Breaking down the 2018 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 | 9:06 PM

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Class AAAA

Favorite: Seneca Valley. The Raiders won WPIAL titles in 2007, ‘09, ‘13 and ‘14. They finished on top of a strong Section 1 and posted nonsection wins over defending champion Penn-Trafford and reining PIAA champ Norwin.

Contenders: No. 2 Norwin is loaded with talent and speed. The Knights have three Pitt recruits in Eva Frankovic, Katelynn Kauffman and Lacey Bernick. No. 3 Peters Township features Regan LaVigna, a Youngstown State recruit, and forward Hannah Stuck, a Bucknell recruit. No. 3 Upper St. Clair tied Peters Township for the Section 2 title and the teams split. Two of Pine-Richland’s losses are to Seneca Valley, but the No. 5 seed has talented scorers in Megan Donnelly and Allie Malobicky. Returning champion Penn-Trafford has 10 shutouts.

Don’t overlook : North Allegheny. The Tigers split with Seneca Valley and shut out Norwin.

Prediction: Norwin over Seneca Valley.

Class AAA

Favorite: Mars. The unbeaten Planets (15-0) are ranked No. 22 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. They have allowed five goals all season, including three in one game against Hampton, and are led by goalkeeper Claire Valentine. Taylor Hamlett, Ellie Coffield and Caroline Wroblewski all are scoring threats. Mars, which has seven WPIAL titles, the last in Class AA in 2015, was the runner-up last year to Moon, which moved to 4A.

Contenders: Oakland Catholic (14-1) is the No. 2 seed but has been knocked out in the opening round four straight times. Belle Vernon did not lose a section game and its losses were to 4A Canon-McMillan and 2A playoff teams North Catholic and Waynesburg. The Leopards have 16 straight playoff trips. Section 4 champion Ambridge is on a 12-game unbeaten streak. Hampton took Mars to the limit in a pair of one-goal section losses. The teams could meet in the semifinals.

Don’t overlook: Kiski Area split with Hampton in section and beat 4A playoff team Hempfield, 2-1.

Prediction: Mars over Belle Vernon.

Class AA

Favorite: South Park has won a remarkable 22 consecutive section titles and has only lost 10 section games in that time span. The Eagles have reached the semifinals 16 of the last 18 years but have not won a WPIAL title since 2008.

Contenders: Hopewell, the Section 1 champion, only has one loss, to Class 3A No. 6 seed West Allegheny, a playoff first-timer. Deer Lakes won the Section 2 title, its first, but eked out four one-goal wins. Defending champion Waynesburg still packs a scoring punch with eight games of five or more goals, but did not score in two games with South Park.

Don’t overlook : Yough. The Cougars, led by junior Justine Appolonia and nine other returning starters, ended the regular season with five straight wins, four via shutout. They beat South Park, 3-1.

Prediction: South Park over Hopewell.

Class A

Favorite: Freedom. The 2016 Class AA champion and ‘17 runner-up dropped in classification but not in talent. The Bulldogs average 8.6 goals per game. Myla Sharpless (Florida Atlantic) returned from injury to form a one-two punch with freshman sister Jayden Sharpless (50 goals).

Contenders: Greensburg Central Catholic is the defending champion and has the firepower to win it again. The Centurions have six titles since 2005. They shook off a rare, two-game losing streak — vs. Burrell and rival Shady Side Academy — to win their last four games. Section 2 champion Bentworth has nine shutouts. No. 5 Shady Side Academy won championships in 2013 and ‘16. The Indians feature 100-plus goal scorer Krystyna Rytel. Seton La Salle has a deceiving record and could make some noise.

Don’t overlook: Bishop Canevin has not lost since Sept. 26.

Prediction : Freedom over Greensburg Central Catholic.

— Bill Beckner

Tags: Ambridge, Belle Vernon, Bentworth, Bishop Canevin, Deer Lakes, Freedom, Greensburg C.C., Hampton, Hopewell, Kiski School, Mars, North Allegheny, Norwin, Oakland Catholic, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Shady Side Academy