Alle-Kiski playoff capsules: WPIAL girls soccer quarterfinals

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, October 23, 2018 | 8:33 PM

Girls soccer

Class AAA

Quarterfinals

No. 7 Kiski Area (14-4) vs. No. 2 Oakland Catholic (15-1)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of No. 6 West Allegheny/No. 14 South Fayette

Coaches: Melisa O’Toole, Kiski Area; Jim Earle, Oakland Catholic

Players to watch: Reagan Frederick, Kiski Area; Hannah Henn, Oakland Catholic

Corner kicks: Kiski Area is coming off a 4-0 win over Plum in the first round. Frederick scored a pair of goals for the Cavaliers, and Christa Palla and Sidney Palla added one apiece. Kiski Area is making its second consecutive quarterfinal appearance after losing to Norwin in the AAAA quarterfinals last season and is seeking its first semifinal trip. During its four-game winning streak, Kiski Area is outscoring its opponents 22-2. Oakland Catholic defeated Gateway, 2-0, in the first round for the first postseason victory in school history. The Eagles have won 15 consecutive games, their only loss coming to top-seeded Seneca Valley in the season opener. Henn scored a team-high 22 goals in the regular season for Oakland Catholic, which also has nine shutouts.

Class AA

Quarterfinals

No. 3 Deer Lakes (16-1-1) vs. No. 11 Quaker Valley (9-8)

8 p.m. Wednesday at Deer Lakes

Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 Hopewell/No. 7 Burrell

Coaches: Frank Accetta, Deer Lakes; Jamie Birmingham, Quaker Valley

Players to watch: Lily Litrun, Deer Lakes; Cami Womeldorf, Quaker Valley

Corner kicks: Deer Lakes, coming off a first-round bye, won the first section title in school history by going 11-0-1 in Section 1-AA. The Lancers lost in the first round to Brownsville last season and are seeking their first semifinal trip. Litrun, Abigail Boulos, Madeline Boulos and Nina Lafko all scored double-digit goals for Deer Lakes, which outscored its opponents 78-19 this season. Quaker Valley posted a 1-0 upset of No. 6 Brownsville in overtime in the first round. Womeldorf scored the winning goal for the Quakers. This marks the second consecutive quarterfinal appearance for Quaker Valley, which is seeking its first title since 1992. The Quakers have outscored their opponents 44-43.

No. 7 Burrell (13-2-2) vs. No. 2 Hopewell (13-1-1)

8 p.m. Wednesday at Hopewell

Winner plays: Winner of No. 3 Deer Lakes/No. 11 Quaker Valley

Coaches: Gregg Dale, Burrell; Bill Pfeifer, Quaker Valley

Players to watch: Kaylee Pagane, Burrell; Rachel Speicher, Hopewell

Corner kicks: Jordyn Kowalkowski’s goal with 3 minutes, 27 seconds remaining gave Burrell a first-round win over Yough, advancing the Bucs to their second straight quarterfinals. They lost in this round to Yough last season. Burrell held Yough star Justine Appolonia without a goal, with center back Pagane playing a key role. The Yough game was Burrell’s fifth shutout of the season. Hopewell, the Section 1-AA champion, won 11 games the past three seasons combined but outscored its opponents 51-11 this season. Pfeifer won WPIAL and PIAA titles the last two seasons at Moon. The Vikings’ lone loss came to West Allegheny, and they’ve won seven straight games entering.

No. 8 Freeport (11-6-2) vs. No. 1 South Park (16-2)

8 p.m. Wednesday at South Park

Winner plays : Winner of No. 4 Waynesburg/No. 5 Avonworth

Coaches: Brittni Grenninger, Freeport; Shelly Thropp, South Park

Players to watch: Sidney Shemanski, Freeport; Haleigh Finale, South Park

Corner kicks: Freeport is seeking its third consecutive berth to the WPIAL semifinals, and the Yellowjackets are coming off a 3-0 victory over North Catholic in the first round. Shemanski, a three-sport standout, scored two goals in the win over North Catholic. Carlie Giori added the other. The Yellowjackets are 6-1-2 with six shutouts in their past nine games. South Park won the Section 3-AA title, the Eagles’ 22nd consecutive section crown. Their losses this season came against Mercyhurst Prep and Yough. South Park played up in Class AAA the past two seasons, reaching the semifinals and placing third both seasons. Led by Finale, South Park scored 87 goals during the regular season. The Eagles yielded nine goals with 13 shutouts.

Class A

Quarterfinals

No. 9 Springdale (11-6) vs. No. 1 Freedom (17-1)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Hopewell

Winner plays: Winner of No. 4 Seton LaSalle/No. 5 Shady Side Academy

Coaches: Jerry Concannon, Springdale; Colin Williams, Freedom

Players to watch: Sydni Henley, Springdale; Jayden Sharpless, Freedom

Corner kicks: Springdale advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 with a 5-0 win over Chartiers-Houston in the first round. The Dynamos are seeking their first semifinal appearance since 2011, when they finished as WPIAL and PIAA runner-up. Henley scored twice against Chartiers-Houston, both off corner kicks. Jaden Domaratz, Lily Iadicicco and Jade Vrabel had a goal apiece. Springdale has won five consecutive games. Freedom, the WPIAL Class AA champion in 2016 and runner-up last season, rolled to the Section 3-A championship. The Bulldogs beat Eden Christian, 7-0, in the first round. Sharpless, a freshman, topped 30 goals this season. Michaela Watkins, a 40-goal scorer last season, ranks second on the team. Five players reached double-digits in goals as Freedom racked up a WPIAL-high 154 as a team. The Bulldogs own a 12-game winning streak and lost only to Quaker Valley.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freedom, Freeport, Hopewell, Kiski School, Oakland Catholic, Quaker Valley, South Park, Springdale