Westmoreland County soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 20, 2025

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, October 19, 2025 | 4:06 PM

Purchase Photo Options

WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 2A

First round

12-Elizabeth Forward (11-7) at 5-Mt. Pleasant (14-4)

6:30 p.m. Monday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant

Winner plays: Winner of 13-McGuffey (12-6)/4-Avonworth (15-2-1) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Aiden Davis, Elizabeth Forward; Tyke Snyder, Mt. Pleasant

Throw-ins: Elizabeth Forward is the third-place team from Section 3. Davis is a dangerous goal scorer for the Warriors, who were the No. 8 seed last year when they lost to No. 9 Central Valley in the first round (4-2). After winning four straight, the Warriors dropped their final two regular-season games, falling to playoff teams Seton LaSalle (2-1) and Thomas Jefferson (5-0). … Mt. Pleasant captured its first section championship since 2020 — its first outright title since 2017 — with a 1-0 win over Charleroi. Grant Zahrobsky scored the lone goal, his 13th of the season. The Vikings have won seven straight games. They have 11 shutouts, led by back-liner Damien Ohler and goalie Grayson Gardner. Tyke Snyder, a four-sport athlete, is the leading goal scorer with 16. The Vikings’ last playoff win was in 2020 when they made the semifinals.

16-Southmoreland (8-10) at 1-South Park (17-1)

6:30 p.m. Monday, Eagle Stadium, South Park

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Beaver (13-4)/8-Charleroi (13-4) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Jack Smith, Southmoreland; Caden Loveland, South Park

Throw-ins: Southmoreland ended up fourth in Section 4 behind Mt. Pleasant, Charleroi and Yough. The Scotties lost to North Catholic in the first round last year, 6-0. Jack Smith is the go-to goal scorer in an offense that scored only 36 goals. The Scotties allowed 48. They took another playoff team, Yough, to overtime before falling 2-1. … South Park is chasing a WPIAL championship three-peat. The Eagles have five titles overall. They have outscored teams 74-7 and allowed only two goals in section. South Park has 13 shutouts, and its only loss is to 3A Moon.

14-Yough (13-5) at 3-North Catholic (15-2-1)

6 p.m. Monday, J.C. Stone Field, McCandless

Winner plays: Winner of 11-Central Valley/6-Deer Lakes on Thursday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Isaac Pacacha, Yough; Angelo Amelio; North Catholic

Throw-ins: Yough last made the playoffs in 2023. The Cougars have won five of their last seven games. They finished third in Section 4 behind Mt. Pleasant and Charleroi. They edged the Cougars, 1-0, in a game split over two days due to unruly fans. Pacacha is one of the top goal scorers in Westmoreland County. … North Catholic won the Section 1 title. The Trojans have allowed 92 goals and allowed 13. Their losses are to section foe Deer Lakes and 3A No. 1 seed Hampton. North Catholic was the No. 6 seed last year when it lost to Deer Lakes in the first round.

Girls

Class 4A

First round

10-Penn-Trafford (10-6-1) at 7-Upper St. Clair (9-4-2)

6:30 p.m. Monday, Panther Stadium, Upper St. Clair

Winner plays: At 2-Seneca Valley (10-3-2) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Anna Coy, Penn-Trafford; Natalia DiSora, Upper St. Clair

Throw-ins: Penn-Trafford tied for second in Section 1 with Latrobe. The Warriors scored 58 goals in section, second-most behind Norwin. Freshman Ellie Lebe is the leading goal scorer, but Tori Yurt is dangerous in the midfield. Anna Coy leads a sound back line. Twin sisters Emilie and Ava Oslosky are not eligible for the playoffs after their transfer from The Kiski School. Penn-Trafford lost to Canon-McMillan in the first round last year. … Upper St. Clair finished third in Section 2 behind Peters Township and Mt. Lebanon. The Panthers blanked Penn-Trafford, 4-0, earlier in the season. They also tied North Allegheny, 0-0. The Panthers lost in the first round last year to Seneca Valley, 1-0. DiSora, a terrific defender, plays for the Pittsburgh Riveters. Sierra Dupre is a Clemson commit, while Abby Mascaro is headed to Delaware.

9-Latrobe (8-6) at 8-Canon-McMillan (8-6-1)

6:30 p.m. Monday, AHN Field at Big Mac Stadium, Canonsburg

Winner plays: At 1-Peters Township (14-2-2) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Annalyse Bauer, Latrobe; Sarah Coffman, Canon-McMillan

Throw-ins: Latrobe has held strong all season despite a roster of just 18 players. The Wildcats started 0-4. Seven of their eight wins have come via shutout. Annalyse Bauer and Emerson Shine are a dangerous tandem who bring speed and skill to the front of the attack. Latrobe lost a nail-biter to Pine-Richland, 4-3, in the first round last year. … Canon-McMillan reached the semifinals last year but lost to Seneca Valley, 4-1. The Big Macs have three straight shutout wins, including 3-0 over Thomas Jefferson. Midfielder/defender Rachel Tomley is a Youngstown State commit.

Class 3A

First round

11-Shaler (8-7-1) at 6-Franklin Regional (14-3)

6:30 p.m. Monday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Oakland Catholic/3-Moon on Thursday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Naudia Zotter, Shaler; Allyssa Velasquez, Franklin Regional

Throw-ins: Shaler finished fourth in Section 1 behind Fox Chapel, Mars and Hampton. The Titans have lost four of their last five games. They have a pair of one-goal losses to top-seeded Fox Chapel and tied Penn-Trafford, 0-0. Shaler made the playoffs two years in a row following a 37-year postseason drought. Zotter is the centerpiece of the Titans’ attack. … Franklin Regional enters the postseason tournament on a six-game winning streak with all six coming via shutout. The Panthers have allowed just 11 goals in 17 games — five against Plum and only six in section. Goalie Addison Ayres and a strong back line have produced 13 shutouts. Allyssa Velasquez leads the team with 25 goals. Montour edged the Panthers, 3-2, in overtime in the first round last year. Both teams lost in the first round last year.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Shaler, South Park, Southmoreland, Upper St. Clair, Yough