A-K Valley girls soccer preview capsules: Games of Monday, Oct. 28, 2019

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 27, 2019 | 5:36 PM

Monday’s games

Girls

Semifinals

Class AAA

3-West Allegheny (15-2) vs. 2-Plum (16-1-1)

8 p.m. Monday at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Mars (16-0-1)/5-Belle Vernon (16-3) in the championship at Highmark Stadium (time, date TBD).

Coaches: Dave Tissue, West Allegheny; Jamie Stewart, Plum

Players to Watch: Mackenzie Taranto, Jr., F, West Allegheny; Kaitlyn Killinger, Fr., F, Plum

Corner kicks: Each team is guaranteed at least one more game after Monday’s semifinal as a consolation game will determine the third-place team to the PIAA tournament. Both Plum and West Allegheny are seeking their first WPIAL titles. … Plum extended its winning streak to 14 games with its 4-2 win over Hampton in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Killinger’s two goals in the win gives her a team-best 18 for the season. Gina Proviano (14 goals) and Marissa Liberto (11 goals) also scored against the Talbots. The Mustangs have scored 92 goals through 18 games and have surrendered just 15 with eight shutouts. Plum is in the postseason for the eighth straight season. The Mustangs have advanced to semifinals for the first time in program history. … West Allegheny, the Section 4 champion, advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 victory over No. 6 Kiski Area on Thursday. Taranto’s two goals against Kiski Area give her 11 for the season. She also tallied a score in the Indians’ first-round victory over Franklin Regional. Mackenzie Evers also recorded a goal against Kiski Area. The Indians are on a six-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 17-4 during that stretch. They doubled up Oakland Catholic, Section 3 co-champion with Plum, 4-2 in the regular season. West Allegheny is in the semifinals for the first time in only their second trip to the playoffs in program history.

Class AA

8-Freeport (16-4) vs. 5-Yough (16-1-1)

6 p.m. Monday at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 2-North Catholic (12-4)/3-South Park (13-3-1) in the championship at Highmark Stadium (time, date TBD).

Coaches: Brittni Grenninger, Freeport; Dann Appolonia, Yough

Players to Watch: Akina Boynton, Fr., M, Freeport; Natalie Vilchek, Jr., M, Yough

Corner kicks: Freeport and Yough are seeking their first WPIAL championships. Each team is guaranteed at least one more game after Monday’ssemifinal as a consolation game will determine the third-place team to the PIAA tournament. The teams met in the 2016 Class AA quarterfinals with Freeport scoring a 3-0 win. … The Yellowjackets are in the semifinals for the third time in four seasons. They beat Waynesburg to advance to the 2016 title game but lost to Waynesburg in the 2017 semifinals. Freeport upended No. 1 Hopewell, 2-1, in the quarterfinals Thursday on a goal by freshman Akina Boynton with 23 seconds left in regulation. It was the midfielder’s 12th goal of the season. Senior Sidney Shemanski scored a goal in the win, and she has a team-best 37 on the season. Freeport has won four in a row. … Yough also advanced to the semifinals in 2017 but was denied a spot in the finals with a 3-0 loss to Freedom. The Cougars, the Section 3 co-champion, defeated No. 4 Burrell 1-0 in the quarterfinals Thursday, giving the Bucs their first loss of the season. Senior Justine Appolonia, Yough’s all-time leading scorer and a Youngstown State recruit, was limited to one shot in the game, but Amber Biros came through with the game-winner off a first-half corner kick from Vilchek. Yough has won six in a row since tying Section 3 co-champion South Park on Oct. 2.

—Michael Love

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.