4 from WPIAL tabbed state soccer coaches of year

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, December 9, 2021 | 4:42 PM

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Adam Brownold guided the Winchester Thurston boys soccer team to its first PIAA championship, its second WPIAL title and a 23-0-1 record.

The run of success this season led to him being named to the WPIAL Class A co-coach of the year.

But the wins, and accolades, kept coming.

Brownold added another honor this week as he was named the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year for Class A, joining three other recipients from the WPIAL.

J.J. Veshio of Quaker Valley (Class 2A boys), Matt McAwley of Hampton (Class 3A boys) and Bill Pfeifer of Moon (Class 4A girls) also received top coaching nods from the state association.

Winchester Thurston posted 18 shutouts, including five in the playoffs, and won its final 22 games.

Veshio was the WPIAL 3A coach of the year as well. Quaker Valley won its 10th WPIAL title and third in six years, before topping it off with a state championship in Hershey.

The Quakers (23-2), who had last season shut down because of covid-19 protocols, won their last 10 games and outscored eight playoff opponents, 45-3, with six shutouts.

Hampton (23-1) blanked 17 opponents, seven in the postseason, en route to its first WPIAL title and second PIAA championship. The Talbots showed a flair for the dramatic, winning the WPIAL title 1-0 over West Allegheny and then clipping the Indians again in the state semis, 2-1, on penalty kicks.

Pfeifer, who has more wins than any girls soccer coach in state history, led Moon to a 20-1-1 mark, its fourth WPIAL title and fourth state title.

The Tigers went unbeaten across their final 13 games and allowed one goal in seven playoff contests.

Pfeifer has coached at five schools over a 27-year career — most of it spent at Moon — and has a record of 465-81-2 with five WPIAL championships and three state titles.

Find the full list of state coaches of the year and past winners here.

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

Tags: Hampton, Moon, Quaker Valley, Winchester Thurston