Westmoreland girls soccer playoff capsules: Games of Oct. 24, 2019

By: Jerin Steele
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | 7:26 PM

Class AAAA

9-Fox Chapel (10-7-1) at 1-Norwin (16-1)

8 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Moon (15-2-1) and 5-Seneca Valley (12-3-2) on Monday in semifinals

Coaches: Peter Torres, Fox Chapel; Lauren Karcher, Norwin

Players to watch: Lucy Ream, Jr., F, Fox Chapel; Katelyn Kauffman, So., MF/F, Norwin

Corner kicks: The Foxes’ first-round win was their fifth shutout of the season. The Foxes are seeking their first semifinal appearance since 2016. … Norwin earned a bye after winning the Section 3 title and enters the postseason having won nine consecutive matches. The Knights have posted nine shutouts. Kauffman and Lacey Bernick, who are Pitt recruits, lead a balanced scoring attack. Anna Durmis is a William & Mary commit. Norwin won WPIAL titles in 2015 and ’16 and a PIAA title in ’17.

6-Penn-Trafford (13-6) at 3-North Allegheny (14-2-1)

8 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Peters Township (16-1-1) and 7-Butler (13-4-1) on Monday in semifinals

Coaches: Jackie Barto, Penn-Trafford; Chuck Kelley, North Allegheny

Players to watch: Sarah Nguyen, Sr., MF, Penn-Trafford Sarah Schupansky, Jr., M/F, North Allegheny

Corner kicks: Penn-Trafford earned a 3-0 victory at home over North Allegheny on Sept. 9. The Warriors got a second half goal from Malia Kearns that proved to be the game-winner in a 2-1 first round victory over Pine-Richland. Emma Rain scored in the first half for the Warriors. Nguyen is an Akron recruit. Penn-Trafford won the WPIAL title in 2017. … North Allegheny earned a bye after completing its first undefeated section season in program history en route to the Section 1 championship. The Tigers’ only other loss came against Penn-Trafford’s main rival, Norwin, the top seed. Schupansky is committed to Pitt. The Tigers never have won a WPIAL championship.

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Class AAA

5-Belle Vernon (15-3) vs. 4-Oakland Catholic (13-4-1)

8 p.m. Thursday at Canon McMillan

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Mars (15-0-1) and 9-Thomas Jefferson (12-6-1) on Monday in semifinals

Coaches: Tracy Lovett, Belle Vernon; Jim Earle, Oakland Catholic

Players to watch: Jillian Butchki, Jr., F, Belle Vernon; Hannah Henn, Sr., F, Oakland Catholic

Corner kicks: Chloe Morgan scored off a corner kick in the final minute to complete a comeback 3-2 win for Belle Vernon over Ambridge. Butchki, Einodshofer, Guess, Marissa Grubbs, Grace Henderson and Farrah Reeder received All-Section honors. The Leopards went unbeaten in Section 2 and have won nine of their last 10 games. … Oakland Catholic, the defending Class AAA champion, shut out South Fayette, 3-0, in the first round. The Eagles shared the Section 3 crown with Plum and are riding a six-game winning streak and haven’t yielded a goal in the last four games. Henn had a goal on Monday as has been one of the top offensive players in the WPIAL the last three seasons.

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Class AA

4-Burrell (17-0) vs. 5-Yough (15-1-1)

6 p.m. Thursday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of 8-Freeport (15-4)/1-Hopewell (12-2) on Monday in semifinals

Coaches: Frank Nesko, Burrell; Dann Appolonia, Yough

Players to watch: Megan Malits, Sr., M, Burrell; Justine Appolonia, Sr., F, Yough

Corner kicks: The teams are familiar with each other. Burrell beat Yough in the first round last year, and the Cougars topped the Bucs in overtime in the quarterfinals in 2017. Both teams are seeking their first WPIAL titles. … The Bucs, with Monday’s 5-0 win over Mt. Pleasant, extended their goal-scoring advantage this season to 94-8. Allie Vescio’s two goals in the contest give her a team-best 29 on the season. Burrell’s defense has 10 shutouts this season. … Appolonia, Yough’s all-time leading scorer and a Youngstown State recruit, tallied a hat trick to lead the Cougars to a 10-1 first-round rout of No. 12 Highlands. Yough is the Section 3 co-champion with South Park. The Cougars are averaging 6.1 goals a game.

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Class A

5-Greensburg CC (12-3) vs. 4-Seton LaSalle (13-5)

6 p.m. Thursday at South Park

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Freedom (19-0) and 8-Bishop Canevin (13-2-1) on Monday in semifinals

Coaches: Ashley Davis, Greensburg Central Catholic; T.J. Cherry, Seton LaSalle

Players to watch: Tatum Gretz, So., M, Greensburg Central Catholic; Gina Mastelle, Sr., GK, Seton LaSalle

Corner kicks: The Centurions opened the season with a 5-0 win at Seton LaSalle on Aug. 31. The Centurions fired 65 shots on goal in their 11-0 first-round win over Carlynton. Gretz is a Villanova commit, and Brenna Springer is an Akron commit. The Centurions, who have won four WPIAL titles in the last seven years, are seeking a 10th straight trip to the district semifinals. … Seton LaSalle earned a 2-0 win over Springdale in the first round. Mastelle made six save for her 10th shutout of the season. The Rebels dominated Section 4 play, outscoring opponents 37-3 en route to a 12-0 record. They lost 9-0 in the quarterfinals last season to Shady Side Academy. Seton LaSalle won a WPIAL title in 1988.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Fox Chapel, Greensburg C.C., North Allegheny, Norwin, Oakland Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Seton La Salle, Yough