Greensburg Central Catholic grads Nate Ward, Luke Mort to face off in NCAA College Cup

Nate Ward and Luke Mort pondered about the two of them meeting in a college soccer game, but chances seemed slim with them playing in different conferences.

If they did meet, it could likely have to be in the postseason, maybe a few years down the road.

The former Greensburg Central Catholic teammates will face off sooner than they imagined, in the NCAA’s College Cup semifinals.

Ward, a freshman forward at Indiana, will go against Mort, a redshirt freshman forward at Pitt, on Friday night in Cary, N.C., in soccer’s final four.

Indiana (11-1-2) is seeded No. 3 and Pitt (16-3) is No. 2. The semifinal begins at 8:30 p.m. Ward and Mort were savvy goal scorers at GCC and have quickly lived up to expectations at the next level, earning substantial playing time early.

Ward has played in 12 games, with seven starts, while Mort has 16 appearances and three starts. Both players have a goal and Ward has one assist.

Ward said he has seen Mort around the teams’ hotel since they are in the same “bubble” during the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s definitely going to be cool playing on the same field as Luke again,” Ward said. “Playing against a former teammate on a stage like this may only happen once so I’m sure we will both be soaking it all in.”

As a senior in 2019-20, Ward had 31 goals and eight assists to power GCC to its first WPIAL Class A championship since 2009, and a trip to the PIAA semifinals.

Mort anticipated a matchup with Ward, only farther down the road.

“It’s great going against each other … and both having the opportunity to go to the national championship game,” Mort said. “I always thought we would end up playing each other at some point due to both of us being at top programs, but to play each other this soon in the final four I think is great and can’t wait for the challenge on Friday.”

GCC coach Tyler Solis is not surprised to see Ward and Mort progressing to the front of the line so quickly.

A 30-goal scorer as a senior, Mort helped GCC reach the WPIAL final and PIAA semifinals in 2018.

“Both of them have dedicated a lot of time to their game and perfecting their skills,” Solis said. “Their strong mentalities allow them to continue to get better and succeed at the highest level. It’s great to see them both healthy and displaying their talents on a national scale.”