Westmoreland County soccer playoff preview capsules for games of Oct. 22, 2022

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, October 21, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Saturday’s games

Boys

Class 3A

First round

13-Montour (9-4-4) at 4-Franklin Regional (14-4)

2 p.m., Panther Stadium, Murrysville

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Gateway (10-7-1)/5-Kiski Area (14-3) in quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (site TBD)

Players to watch: Andrew Prunier, MF, Montour; Colton Hudson, MF, Franklin Regional

Corner kicks: Montour finished fourth in Section 2-3A, but that section houses No. 1 Moon, No. 7 South Fayette and No. 11 Ambridge. Games against those teams helped the Spartans sharpen their all-around skill. The Spartans are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. … Franklin Regional tied Plum for the Section 4 title, the third year in a row that has happened. The Panthers have won 13 of 14, including an impressive 3-1 victory over Fox Chapel, the No. 4 seed in 4A. They have 10 shutouts.

14-Penn-Trafford (9-8-1) at 3-Thomas Jefferson (16-2)

12:30 p.m., Thomas Jefferson Stadium, Jefferson Hills

Winner plays: Winner of 11-Ambridge (11-6-1)/6-Hampton (12-5) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in quarterfinals (site TBD)

Players to watch: Cooper Sisson, GK, Penn-Trafford; Anthony Orlando, F, Thomas Jefferson

Corner kicks: Penn-Trafford has overcome numerous injuries to key starters to make the postseason. With three wins in their last four games, the Warriors have some momentum. They like to play possession soccer, keep scores close and try to elicit mistakes. The Warriors, who have been part of 12 shutouts this season, have not won a playoff game since 2016. … Thomas Jefferson was a quarterfinalist last year. It lost to Plum, 3-0. The Section 3 champions take a seven-game winning streak into the playoffs. They have allowed 12 goals in 18 games. Michael “Doc” Kulish is in his 30th season as coach. Freshmen Sam Wessel and Cody O’Hare have seen time at goalkeeper.

Girls

Class 3A

Preliminary round

17-Connellsville (8-9) at 16-Penn-Trafford (7-6-4)

12:30 p.m., Warrior Stadium, Harrison City

Winner plays: At 1-Mars (14-0) at 6:30 p.m. Monday in first round

Players to watch: Brooke Lindstrom, MF, Connellsville; Rease Solomon, GK, Penn-Trafford

Corner kicks: Penn-Trafford leads the WPIAL in ties, with four, three of which came in section play. The Warriors tied title contenders Latrobe (1-1) and Franklin Regional (1-1) and Class 4A Norwin (1-1). Emilie Oslosky leads the Warriors with 10 goals, and Alexis Brown has nine. … Connellsville started 0-4 but rallied to win three of its final four to make the tournament. The Falcons were fourth in Section 2 behind Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth Forward and Ringgold. Seven of their eight wins have come via shutout.

Class A

First round

12-Riverside (5-9) vs. 5-Greensburg Central Catholic (11-4)

2 p.m., Peters Township High School, McMurray

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Riverview (8-7)/4-Chartiers-Houston (14-2) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in quarterfinals (site TBD)

Players to watch: Lauren Krug, GK, Riverside; Sara Felder, F, GCC

Corner kicks: Riverside, which does not have a senior, was fourth in Section 3, which was won by top-seeded Freedom. The Panthers swept Sewickley Academy, another playoff team. Riverside lost to GCC in last year’s quarterfinals, 2-1 in OT, and feared low roster numbers might prevent it from fielding a team this season. Krug is one of the top shot-stoppers in the class. … GCC has won 12 consecutive playoff openers. The Centurions have reached the WPIAL finals three years in a row and won their sixth title in 2020. Sara Felder, a Youngstown State commit, recently scored her 100th career goal. Riley Kerr tallied her 50th score. GCC just beat Riverview, a section foe it could see in the next round, 13-6.

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

Tags: Connellsville, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Montour, Penn-Trafford, Riverside, Thomas Jefferson