A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games for Oct. 24, 2024

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 | 4:19 PM

WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

13-Burrell (9-9) vs. 12-Seton LaSalle (13-4)

8 p.m. Thursday, Joe P. DeMichela Stadium, Imperial

Winner plays: Winner of 1-South Park (17-1-1)/9-Central Valley (14-4) on Monday in semifinals

Corner kicks: All five Burrell shooters scored in a shootout Monday as the Bucs upset No. 4 Quaker Valley in the first round 1-0. Keeper Ben Doland made 16 saves in the victory. The Bucs are led by a deep group of 10 seniors. Burrell beat Seton LaSalle, 1-0, in the WPIAL third-place match last season to advance to the PIAA playoffs. … Seton LaSalle has won seven of its past eight games, including a 3-2 victory over Charleroi in the first round Monday. Ty Kovalcik, Gavin McMahon and Darius Norevicus scored. The Rebels have outscored teams 48-18 this season.

6-North Catholic (15-4) at 3-Deer Lakes (16-2-1)

7 p.m. Thursday, Lancer Stadium, West Deer

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Avonworth (14-2-2)/10-Shady Side Academy (12-4-1) on Monday in semifinals

Corner kicks: Deer Lakes swept North Catholic in Section 1 play, winning 1-0 on Aug. 27 and 2-0 on Sept. 30. The Lancers are on a 13-game unbeaten run. In a 4-0 first-round win over Hopewell, Peyton Kushon had two goals, and Collin Rodgers and Artemey Parshyn added goals. … North Catholic has outscored opponents 101-14 this season. The Trojans have posted nine shutouts. Justin Garvey and Arthur Mendonca each surpassed 20 goals this season.

Girls

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

5-Moon (13-3) at 4-Plum (16-1)

7 p.m. Thursday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Fox Chapel (16-2-1)/8-Montour (12-5-2) on Tuesday in semifinals

Corner kicks: Plum reached at least the WPIAL quarterfinals for the sixth year in a row with a 3-0 home victory over No. 13 Shaler in the first round. Emily Grubich scored for the Mustangs four minutes into the game, and Mia Nardo and Allison Porter added insurance goals in the second half. The win was Plum’s eighth in a row since its lone loss of the season to Montour. The Mustangs defense has surrendered four goals during the streak. Monday’s shutout was Plum’s 13th of the season. …. Moon, last year’s WPIAL 3A runner-up to South Fayette, punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over No. 12 Hampton. Four players — Lauren Muhanna, Lilly Snyder, Anna Palm and Riley LaFayette — scored. Moon and No. 3 West Allegheny shared the Section 2 title with 10-2 records. The Tigers defense has allowed just nine goals while scoring 52 times in their 16 games. The first-round win Monday allowed Moon to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to Montour in its section finale. The Tigers are seeking their sixth WPIAL championship and third in four years. … Moon and Plum met twice in the 2022 postseason. The Tigers prevailed in the WPIAL semifinals on the way to claiming gold at Highmark and again in the PIAA quarterfinals at Peters Township en route to winning the state title.

8-Montour (12-5-2) at 1-Fox Chapel (16-2-1)

7 p.m. Thursday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Moon (13-3)/4-Plum (16-1) on Tuesday in semifinals

Corner kicks: Montour advanced to the quarterfinals with an overtime thriller against Franklin Regional in the first round. The Spartans got the winner from Irelynn Hobbs with 1 minute left in overtime. Kira Hobbs scored both regulation goals for Montour in the first three minutes of the second half to rally her team from a 1-0 halftime deficit. The Spartans went 5-0-1 during a stretch late in the regular season before a tough loss to Class 4A North Allegheny in the finale. One of the wins was a 3-2 triumph over No. 5 Moon. The Spartans also handed No. 4 Plum its only loss of the regular season. … Fox Chapel, last year’s Class 4A champion, kicked off this year’s tournament with an 8-0 rout of Indiana on Monday. Emily McKee and Alyssa Quackenbush continued to be lethal offensively as each tallied a hat trick in the victory. McKee also assisted on a pair of goals. The Foxes have averaged 4.5 goals this season and have surrendered 10 goals over 19 games. Fox Chapel’s WPIAL title last year was the second in program history (1985).

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.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Montour, Moon, North Catholic, Plum, Seton La Salle