WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for games of Tuesday, Oct. 27

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, October 26, 2020 | 4:21 PM

Here are WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules for Tuesday’s games involving teams from Westmoreland County and the A-K Valley:

Boys

Class 4A

First round

12-Latrobe (6-2-1) at 5-Upper St. Clair (7-5-1)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Upper St. Clair Stadium, Upper St. Clair

Winner plays: At 4-Fox Chapel (10-3), noon Saturday

Hat tricks: Latrobe was not placed in the bracket initially because its team was in a 14-day quarantine for covid-19 exposure. But the shutdown will end Monday, allowing them to play. The Wildcats tied Norwin, 1-1, to clinch a playoff spot. … Upper St. Clair took third in Section 2 behind Peters Township and Canon-McMillan. The Panthers beat Peters Township, 2-0 and lost 1-0 to North Allegheny. Four losses were by one goal.

Class A

First round

12-Bentworth (7-7) at 5-Springdale (10-1)

6 p.m., Tuesday, Newman Stadium, Wexford

Winner plays: 13-Beaver County Christian (7-4-1) at 4-Seton LaSalle (11-2), 6 p.m., Tuesday, ClearEdge Stadium, Peters Township

Hat tricks: The Dynamos went undefeated in section play. Their only loss came against Class 2A No. 2 seed Deer Lakes. They recorded four shutouts. Freshman Billy Lawrence leads the team with 17 goals. … Bentworth has recorded four shutouts this season. They have won four of their last five games. They capped their season with a 3-0 victory over Beth-Center

1-Greensburg Central Catholic (11-1) vs. 16-Aquinas Academy (5-8)

6 p.m. Tuesday at Elizabeth Forward Warrior Stadium, Elizabeth

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Eden Christian at 8-Serra Catholic, noon Saturday (site TBD)

Hat tricks: Greensburg Central Catholic won the WPIAL title last season and brought back a number of experienced players, including sophomore Carlo Denis (28 goals) and junior Mason Fabean. The Centurions’ only loss is to No. 2 seed Winchester Thurston. With no turf at Centurion Stadium, GCC has to play at neutral sites in the postseason. … Aquinas Academy finished fourth in Section 3. It has a 10-goal game but also was shut out twice by Eden Christian. Aquinas has allowed 28 goals.

…

Girls

Class 2A

First round

13-Ambridge (4-5-1) at 4-Southmoreland (12-1)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Russ Grimm Field, Alverton

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Deer Lakes at 5-Avonworth, noon Saturday (site TBD)

Hat tricks: Ambridge came in third in Section 1 behind North Catholic and Avonworth. The Bridgers are one of two teams with a sub-.500 record in the 2A playoffs. All of their wins were by a single goal. … Southmoreland is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2012 after winning its first section title since ‘11. Sophomore Olivia Cernuto has more than 30 goals. The Scotties’ lone defeat came against Yough, 2-1.

6-Burrell (7-3) at 11-Mt. Pleasant (6-4)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, at Vikings Stadium, Mt. Pleasant

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Freeport at 3-North Catholic, noon Saturday (site TBD)

Hat tricks: This game is a rematch of a 5-0 Burrell victory in last year’s first round. Burrell, a WPIAL quarterfinalist last year, finished second in Section 2 to undefeated and No. 2 seed Shady Side Academy. Five of the Bucs’s seven victories came via shutout. Senior Jordyn Kowalkowski and freshmen Leah Brockett and Tess Mathabel are goal-scoring threats. … Mt. Pleasant and Yough tied for fourth place in Section 3 behind No. 4 Southmoreland and No. 7 Brownsville. Five of the Vikings’ six wins came by shutout, including a 5-0 win over Brownsville on Oct. 7. Senior midfielder MacKenzie Leeder is a scoring leader for Mt. Pleasant.

12-Deer Lakes (10-6) at No. 5 Avonworth (11-1-1)

8 p.m. Tuesday, at Lenzner Field, Emsworth

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Ambridge at 4-Southmoreland, noon Saturday (site TBD)

Hat tricks: The Antelopes’ lone loss of the season was to No. 3 North Catholic, 2-1, in the regular-season finale. The teams played to a scoreless tie in the other Section 1 meeting. Avonworth is back in the WPIAL playoffs after missing out by one point in the Section 1 standings last year. Junior forward Ava Wert is one to watch in the Avonworth offense. … Deer Lakes, in the WPIAL playoffs for the fourth year in a row, made it to the quarterfinals last year after a run to the semifinals in 2018. The Lancers tied with Freeport for third place in Section 2 behind Burrell and Shady Side Academy. Senior Lily Litrun and juniors Madeline Boulos and Ashley McAdams are goal-scoring threats.

14-Freeport (6-5-2) vs. 3-North Catholic (9-2-1)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Burrell at 11-Mt. Pleasant, noon Saturday (site TBD)

Hat tricks: Freeport finished tied for third place with Deer Lakes in Section 2. Sophomore Aleah Parison led the Yellowjackets with 10 regular-season goals. Last year, as the No. 8 seed, Freeport upset No. 1 Hopewell in the quarterfinals before losing to runner-up Yough in the semifinals. … North Catholic is the defending Class AA champion. The Trojanettes captured the Section 1 championship with a 9-0-1 record, and their two regular-season losses came against Class AAAA Pine-Richland and Class AAA Oakland Catholic. Senior striker Jayden Sharpless is a Georgia State verbal commit.

9-Yough (9-4) at 8-Elizabeth Forward (8-5)

8 p.m. Tuesday, Warrior Stadium, Elizabeth

Winner plays: Winner of 16-Beaver (3-8-3) at 1-South Park (11-0-1), noon Saturday (site TBD)

Hat tricks: Yough made the finals for the first time last season and lost to North Catholic. The Cougars edged upstart Southmoreland, the No. 4 seed, 2-1. They have won six of their previous seven games. … Elizabeth Forward didn’t win more than three games in a row all season. It lost to Yough, 5-2, early on. Five of the Warriors’ wins, however, are by shutout.

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

Tags: Ambridge, Aquinas Academy, Avonworth, Bentworth, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Greensburg C.C., Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Southmoreland, Springdale, Upper St. Clair, Yough