The Greensburg Central Catholic High School girls soccer program has been a cornerstone of local athletics for nearly three decades, boasting seven Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championships and two Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association titles. A 28‑year playoff streak that began in 1998 will conclude this year as the school announces it will not field a team for the 2026 season.
Why the program was paused
A modest turnout of only eight dedicated student‑athletes signed up for the upcoming campaign fell well short of the minimum required to field a varsity squad. The situation echoes the previous season, when the team started with five players, grew to 13, then slipped back as participants chose other sports, leaving practices shortened and morale low.
A hopeful return
Coach Tom Kennedy, who helped launch the program in the early 1990s, guided the team to a 3‑7 record and a tie for fourth place in Section 4‑A, only to see their playoff hopes extinguished when Ellis School edged them 3‑2 in the preliminary round. The loss forced neighboring schools to reshuffle their schedules, while Jeannette High also announced its own suspension of the girls soccer program due to the same participation shortage. Athletic director JT Thompson remains optimistic, pointing to a strong junior‑high pipeline and the expectation that the program will be reinstated for independent play in 2027 and re‑enter the WPIAL section two years later. The hiatus, he says, is a chance to rebuild a stronger foundation for the future.