A-K Valley PIAA soccer playoff preview capsules for Nov. 8, 2025

By: Triblive And Michael Love And Bill Hartlep
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 2:32 PM

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PIAA soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

1-2 Abington (19-2-3) vs. 7-1 Fox Chapel (17-2)

1 p.m. Saturday, Trojan Stadium, Chambersburg

Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Warwick (19-2-1)/7-2 Seneca Valley (18-3) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Carter Shannon, Abington; Rocco DiDomenico, Fox Chapel

Corner kicks: Abington earned a 3-1 win over Chambersburg in the opening round. Sam Aruda, Christian Hinkle and Sean Westmoreland scored, all off throw-ins from Shannon. The Ghosts lost to Norwin in their most recent trip to the PIAA quarterfinals 2-1 in 2023. Abington has scored 75 goals this season, an average of 3.13. In addition to Aruda, top scorers include Kyle Kretschman, Jazafith Vaquez and Zach Yurchyshyn. … Fox Chapel advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals after a 2-1 win over Central York in the first round. David Zakrocki and Rocco Poli scored for the Foxes. DiDomenico was named to the all-state team earlier this week. The WPIAL champion Foxes have allowed less than a goal per game this season. After a season-opening loss to Canon-McMillan, they won 14 straight games.

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

3-2 Tulpehocken (16-6) vs. 7-1 Deer Lakes (19-3-1)

4 p.m. Saturday, Greencastle-Antrim’s Kaley Field

Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Beaver (17-5)/10-1 Fairview (21-0) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Van Koch, Tulpehocken; Peyton Kushon, Deer Lakes

Corner kicks: Tulpehocken reached the PIAA quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Juniata. Connor Hussman, Koch, Graeson Reese and Leshane Christ scored for the Trojans. They have won six of their past eight games. Tulpehocken lost 3-2 to Lancaster Catholic in the District 3 championship game. Reese and Yakup Ozturk scored in the title game. Tulpehocken has played in the PIAA final five times, winning in 1987 and 2001. … Deer Lakes edged Harbor Creek, 1-0, in the first round of the state playoffs. Kushon headed in a cross from Jacob Orseno in the 12th minute, and the Deer Lakes defense and keeper Wesley Boyle secured the shutout. It was the Lancers’ first PIAA playoff win since 2020. Deer Lakes reached the PIAA final twice, losing in 2018 and ’20.

Girls

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

7-1 Fox Chapel (20-1-1) vs. 9-1 DuBois (18-2-1)

Noon Saturday, Franklin Area High School

Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Cocalico (19-0-3)/7-2 South Fayette (19-2-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Players to watch: Emily McKee, Fox Chapel; Anna Korney, DuBois

Corner kicks: McKee was at it again for Fox Chapel in a 2-0 first-round win over District 10 champion Harbor Creek. She scored both goals, giving her 14 for the playoffs and 49 overall for the season. The Foxes held a 32-2 shot advantage for the game. Fox Chapel will play in the state quarterfinals for the third year in a row. The Foxes hope for a different outcome this year after falling to District 3 champ Lower Dauphin at this point last year and to District 1 runner-up Conestoga in the 2023 Class 4A quarterfinals. … DuBois’ path to the PIAA quarterfinals started with a win over Bradford for the District 9 championship and continued with a victory over Obama Academy in a District 8-9 subregional. The Beavers won their first-ever PIAA game with Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over Moon. Korney, a sophomore, scored two goals and assisted on another against the Tigers. Korney scored 58 goals as a freshman and surpassed 100 at the midpoint of the Beavers’ regular season. Junior Katelyn Rhodes and sophomore Reese Glass also scored in the win over Moon.

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

7-2 Burrell (13-7-2) vs. 5-1 Bedford (19-1)

4 p.m. Saturday, Windber Stadium, Windber

Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Freeport (19-1)/3-2 Lancaster Catholic (22-2) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Players to watch: Makiah Buchak, Burrell; Alyssa Leydig, Bedford

Corner kicks: Buchak and fellow junior McKenna Miller each scored off of corner kicks in Burrell’s PIAA first-round upset of District 10 champion Cathedral Prep. Junior Eva Wilson started both scoring efforts with her corner kicks. Junior Leah Waldsmith made five saves behind a strong defensive effort. The victory avenged last year’s 1-0 first-round loss to Cathedral Prep. It was the Bucs’ third upset of this postseason following wins over No. 1 South Park and No. 4 Mt. Pleasant in the WPIAL quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Burrell has outscored its five postseason opponents 6-2. Miller leads the team with three playoff goals, and Buchak has two goals with three assists. … Bedford made a statement in the PIAA first round with its 2-0 victory over Quaker Valley. Leydig scored both goals. The sophomore surpassed 100 varsity goals in a win over Chestnut Ridge on Oct. 11. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Bedford in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. The Bison fell to North Catholic in overtime in last year’s first round and lost 2-0 to Mt. Pleasant in their 2022 first-round matchup.

7-1 Freeport (19-1) vs. 3-2 Lancaster Catholic (22-2)

1 p.m. Saturday, Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium

Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Burrell (13-7-2)/5-1 Bedford (19-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Players to watch: Nia DiSanti, Freeport; Clare Bolesky, Lancaster Catholic

Corner kicks: Freeport returned to the PIAA playoffs Tuesday with a 3-1 win over District 10 runner-up Fort LeBoeuf. There was no WPIAL title-game hangover for a Yellowjackets team playing in the state playoffs for the first time since 2016, when it beat Karns City in the first round before falling to District 10 champion Hickory. Tuesday’s win in the final home game of the season was Freeport’s 18th in a row. Junior Cam Woods scored two first-half goals against the Bison. The first goal was the 70th of her varsity career, and she has 24 this season. Sophomore CeCe Schlegel added some insurance for the Yellowjackets in the second half. … Lancaster Catholic started the season 19-0. The Crusaders had four players score in Tuesday’s 4-0 first-round win over District 6 champion Forest Hills. Bolesky, a freshman, picked up a clean sheet in goal. Lancaster Catholic’s shutout win was its 17th of the season. The Crusaders outshot the Rangers, 21-6. Freshman Emily Reynolds, seniors Naomi Dresch and Olivia Havrilla and sophomore Isabella Holland scored Lancaster Catholic’s goals in the win and will be ones to watch Saturday. The Crusaders seek their first PIAA championship. Three sets of sisters make up seven of the team’s 11 starters.

Class A

Quarterfinals

7-3 Springdale (14-2-1) vs. 7-2 Sewickley Academy (19-3)

2 p.m. Saturday, North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium, McCandless

Winner plays: Winner of 5-2 McConnellsburg (20-3)/6-1 Bishop Guilfoyle (19-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Players to watch: Adele Walters-Vrabel, Springdale; Emma Eannarino, Sewickley Academy

Corner kicks: Springdale’s run to what it hopes is a second-straight PIAA championship-game appearance began Tuesday with a 2-1 win over District 5 champion Windber on Windber’s home field. Freshman Walters-Vrabel scored her 12th goal of the season 37 seconds into overtime. Sophomore Ainsley Wade scored in regulation and assisted on Walters-Vrabel’s winner. It was the Dynamos’ second OT win and their third extra-session game of the season. … Springdale and Sewickley Academy will meet for the fifth time in the postseason in the past four years. It is a rematch of a 2-1 Panthers win in the WPIAL semifinals Oct. 28 at Hampton. Springdale beat Sewickley Academy in last year’s semifinals and in the first round in 2022 and 2023. The game is one of two in the PIAA playoffs with WPIAL teams facing each other. The Bentworth and Winchester Thurston boys will play Saturday at Peters Township. … Sewickley Academy bounced back from its loss to Bentworth in the WPIAL title game at Highmark Stadium and dispatched District 9 champion Karns City, 2-1, in the PIAA first round Tuesday. The Panthers grabbed a 2-0 lead before the Gremlins cut the lead in half with a goal in the final 40 minutes. Sophomore Gabby Edmunds earned the win in net, and Eannarino, a junior, and senior Makenzie Dice scored for Sewickley Academy. Tuesday’s game was the first PIAA contest for the Panthers since 2013 and first state tournament victory since 2012.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport