Westmoreland girls soccer playoff preview capsules for Saturday’s 1st-round games

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 18, 2018 | 8:24 PM

Girls soccer

First round

Class 4A

No. 12. Hempfield (6-9) vs. No. 5 Pine- Richland (14-3)

2 p.m. Saturday at Pine-Richland

Winner plays: No. 4 Upper St. Clair (13-3)

Coaches: Adam Shaffer, Hempfield; Jodi Chmielewski, Pine-Richland

Players to watch: Sydney Patrick, Jr., F, Hempfield; Megan Donnelly, So., F, Pine-Richland

Corner kicks: Hempfield returns to the playoffs after missing last season and placing fourth in Section 3. The Spartans last won a playoff game in 2004, when they made the quarterfinals. Patrick has 16 goals this season. … Pine-Richland, the second place team in Section 1, won nine of its last 10 games and outscored opponents 71-10 in that span. The Rams were the top seed last year, but lost to North Allegheny in the quarterfinals.

No. 6 Penn-Trafford (12-4) vs. No. 11 Butler (10-5-2)

3 p.m. Saturday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: No. 3 Peters Township (14-3)

Coaches: Jackie Barto, Penn-Trafford; Steve Perri, Butler

Players to watch: Kiley Dugan, Sr., F, Penn-Trafford; Gabrielle Boden, So., F, Butler

Corner kicks: Penn-Trafford starts its WPIAL title defense after winning three of its last five games. The Warriors, which placed second in the Section 3 standings behind rival Norwin, posted 10 shutouts this season. Dugan is a Valparaiso recruit. … Butler went 3-0-1 in its final four Section 4 games to secure the fourth and final playoff berth. The Golden Tornado lost 2-1 in a shootout to Fox Chapel in the first round last year and last won a postseason game in 2003, when they were the PIAA runner-up.

Class 3A

No. 16 Greensburg Salem (6-10-1) vs. No. 1 Mars (15-0)

5 p.m. Saturday at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of No. 8 Trinity (13-3)/No. 9 Montour (11-6)

Coaches: Michael Rhea, Greensburg Salem; Blair Gerlach, Mars

Players to watch : Autumn Sarsfield, Sr., SW, Greensburg Salem; Claire Valentine Sr., GK, Mars

Corner kicks: Greensburg Salem finished fourth in Section 2 to secure a postseason berth after missing last season for the first time since 2012. The Golden Lions lost their last four games and were 2-7-1 over their last 10 games. … Mars outscored opponents 74-5 in the regular season en route to winning the Section 1 title. The Planets lost in the WPIAL final last year and were PIAA quarterfinalists.

No. 3 Belle Vernon (13-3) vs. No. 14 South Fayette (9-5-1)

3 p.m. Saturday at Belle Vernon

Winner plays: Winner of No. 6 West Allegheny (11-5)/No. 11 Laurel Highlands (10-7)

Coaches: Tom Cameron, Belle Vernon; Katie Munnell, South Fayette

Players to watch : Isabella Laurita, So., F, Belle Vernon; Sarah Meindl, Sr., F, South Fayette

Corner kicks: Belle Vernon is in the postseason for the 16th consecutive season after securing the Section 2 title. The Leopards posted nine shutouts this season. Laurita and fellow sophomore Jillian Butchki have provided the Leopards with scoring depth. … South Fayette, the fourth-place team in Section 4, went 1-4 over its last five games after starting the season 8-2. The Lions made the WPIAL quarterfinals last season.

Class AA

No. 7 Burrell (12-2-2) vs. No. 10 Yough (11-5)

1 p.m. Saturday at Kiski Area

Winner plays: No. 2 Hopewell

Coaches: Gregg Dale, Burrell; Dann Appolonia, Yough

Players to watch: Jordyn Kowalkowski, So., M, Burrell; Justine Appolonia, Jr., F, Yough

Corner kicks: This is a rematch of a quarterfinal game from last season, which Yough won 3-2 in overtime on a Justine Appolonia goal. Burrell finished second in Section 2-AA, losing only to third-seeded Deer Lakes during the regular season. Kowalkowski, Skylar Dale and Cara Fiore lead a Burrell offense that scored 85 goals, averaging more than five per game. Yough, a WPIAL semifinalist last season, finished fourth in a loaded Section 3. The Cougars were the only team to beat No. 1 South Park in section play and closed the season on a five-game winning streak, outscoring teams 27-1.

Class A

No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic (9-2) vs. No. 15 Riverside (6-6-3)

1 p.m. Saturday at Hampton

Winner plays: Winner of No. 7 OLSH (11-6)/No. 10 Beth-Center (8-7)

Coaches: Ashley Davis, Greensburg Central Catholic; Amanda Koon, Riverside

Players to watch : Sam Felder, So., M, Greensburg Central Catholic; Jade Farnsworth, So., GK, Riverside

Corner kicks: Greensburg Central Catholic, the defending WPIAL champion, placed first in Section 1 and featured a high-scoring attack. The Centurions have scored 80 goals this season, more than six goals per game, and allowed one or fewer goals in nine games. They have been in the WPIAL championship each of the last seven years. … Riverside went 1-4 in its last five games and was outscored 25-7 in that span. The Panthers lost in the first round last year. They last won a playoff game in 2016 and lost 6-0 to Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals that season.

— Bill Beckner Jr., Doug Gulasy, Jerin Steele

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Butler, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Mars, Penn-Trafford, Pine-Richland, Riverside, South Fayette, Yough