A-K Valley soccer playoff preview capsules for games of Oct. 29, 2022

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, October 28, 2022 | 6:35 PM

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Saturday’s games

Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

5-Canon-McMillan (12-5) at 4-Fox Chapel (12-3-2)

Noon, James Burk Complex, O’Hara Township

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Seneca Valley (16-0-1)/8-Upper St. Clair (9-6-2) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Jacob Glancy, MF, Canon-McMillan; George Tabor, F, Fox Chapel

Corner kicks: Canon-McMillan, the Section 2 runner-up, has been idle for 11 days after a first-round bye. The Big Macs closed the regular season with four straight wins, outscoring foes 16-3. These teams met in the season opener Aug. 27, with Fox Chapel winning 2-1. Glancy was an all-section selection last season. … Fox Chapel also has been idle for 11 days and earned a first-round bye. The Section 1 runner-up Foxes won seven of their final eight games, all by shutout. The lone loss was 3-1 against Franklin Regional. Tabor and John Paul Brach led the Foxes with 12 and 11 goals, respectively, in the regular season.

Class A

Quarterfinals

3-Sewickley Academy (15-2) vs. 6-Springdale (13-4)

Noon, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Winchester Thurston (13-2-1)/10-Serra Catholic (10-6) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Michael DiSantis, F, Sewickley Academy; Billy Lawrence, F, Springdale

Corner kicks: Sewickley Academy advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-2 win over No. 14 OLSH. DiSantis and Adin Zorn each scored two goals. DiSantis scored 18 times in the regular season, followed by Zorn (12) and Hudson Colletti (10). The Panthers, who started the season 11-0, tied Eden Christian for the Section 1 title with an 11-1 record. … Springdale earned a 5-1 win over No. 11 Carlynton in the first round behind a hat trick from Lawrence. Chris Mitchell and Ryan Lewis also scored for the Dynamos. Springdale, the Section 3 runner-up, has won six straight games.

Girls

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

7-Freeport (14-2) at 2-Mt. Pleasant (17-1)

Noon, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant

Winners plays: Winner of 6-Shady Side Academy (10-5)/3-South Park (13-5) at 8 p.m. on Tuesday in semifinals (site TBD)

Players to watch: Aleah Parison, MF, Freeport; Morgan Gesinski, F, Mt. Pleasant

Corner kicks: Freeport took down No. 10 seed Southmoreland, 2-0, in the opening round. Akina Boynton and Katie Borromeo scored in the win, and Olivia Giancola earned the shutout in goal. Senior forward Parison led Freeport during the regular season with 13 goals. Freeport lost to South Park in the first round last year 4-0. The Yellowjackets made the semifinals in 2019. … Mt. Pleasant exploded for a dozen goals in the first round as the Vikings blanked West Mifflin, 12-0, for their 13th shutout of the season. Gesinski, a freshman, had seven goals and an assist, and sophomore Rylin Bugosh pumped in a hat trick to go with four assists. Freshman Laurel Rummel had the shutout in net. The Vikings outshot the Titans, 29-0. Mt. Pleasant has 120 goals this season. The team never has reached the WPIAL semifinals.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Sewickley Academy, Springdale