A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games for Oct. 26, 2024

By: Triblive And Michael Love And Bill Hartlep
Friday, October 25, 2024 | 6:07 PM

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WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

8-Canon-McMillan (11-4-2) at 1-Plum (15-0-3)

11 a.m. Saturday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum

Winner plays: Winner of 4-North Allegheny (15-3-1)/12-North Hills (10-8) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: Canon-McMillan, the third-place finisher in Section 2, beat Gateway, 6-0, in the first round. The Big Macs allow one goal per game and have posted nine shutouts. Adam Kuchera, who had a hat trick in the first round, leads the Big Macs in scoring with 24 goals. … Plum earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye after going 10-0 to win the Section 1 title. The Mustangs have outscored opponents 62-10 and posted nine shutouts. Last season, also as a No. 1 seed, Plum lost to South Fayette in the Class 3A quarterfinals. Coach Raf Kolankowski was named the Section 1 coach of the year. Garrett Chandler, Gage Adinolfi, Austin Kolankowski, Fedgi Fertil, Noah Smith and Marco Tommasino were picked to the section’s Finest 15.

6-Upper St. Clair (11-5-2) at 3-Fox Chapel (10-4-2)

Noon Saturday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Peters Township (15-1-1)/7-Seneca Valley (13-5) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: Upper St. Clair, the runner up in Section 2, beat Pine-Richland, 3-1, in the first round. Shawn Khurana had two goals, and Andrew Fulton found the back of the net. Ben Murtough had 13 goals in the regular season to lead the Panthers. … Fox Chapel tied North Allegheny for the Section 3 title at 8-2 and earned a first-round bye. The Foxes average nearly three goals. Aiden Stein leads the scoring with 12 goals. The Foxes, who beat USC, 2-1, in the WPIAL first round last season, reached the WPIAL semifinals before falling to Norwin.

Girls

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

9-Burrell (12-5-1) at 1-Mt. Pleasant (15-1)

1 p.m. Saturday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Freeport (12-1-1)/4-South Park (13-4-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: This is a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals when Burrell stunned the No. 3-seeded Vikings, 2-1, in overtime at Viking Stadium. … Burrell returned to the quarters with a 6-0 shutout at No. 8 Keystone Oaks. Miley Kariotis and Leah Waldsmith had two goals apiece, and Makiah Buchak had a goal and two assists for the Bucs, who got three assists from McKenna Miller and posted their ninth shutout of the season behind goalie Dana Barczykowski. Burrell lost to Shady Side Academy, 3-0, in last year’s semis. … Mt. Pleasant opened the postseason with an 8-0 victory over No. 16 McGuffey, showing the offensive prowess that helped it land the No. 1 seed. Maddie Barrick and Morgan Gesinski matched hat tricks, and Rylin Bugosh had a goal and two assists in the win. Gesinski led the WPIAL in goals during the regular season with 33. Mt. Pleasant has outscored opponents 100-6 and has posted 11 shutouts led by goalkeeper Laurel Rummel. It has allowed one goal since Sept. 21. The Vikings are trying to reach the semifinals for the second time in three years.

7-Deer Lakes (14-3-2) at 2-Quaker Valley (14-2-2)

Noon Saturday, Chuck Knox Stadium, Leetsdale

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Beaver (15-1)/6-North Catholic (14-3) on Tuesday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: There will be a new WPIAL champion in girls Class 2A as the Lancers topped three-time defending titlist Avonworth, 1-0, in a first-round matchup Tuesday. Freshman Reese Waruszewski made an impact in her playoff debut, scoring the winner in the ninth minute of the second half. Deer Lakes keeper Mikaya Potter and the rest of the defense made that goal stand up for the Lancers’ 10th shutout. The win was Deer Lakes’ seventh in a row and put it in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019. That year, the Lancers defeated Quaker Valley in the first round, and Saturday’s meeting will be the first one between the teams since. … Quaker Valley’s Ari Bosh scored twice, and Rowan Wallace and Lilly Baker added scores as the Quakers rolled past Southmoreland to run their unbeaten streak to 10 games. Quaker Valley is seeking its first WPIAL girls soccer title since 1992 when it won the second of back-to-back crowns. Last year, the Quakers, as the No. 9 seed, fell to No. 1 Avonworth, 4-3, in the quarterfinals before the Antelopes went on to claim their third WPIAL title in a row.

5-Freeport (12-1-1) at 4-South Park (13-4-1)

1 p.m. Saturday, Eagle Stadium, South Park

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Mt. Pleasant (15-1)/9-Burrell (12-5-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: Freeport had no trouble taking care of business in an 8-0 first-round victory over No. 12 Belle Vernon. Freshman Elena Jenkins recorded a hat trick in her playoff debut, and sophomore Camryn Woods, the Yellowjackets’ leading scorer, added a goal and two assists. Junior Peyton Los, senior CeCe Schlegel, Brinley Sullivan and Nia DiSanti also scored goals, and junior Alyssa Alcorn and the Freeport defense shut out an opponent for the eighth time this season. Freeport is in the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season and is seeking its first berth in the semifinals since 2019. … Freeport and South Park are familiar with each other having played in the quarterfinals last season. The Eagles won that game 5-1. … South Park had a more challenging first-round game as the No. 4 Eagles were pushed to the limit before defeating Central Valley, 2-1. Brooke Paylo and Mily Mehelic each scored for the Section 1 champion, which is unbeaten in its last 11 games and has won six in a row. The Eagles are seeking their first WPIAL title since 2018.

Class A

Quarterfinals

8-Freedom (9-6) vs. 1-Springdale (14-1)

2 p.m. Saturday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Aquinas Academy (10-5)/5-Sewickley Academy (12-3-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: Springdale made sure that the third time wasn’t the charm for Greensburg Central Catholic in a rematch of a pair of regular-season matchups between the Section 1 foes. Senior Briana Ross scored a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Dynamos to a 7-1 win over the Centurions to complete the season sweep. Molly Hurley, Brooke Taliani, Carissa Walsh and Kaitlyn Shock added scores, and Hailey Marchlewski dished out three assists. Springdale’s only loss this season came in a 3-0 setback to Class 2A power Burrell. The Dynamos own 10 shutouts this season. … Saturday’s contest is a rematch of last year’s semifinal game won by the Bulldogs, 3-2, en route to the Class A title. Freedom also defeated Springdale in the 2022 Class A championship game at Highmark Stadium. … Freedom needed penalty kicks to defeat No. 9 Carlynton, 2-1. Ashlynn Wagner scored to tie the game in the second half, and Farisa Roberts tallied the decisive shootout goal for the Bulldogs, who won for the fifth straight time. Freedom has scored 32 goals this year and given up 29. Last year’s WPIAL title was the Bulldogs’ fourth in program history. All four championships have come since 2016.

10-Riverview (12-3) vs. 2-Seton LaSalle (13-2-2)

3 p.m. Saturday, Confluence Financial Partners Stadium, Peters Township

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Winchester Thurston (13-5)/3-Bentworth (16-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD)

Corner kicks: Riverview reached the quarterfinals for the second year in a row with a 1-0 victory at No. 7 Waynesburg on Tuesday. Sophomore Hannah Hudack scored the winning goal with less than 12 minutes left. Senior Molly Morrissey provided the assist on Hudack’s goal. Nine of the Raiders’ 12 wins this season have come by shutout. Seton LaSalle and Riverview are no strangers to each other, having shared the same section last year and in 2022. The Raiders won both meetings last year, but the Rebels swept Riverview in 2022. ….Seton LaSalle’s Sydney Towers broke a scoreless tie early in the second half, and Kendall DeMarino added an insurance goal as the Rebels shut out No. 15 Ellis School in the Class A first round. It was Seton’s fifth win in a row and ninth shutout of the season. Seton, the No. 13 seed last year, fell to Winchester Thurston, 2-0, in the first round. The 2022 Rebels also made the quarterfinals, but that is where their run ended in a 5-2 loss to eventual champion Freedom.

Tags: Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freedom, Freeport, Plum, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Seton La Salle, South Park, Springdale, Upper St. Clair