A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games for Oct. 28, 2024

By: Bill Hartlep
Sunday, October 27, 2024 | 5:28 PM

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WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 2A

Semifinals

1-South Park (18-1-1) vs. 13-Burrell (10-9)

6 p.m. Monday, North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium, McCandless

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Avonworth (15-2-2)/3-Deer Lakes (17-2-1) Oct. 31, Nov. 1 or Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium in championship

Corner kicks: Top-seeded South Park has posted back-to-back shutouts in the WPIAL playoffs, beating No. 16 Waynesburg, 6-0, and No. 9 Central Valley, 3-0. The defending WPIAL champion Eagles won Section 3 at 13-0-1. Their only loss came against Moon, 3-1, on Sept. 14. They have won 13 straight since. They have outscored opponents 87-11 this season. Danny Battista led the Eagles in scoring with 21 in the regular season. Dawson Battista and Caden Loveland also were double-digit scorers. … Burrell also has two shutouts in the postseason, beating No. 4 Quaker Valley in penalty kicks after a scoreless tie through overtime and then defeating No. 12 Seton LaSalle, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. Parker Pruitt scored off an assist from Billy Kowalkowski early in the second half, and keeper Ben Doland made it stand up. … The winning team qualifies for the state tournament. The losing team will play in the third-place consolation Wednesday for a berth in the PIAA playoffs.

2-Avonworth (15-2-2) vs. 3-Deer Lakes (17-2-1)

8 p.m. Monday, North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium, McCandless

Winner plays: Winner of 1-South Park (18-1-1)/13-Burrell (10-9) Oct. 31, Nov. 1 or Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium in championship

Corner kicks: Avonworth rolled past McGuffey, 7-0, in the first round and beat No. 10 Shady Side Academy, 1-0, in overtime in the quarterfinals. Rowan Carmichael scored the winning goal off an assist from Abdul Basit Sleiman Kaije. Alex Rowe recorded the shutout. The Lopes tied Quaker Valley for the Section 2 title. They have scored 108 goals this season, an average of 5.6 per game, which is third most in the WPIAL behind Bentworth (7.3) and Charleroi (7.1). … Deer Lakes has posted shutouts over No. 14 Hopewell, 4-0, and No. 6 North Catholic, 3-0. In the quarterfinals, Cuyler Crim scored twice, Peyton Kushon added one and Collin Rodgers had all three assists. Deer Lakes averages 4.7 goals per game. Kushon, Rodgers and Jacob Orseno had 12 goals each, and Crim and Artemey Parshyn had 11 in the regular season to lead the Lancers. … The winning team qualifies for the state tournament. The losing team will play in the third-place consolation Wednesday for a berth in the PIAA playoffs.

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: Avonworth, Burrell, Deer Lakes, South Park