Alle-Kiski Valley girls soccer playoff capsules
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Sunday, October 22, 2017 | 7:12 PM
Class AAAA
No. 7 Fox Chapel (12-5-1) vs. No. 10 Butler (10-7)
8 p.m. Monday, Fox Chapel
On the air:Tribhssn.triblive.com
Winner plays: No. 2 Penn-Trafford or No. 15 Penn Hills
Free kicks: Fox Chapel, the Section 3-AAAA champion, is making its 10th consecutive playoff trip and seeking its third straight trip to the WPIAL semifinals. The Foxes qualified for the PIAA playoffs last season after falling 1-0 to Norwin in the semifinals. … Despite losing three Division I players to graduation, Fox Chapel won the section and outscored opponents 78-23 this season. … Junior Sarah Sinnott and senior Greta Lazzara lead the Fox Chapel offense, and senior Katie Livingston anchors the defense. … Butler is in the playoffs for the second straight year after falling to Upper St. Clair in the first round last season. That was the program's first postseason appearance since 2004. … The Golden Tornado finished fourth in Section 1-AAAA. … Butler put up a big goal number earlier this year, with a 17-0 nonsection win over Armstrong.
No. 8 Plum (13-4) vs. No. 9 North Allegheny(10-6-1)
8 p.m. Monday, Plum
Winner plays: No. 1 Pine-Richland or No. 16 Connellsville
Free kicks: Section 3-AAAA runner-up Plum is making its sixth consecutive WPIAL playoff appearance. The Mustangs lost 3-2 to Mt. Lebanon in the first round last season. … The Mustangs outscored their opponents 69-21 this season and posted nine shutouts. They are coming off their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 6-0 setback to Kiski Area on Wednesday. … Jordyn Huemme leads Plum in scoring. … North Allegheny finished in third place in Section 1-AAAA. The Tigers are returning to the playoffs after a one-year absence. … After winning eight of its first 10 games, North Allegheny is 2-4-1 in its last seven games entering the playoffs. In that span, however, the Tigers tied top-ranked Pine-Richland.
No. 12 Kiski Area (10-6) vs. No. 5 Mt. Lebanon (9-6-1)
8 p.m. Monday, Mt. Lebanon
Winner plays: No. 4 Norwin or No. 13 Canon-McMillan
Free kicks: The third-place finisher from Section 4-AAAA, Kiski Area is making its third consecutive trip to the WPIAL playoffs. The Cavaliers lost by one goal in the first round each of the past two seasons. … Kiski Area is coming off a 6-0 victory over Plum in its regular-season finale. Although the Cavaliers start several sophomores, senior Lexi Moyer leads them in scoring and seniors Camrynn Morlacci and Kelsey Craig split time in goal. … Mt. Lebanon, which tied Peters Township for the Section 2-AAAA title, advanced to the WPIAL semifinals last season before coming a victory shy of the state playoffs. … Blue Devils senior midfielder Jess Wilhelm is an Elon recruit.
Class AA
No. 5 Burrell (11-3-1) vs. No. 12Charleroi (8-9-1)
6 p.m. Monday, Plum
On the air: Tribhssn.triblive.com
Winner plays: No. 4 Yough
Free kicks: It's a rematch of a 2016 first-round game; Charleroi beat Burrell, 3-2, last season on a goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. … Under first-year coach Shelby Noll, Burrell enters the playoffs on a hot streak, winner of its past six games. The Section 2-AA runner-up Bucs outscored their opponents 30-7 in that span, including an 11-0 victory over Valley in their season finale. … All but four starters returned this season for Burrell after last season's playoff appearance, which had been the Bucs' first since 2007. … Charleroi bowed out in the WPIAL quarterfinals last season after the Burrell victory. The Cougars were WPIAL runner-up in 2015. … Senior Kaitlyn Riley had two goals and an assist in the playoff win over Burrell. … Charleroi began the season 1-5 but is 8-4-1 since.
No. 9 Deer Lakes (11-6-1) vs. No. 8 Brownsville (13-4-1)
6 p.m. Monday, Elizabeth Forward
Winner plays: No. 1 Freedom
Free kicks: After a slow start to the season, Deer Lakes won nine of its final 12 games to tie for third in Section 2-AA and earn its first WPIAL playoff appearance since 2011. … The Lancers lost top goal-scorer Lily Litrun to a collarbone injury midway through the year but found offense from players such as Hannah Irvine, Alexis Kaszubowski, Maura Rupprecht, Eva Sipko and others. … Sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Weber anchors the Deer Lakes defense. … The Lancers lean on a large freshman class, but the entire roster will make its postseason debut. … Brownsville is making its WPIAL playoff debut. The girls soccer program joined the WPIAL in 2014 after the school previously fielded a co-ed team. … The Falcons finished third in Section 3-AA behind Waynesburg and Yough and nearly doubled their single-season record for wins. … Junior Mary Lemesh is a key playmaker for Brownsville, which scored at least nine goals five times this season.
No. 11 Springdale (11-5-1) vs. No. 6 Avonworth (12-5)
6 p.m. Monday, Mars
Winner plays: No. 3 Waynesburg
Free kicks: Springdale returns to the playoffs after the Dynamos' nine-year postseason streak ended in 2016. They're looking to snap a three-game playoff losing streak. … After winning one section game last season, Springdale tied Deer Lakes for third place this season. … The Dynamos enter the postseason on a 4-0-1 streak, with the tie coming against No. 2 seed Freeport. They have eight shutouts this season. … Springdale has three WPIAL championships in its history, with the most recent coming in 2009. … Avonworth advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals last season, beating Derry in the first round before falling to eventual Class 2A champion Freedom. … The Antelopes won their last three games to end the regular season, outscoring their opponents 8-0. They shut out nine opponents during the regular season.
Class A
No. 12 Apollo-Ridge (10-4)vs. No. 5 Shady Side Academy(10-3)
6 p.m. Monday, Penn-Trafford
Winner plays: No. 4 Sewickley Academy or No. 13 Serra Catholic
Free kicks: Section 1-A rivals meet for the third time. Shady Side swept the two regular-season meetings, rallying to win the first 3-2 and taking the second 7-0. Apollo-Ridge is making its second consecutive WPIAL playoff appearance and seeking its first victory. The Vikings joined the WPIAL in 2015. They lost to Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in the 2016 first round. … Apollo-Ridge has a mixture of experience (seniors Amanda Eckman, Breanna Murray and Elizabeth Ross and junior Alaina Marsinetti) and youth (sophomores Mayce Anthony, Madison and Mallory Galinac and Haley Usko, and freshman Emily Bonelli) among its top contributors. … Shady Side Academy is the defending WPIAL champion and PIAA runner-up. … Junior center midfielder Krystyna Rytel is the top playmaker for the Indians, who shared the section title with Greensburg Central Catholic.
Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Avonworth, Brownsville, Burrell, Butler, Charleroi, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Kiski School, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, Plum, Shady Side Academy, Springdale
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