What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Oct. 21, 2024: Postseason soccer, volleyball, golf on tap

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, October 20, 2024 | 7:19 PM

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Welcome to a busy Monday of WPIAL soccer first round matches, district girls volleyball preliminary round action and the opening round of the PIAA golf championships.

In the 2023 WPIAL girls soccer Class 4A first round, Upper St. Clair hosted Butler in the 7-10 matchup, with the Panthers blanking the Golden Tornado, 2-0.

The rematch is set for Monday in the exact same spot in the tournament bracket.

Upper St. Clair (9-5-2) finished in second place in Section 2 while Butler (9-8) ended up in fourth place in Section 3.

The winner will visit No. 2 seed and Section 2 champion Seneca Valley (12-2-2) in the quarterfinals Thursday.

The other three first round 4A matches at 6:30 p.m. include:

*No. 9 Latrobe (8-4-1) at No. 8 Pine-Richland (11-5) at 6:30 p.m. with the winner visiting No. 1 Peters Township (16-0-1).

*No. 12 Mt. Lebanon (9-6-1) at No. 5 Norwin (10-7-1) at 6:30 p.m. with the winner traveling to play No. 4 North Allegheny (10-5-1).

*No. 11 Hempfield (5-12) at No. 6 Canon-McMillan (11-3-1) at 6:30 p.m. with the winner at No. 3 Penn-Trafford (12-4).

3A girls soccer openers

One is good, but twice is nice.

The WPIAL Class 3A 16-team playoff field has two defending champs, and both are the top two seeds.

The 2023 4A champion Fox Chapel (15-1-1) is the No. 1 seed while last year’s 3A winner, South Fayette (13-3), is No. 2.

On Monday, the Foxes host No. 16 Indiana (5-9-2), and the Lions welcome No. 15 Kiski Area (6-8-1).

The other six first round matches set for 6:30 p.m. include:

*No. 9 Franklin Regional (12-5) at No. 8 Montour (11-4-2)

*No. 13 Shaler (8-8-1) at No. 4 Plum (15-1)

*No. 12 Hampton (11-4-1) at No. 5 Moon (12-3)

*No. 10 Bethel Park (9-5-3) at No. 7 Thomas Jefferson (9-5-1)

*No. 14 Laurel Highlands (7-7) at No. 3 West Allegheny (13-3-1)

*No. 11 Oakland Catholic (8-7) at No. 6 Mars (14-2) at 8 p.m.

Same, but different

The top four seeds in the WPIAL Class 2A boys soccer playoffs have the same four teams this season from a year ago, however the deck has been shuffled a bit.

The two constants are South Park (16-1-1) at the top and Deer Lakes (15-2-1) at No. 3.

The defending champion Eagles were No. 1 a year and went on to capture gold.

On Monday, South Park hosts Waynesburg Central (7-7-1) at 6:30 p.m.

The 2022 district champion Lancers open this year’s postseason at home against No. 14 Hopewell (9-7) at 6:30 p.m.

Last year, Quaker Valley was a No. 2 seed and reached the finals. This season, QV (14-3-1) is the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Burrell (8-9) at 6:30 p.m.

Finally, Avonworth (14-2-2) was the No. 4 last fall and this year, the Lopes are the No. 2 seed. The Antelopes will host No. 15 McGuffey on Tuesday.

The other four 2A first round matches starting at 6:30 p.m. include:

*No. 9 Central Valley (14-4) at No. 8 Elizabeth Forward (12-4-1)

*No. 12 Seton LaSalle (12-4) at No. 5 Charleroi (14-1)

*No. 10 Shady Side Academy (11-4-1) at No. 7 Mt. Pleasant (13-5)

*No. 11 Southmoreland (11-7) at No. 6 North Catholic (14-4) at Mars at 6 p.m.

Volleyball pigtails

The first round of the 2024 WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs will take place Tuesday and Wednesday.

Monday is the day for the Class 3A and 2A field of 16 to be set.

There are a total of eight preliminary round matches with two in 3A and a bloated six in 2A.

All of these matches are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.

*Class 3A for No. 15 seed: Albert Gallatin (8-8) at Derry (7-8) with the winner at No. 2 Mars.

*3A for 16 seed: Central Valley (7-9) at Gateway (8-5) with the winner at No. 1 Beaver.

*2A for 11 seed: Mohawk (10-8) vs. Avonworth (9-9) at Keystone Oaks at 6 p.m. with the winner at No. 6 Waynesburg Central

*2A for 12 seed: Brownsville (8-11) at Seton LaSalle (13-7) with winner at No. 5 Southmoreland

*2A for 13 seed: Ligonier Valley (9-8) at Yough (12-8) with winner at No. 4 South Park

*2A for 14 seed: Bentworth (8-10) at McGuffey (11-5) with winner at No. 3 Hopewell

*2A for 15 seed: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (10-6) at Laurel (11-7) with winner at No. 2 Neshannock

*2A for 16 seed: Shenango (7-7) at Keystone Oaks (9-8) at 7:30 p.m. with winner at No. 1 Quaker Valley

Putting at Penn State

The first state championships of the school year take place Monday through Wednesday in Happy Valley.

The 2024 PIAA individual and team golf championships will take place at the Blue and White golf courses at Penn State.

The individual finals are a 36-hole two-day event slate for Monday and Tuesday while the team championships are scheduled for Wednesday.