Westmoreland WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for Oct. 28, 2021

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 | 7:56 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Thursday’s games

Girls

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

5-Norwin (13-4) at 4-Seneca Valley (14-3-2)

6:30 p.m., NexTier Stadium, Jackson Township

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Fox Chapel (9-7-1)/1-North Allegheny (16-0-1) on Monday (time, site TBD)

Notes: Norwin has overcome a number of injuries tto stay in the thick of the 4A title chase. The Lady Knights advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-0 victory over 12 seed North Hills. Junior Halle Holtzman had a goal and an assist, while senior Natalie Barkley, senior Alyssa Shields, sophomore Evelyn Moore and junior Alyssa Aquilio also scored. Norwin clipped Seneca Valley, 1-0, earlier in the season. This is a rematch from the 2019 semifinals when Norwin won, 1-0. Norwin has 10 shutouts. … Seneca Valley finished second in Section 1 behind top-seeded North Allegheny. The Raiders went 0-2-1 during a midseason stretch, losing to Norwin and North Allegheny, but have not lost since, winning eight in a row by a combined score of 39-2. Zoe Simpson had two goals in a 6-0 win over Penn-Trafford in the first round. Liv Senff, Julia Lozowski, Chloe Leonard and Bayden Valentovish also scored.

6-Peters Township (10-3-3) at 3-Latrobe (13-1-1)

6:30 p.m. at Rossi Field, Latrobe

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Butler (13-3-2)/2-Moon (13-1-1) on Monday (time, site TBD)

Notes: Peters Township posted a shutout in the first round, a 4-0 victory over No. 11 Pine-Richland. Three returning All-WPIAL players lead the Indians: Jillian Marvin (Kent State), Brooke Opferman (Cleveland State) and CeCe Scott (Duquesne). Marvin scored twice and Casey Breier had a goal and an assist, and Irene Doleno added a goal in the first-round win. … Latrobe is making history with every step it takes in the WPIAL postseason. The Wildcats are section champions for the first time since 1992 and are chasing their first playoff win. Their only blemish was a 2-1 loss to 3A Franklin Regional last Wednesday. Top players include the Reilly sisters, Regan, Robin and Morgan, Ella Bulava and keeper Sophia DeCerb.

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

6-South Fayette (12-7) at 3-Franklin Regional (14-3-1)

6:30 p.m. at Panther Stadium, Murrysville

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Hampton (12-3-3)/2-Plum (17-1-1) on Tuesday (time, site TBD)

Notes: South Fayette will meet Franklin Regional for the second consecutive year in the playoffs. Franklin Regional won last year in the first round, 2-1. South Fayette, which plays in a defensive-minded Section 4 that features No. 1 seed Mars, blanked No. 11 Gateway, 3-0, to reach the quarters. The Lions reached the semifinals in 2018. Julianna Rossi scored twice and Anna Hertzler added a goal in the first round. … Franklin Regional opened the postseason with a 2-0 victory over West Allegheny as freshman Abby Paterline and senior Sydney Kranick scored goals, both of which were assisted by senior Sydney Lindeman. Sophomore goalkeeper Aris Lamanna made seven saves. The Panthers lost in the quarterfinals last year to Montour, 1-0. The Panthers never have advanced to the semifinals.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Norwin, Peters Township, Seneca Valley, South Fayette