcats finished the season 17-3 overall. The season featured a Section 5-AA title, a 16-game winning streak and the first victory beyond the WPIAL first round in program history.

Last year Beaver played some of the top WPIAL teams but could not keep things as close. It lost to Ambridge, 3-1; Moon, 5-0; Hopewell, 5-1; and Seton-LaSalle in the WPIAL quarterfinals, 2-0.

"I think the girls realized they could play with these teams," Gailey said. "As the games proceeded, the girls were gaining confidence. Against South Park and Springdale we got stronger as the game went on. We put our game together and gained some confidence."

Junior goalie Brianna Hellier single handedly kept the Bobcats in the games against the Class AA powers. Against Springdale and South Park she made a number of impressive saves. In 110 minutes of soccer against Springdale, Hellier stopped 18 shots.

"Our keeper was responsible for keeping us in those games," Gailey said.

After never reaching the WPIAL semifinals or PIAA playoffs, Beaver has the look of a perennial playoff team capable of making deep runs in the playoffs. Only four seniors will graduate from this year's team, including three starters.

"We have a tremendous amount of talent coming back," Gailey said.

After a six-win season their freshman year, this year's senior class was able to finish their careers in the PIAA playoffs. Seniors Stephanie Buckenheimer, Sara Hogan and Tara Turnley started, and senior Megan Lavrusky came off the bench.

Sara's younger sister, Erin Hogan, was a major playmaker on offense. A junior outside midfielder, she scored 12 goals and added 20 assists. She scored two goals in a 4-0 win against Karns City in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

"She is usually the one who sets our offense up," Gailey said. "She accepted the role of being the one who creates offensive opportunities."

Junior defender Allie Struwe will be another top returning starter next week. It was her job to mark Brittany Loveland, Springdale's top scorer and one of the top scorers in the WPIAL.

"She played [Loveland] beyond belief," Gailey said. "She really didn't have opportunities against us offensively."

Junior Shelby Lloyd was one of the more underrated players in the section. Gailey calls her the best midfielder on the team. She scored a goal in the PIAA playoff win against Karns City.

"She controlled the play in the center of the field," Gailey said of Lloyd. "She didn't score a lot of goals and she doesn't get the credit she deserves."

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