What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Oct. 21, 2025: Familiar faces meet in 1st round of boys soccer playoffs

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | 12:20 AM

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One week. That is all that separates four WPIAL boys soccer teams from finishing the regular season and starting the postseason against the same opponent.

The first round of the district boys soccer playoffs conclude with the focus on four Class 4A opening-round matches.

In two of them, familiar foes will square off.

In the No. 8 vs. No. 9 match, North Allegheny (9-5-3) hosts Central Catholic (10-4-3) in a battle of third-place finishers at 8 p.m. with audio on Trib HSSN.

Eight days ago, the Tigers and Vikings played to a season-ending 1-1 tie.

The winner advances to the quarterfinals to face top-seeded Peters Township.

In the No. 7 vs. No. 10 match, Mt. Lebanon (12-4-2) is home to Pine-Richland (5-10-2) at 6:30 p.m.

It was seven days ago when the Blue Devils blanked the Rams, 1-0.

Up next for the winner Saturday is No. 2 Fox Chapel.

The other two 4A boys soccer first round matches Monday are:

• No. 12 Hempfield (5-11) visiting No. 5 Canon-McMillan (13-3) at 6:30 p.m. with the winner to play No. 4 Seneca Valley in the second round

• No. 11 Woodland Hills (7-7) traveling to No. 6 Norwin (10-5-3) at 8 p.m. with the winner going up against No. 3 Plum in the quarters.

Same, but different

In the 2024 girls soccer Class 2A brackets, No. 2 Quaker Valley and No. 15 Southmoreland met in an opening-round playoff match.

This fall, the Quakers and Scotties collide again, but this time just one rung lower on the Class 2A bracket ladder.

On Tuesday, No. 3 Quaker Valley (13-2-1), champion of Section 3-2A, will host No. 14 Southmoreland (7-9-1), which finished tied for third place in Section 4-2A, at 6 p.m.

In that playoff match last fall at Chuck Knox Stadium, the Quakers blanked the Scotties, 4-0, on their way to winning the district championship.

Here are the other seven girls soccer 2A first-round matches:

• Top seed South Park (18-0) welcomes No. 16 Yough (7-10) at 6:30 p.m.

• No. 9 Belle Vernon (13-4-1) visits No. 8 Burrell (9-6-2) at 6:30 p.m.

• No. 4 Mt. Pleasant (13-4-1) is home to No. 13 Avonworth (9-8-1) at 6:30 p.m.

• No. 12 Shady Side Academy (7-9) travels to No. 5 Deer Lakes (15-2) at 8 p.m.

• No. 2 Freeport (15-1) hosts No. 15 Ringgold (6-9-1) at 6:30 p.m.

• No. 10 Beaver (9-7-1) will battle No. 7 North Catholic (12-5) at Deer Lakes at 6 p.m.

• No. 6 Central Valley (12-3-1) entertains No. 11 Keystone Oaks (8-9) at 8 p.m.

New kids on the block

The WPIAL Class A girls soccer playoffs begins Tuesday with 15 teams returning to the opening round from a year ago.

The only new addition this fall is No. 14 Brownsville.

This could be the start of something for the Falcons, who are young and have relied on a lot of underclassmen to reach the postseason.

Brownsville (12-4-2) will have its hands full when it goes up against No. 3 seed Seton LaSalle (13-4) in a matchup of second-place teams at Peters Township at 8 p.m.

Here are the other seven girls soccer Class A first-round matches:

• Top seed Sewickley Academy (15-1) will face No. 16 Ellis School (5-7) at Quaker Valley at 8 p.m. The Tigers advanced last week with a preliminary round victory over Greensburg Central Catholic in overtime, 3-2.

• No. 9 Carlynton (10-7-1) battles No. 8 Eden Christian Academy (9-8) at North Allegheny at 6 p.m.

• No. 4 and defending champion Springdale (10-1-1) is home to No. 13 Chartiers-Houston (8-5-2) at 6 p.m.

• No. 12 Riverview (8-5) goes up against No. 5 Riverside (8-3-1) at Central Valley at 6 p.m.

• No. 2 Bentworth (15-1-1) will be challenged by No. 15 Freedom (7-8) at Peters Township at 6 p.m.

• No. 10 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (7-6-1) will tangle with No. 7 Aquinas Academy (9-6) at Springdale at 6 p.m.

• No. 6 Winchester Thurston (10-5-1) takes on No. 11 Waynesburg Central (9-4-2) at Norwin at 6 p.m.

Back-to-back upsets?

A year ago, Chartiers Valley was the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL Class 3A girls volleyball playoffs and coming off a first-round win over Laurel Highlands in the first round.

Freeport was the No. 6 seed in the bracket and swept past Ringgold in the opening round.

The two met in the quarterfinals where the Yellowjackets stung the Colts, 3-2.

On Thursday, in Round 1 of the 2025 Class 3A postseason, the teams meet again with the Colts once again being the higher seed.

No. 7 Chartiers Valley (14-4) looks for revenge while No. 10 Freeport (11-5) looks to repeat history in a first-round match at Oakland Catholic at 6 p.m.

Here are the other seven girls soccer Class 2A first-round matches Tuesday:

• Top seed Oakland Catholic (17-1) will host Derry (11-5) at 7:30 p.m. Derry won in three games against Franklin Regional in the prelims Monday.

• No. 8 Indiana (13-3) is set to battle No. 9 South Fayette (8-8) at Norwin at 6 p.m.

• No. 13 Central Valley (10-6) will visit No. 4 Thomas Jefferson (14-3) at 7 p.m.

• No. 5 Hampton (12-4) goes up against No. 12 Laurel Highlands (9-7) at Mars at 6 p.m.

• No. 2 Beaver (17-1) welcomes No. 15 Ringgold (12-5) at 7 p.m. The Rams swept Blackhawk in the preliminary round Monday, 3-0.

• No. 3 Mars (14-4) is home to No. 14 Belle Vernon (14-4) at 7:30 p.m.

• No. 11 Trinity (9-5) takes on No. 6 Greensburg Salem (15-1) at Norwin at 7:30 p.m.

Lucky No. 11

As the first round of the WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs begin Tuesday in Class 2A and A, one team given a double-digit seed might not be displeased.

Last year, Avonworth was the No. 11 seed in the Class 2A field and ended up stunning No. 6 Waynesburg in the opening round, 3-0.

The Antelopes then lost to eventual district runner-up Hopewell in the quarterfinals, 3-1.

On Tuesday, Avonworth (12-6) is again the No. 11 seed as it prepares to battle No. 6 Riverside (11-3) at OLSH at 6 p.m.

Here are the other seven girls soccer Class 2A first-round matches Tuesday:

• Top seed Hopewell (15-1) will host No. 16 McGuffey at 7:30 p.m. The Highlanders needed five games to beat Chartiers-Houston to advance Monday.

• No. 9 Burrell (14-2) battles No. 8 Brownsville (16-2) at Waynesburg Central at 6 p.m.

• No. 4 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (13-3) hosts No. 13 South Allegheny (16-5) at 7:30 p.m. The Gladiators advanced by sweeping Carlynton in the preliminary round.

• No. 5 Mohawk (13-4) will square off with No. 12 Southmoreland (11-6) at Seton LaSalle on Trib HSSN at 6 p.m.

• No. 2 Waynesburg (18-0) is home to No. 15 Quaker Valley (9-10) at 7:30 p.m. The Quakers edged Keystone Oaks in a pigtail-round match Monday, 3-2.

• No. 10 Neshannock (11-4) goes up against No. 7 South Park (14-3) at Hopewell at 6 p.m.

• No. 3 Seton LaSalle (18-2) welcomes No. 14 Shenango (11-4) at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats ousted Deer Lakes in the preliminary round in three games.

Final round of state golf

The final 18 holes of the 36-hole championships conclude Tuesday in the PIAA boys and girls individual golf championships.

The 90th annual state individual golf finals are taking place at the Blue and White courses at Penn State.

The WPIAL has 48 golfers participating in the two-day event.

In boys 3A, Carson Kittsley of Fox Chapel and Sam Bishop of South Fayette are tied for second place, two strokes off the lead after both shooting a 2-under par 70 Monday.

Chase Yenser of Daniel Boone is currently in first place.

Bishop’s South Fayette teammate, Brady Newman, and Jack Sacriponte of Latrobe are among four golfers tied for fourth place, three strokes off the lead after each carded a 71.

Mya Morgan of Elizabeth Forward is the leader after the opening round in girls 3A. She shot a 3-under par 69 on Monday.

WPIAL champion Ellie Benson of Peters Township is one of three golfers tied for second place, five strokes back after an opening-round 74.

In boys 2A, Luke Sikora of Greensburg Salem is in second place after shooting a 3-under par 69. He is one stroke behind leader Cole Powell of Scranton Prep.

Jonah Schollaert shot an even par 72 and is four strokes off the lead.

In girls 2A, WPIAL champion Alyssa Zhang shot a 4-under par 68 and is tied for the lead with Madison Koshko of St. Joseph’s Catholic and Kate Sowers of West Middlesex.

JoJo Jaskulski of Chartiers-Houston is in eighth place after shooting a 6-over par 78.

There are 14 district golfers in the boys Class 3A state finals as well as 18 in boys 2A, seven in girls 3A and nine in girls 2A.

The PIAA team golf championships are on Wednesday at Penn State.