Westmoreland County WPIAL playoff soccer capsules: Games for Oct. 22, 2024

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, October 21, 2024 | 3:07 PM

Purchase Photo Options

WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 4A

First round

12-North Hills (10-8) at 5-Norwin (11-5-1)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Central Catholic (5-11-1)/4-North Allegheny (14-3-1) on Saturday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: North Hills has lost four of its last five and three in a row. The Indians finished fourth in Section 3. They have a 4-2 win over Seneca Valley. … Defending champion Norwin played in back-to-back double overtime games to end the regular season, tying Latrobe, 1-1, and edging Upper St. Clair, 2-1. The Knights are 9-2-1 in their last 12. Daniel Maddock is the centerpiece of the offense, but Dylan Moyer and George Bunovich bring big-game experience.

Girls

Class 2A

First round

12-Belle Vernon (9-9) at 5-Freeport (11-1-1)

8 p.m. Tuesday, Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Buffalo Township

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Central Valley (7-7-2)/4-South Park (13-4-1) on Saturday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Belle Vernon, which dropped from 3A, tied Keystone Oaks for second place in Section 1. The Leopards have several talented players in Grace West, Ava Scalise and others. Of their nine wins, seven are via shutout. … Freeport starts the playoffs on an eight-game unbeaten streak. The Yellowjackets have allowed just 12 goals and have a record of 5-1 at home. They lost to South Park in the quarterfinals last season, 5-1. Sophomore Camryn Woods leads the Freeport offense for the second consecutive season. Freshman Elena Jenkins, senior Sam Liput and junior Peyton Los also are key players in the Yellowjackets’ attack.

16-McGuffey (8-6-1) at 1-Mt. Pleasant (14-1)

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

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Burrell (11-5-1)/8-Keystone Oaks (10-8) Saturday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: McGuffey came in fourth in Section 1 behind South Park, Keystone Oaks and Belle Vernon. The Highlanders have been outscored 32-29 and have been shut out a half-dozen times. … Mt. Pleasant won 34 straight section games to claim another title, but the Vikings want more after getting upset by Burrell at home in last year’s quarterfinals. Morgan Gesinski, Rylin Bugosh and Maddi Barrick form a talented trio of forwards that packs a punch.

11-Yough (12-6) at 6-North Catholic (13-3)

8 p.m. Tuesday, J.C. Stone Field, McCandless

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Shady Side Academy (6-9-2)/3-Beaver (14-1) Saturday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Yough led 2A with 95 goals, scoring 10 or more four times. They have won five of their past six games. Kate Slavick is a player to watch for the Cougars, who won half of their games on the road. … North Catholic, a perennial playoff contender, finished one point behind Freeport for the Section 2 lead. The Trojanettes scored 62 goals and gave up 15. Nine of their wins have come via shutout. Simone Sharpless is one of the better players in the bracket.

15-Southmoreland (10-7) at 2-Quaker Valley (13-2-2)

8 p.m. Tuesday, Quaker Valley Stadium, Leetsdale

Winner plays: Winner of 10-Avonworth (7-10-1)/7-Deer Lakes (13-3-2)

Corner kicks: Southmoreland, another postseason regular, tied with Yough for third in Section 4. The Scotties dropped three of their final four games to end the regular season. Aubrey Seder and Megan Mehall are a talented scoring duo. … Quaker Valley blanked Southmoreland in the first round last year, 7-0, as the No. 9 seed playing in Alverton. The Quakers have 12 shutouts, including the first five games to start the season. They are 8-0-1 in their past nine games.

Class A

First round

16-Greensburg Central Catholic (6-7) at 1-Springdale (13-1)

6 p.m. Tuesday, Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Buffalo Township

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Carlynton (14-4)/8-Freedom (8-6) on Saturday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Greensburg Central Catholic, with just 12 players, qualified for the postseason and won its opener 10-0 over California in the preliminary round. Riley Kerr scored five goals, and Addison Vacanti and Sophia Fisher had two apiece for the Centurions. … Springdale will try to make it a season sweep of GCC after defeating it twice in section play by scores of 9-2 and 7-1. The Dynamos, who made the semifinals last year, have outscored opponents 86-9 and have nine clean sheets. Springdale’s leading scorer, senior Briana Ross, surpassed 100 goals this season for her varsity career. Fellow senior Molly Hurley and junior Hailey Marchlewski also are top scoring threats for the Dynamos.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Freeport, Greensburg C.C., McGuffey, Moon, Mt. Pleasant, North Hills, Norwin, Springdale