By: Triblive And Michael Love And Bill Hartlep
Sunday, October 20, 2024 | 6:14 PM
Plum’s Mia Nardo celebrates her goal with teammates during their game against Franklin Regional on Sept. 23. The Mustangs host Shaler in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.
WPIAL soccer playoffs
Boys
Class 2A
First round
13-Burrell (8-9) at 4-Quaker Valley (14-3-1)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Chuck Knox Stadium, Leetsdale
Winner plays: Winner of 5-Charleroi (14-1)/12-Seton LaSalle (12-4) in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Burrell was the fourth-place finisher in Section 1. The Bucs snapped a four-game losing streak late in the season with 1-0 wins over Highlands and Freeport to end the section slate. Burrell is led by two all-section selections: senior midfielder Billy Kowalkowski and sophomore midfielder Vincent Guerrini. … Quaker Valley finished tied for the Section 2 title with Avonworth after both went 14-1-1. The Quakers outscored opponents 87-14 this season. QV has won 10 WPIAL titles, tied for second most in district history with Mt. Lebanon and Springdale. Former QV assistant Sean Ryan is his first season as head coach. The defense is anchored by captains Andrew Vescio and Tanner Schultz.
14-Hopewell (9-7) at 3-Deer Lakes (15-2-1)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Lancer Stadium, West Deer
Winner plays: Winner of 6-North Catholic (14-4)/11-Southmoreland (11-7) in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Hopewell finished fourth in Section 2 after winning its final three games: shutouts over Mohawk, Ellwood City and Keystone Oaks. The Vikings have outscored opponents 56-28. … Deer Lakes secured the Section 1 title with a 13-1 record. The Lancers have outscored teams 88-12 and are unbeaten in their past 12 games (11-0-1). Their lone losses came against Shady Side Academy and North Hills. Aaron Smith was named the Section 1 Coach of the Year.
Girls
Class 3A
First round
13-Shaler (8-8-1) at 4-Plum (15-1)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum
Winner plays: Winner of 12-Hampton (12-4-1)/5-Moon (12-3) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Plum captured its sixth consecutive section title with a perfect 12-0 record. The Mustangs’ lone loss of the season came at No. 8 seed Montour, 1-0, on Sept. 19. Plum lost to Montour in last year’s Class 3A quarterfinals. The Mustangs made three straight WPIAL finals appearances from 2019-21. Plum features multiple scoring threats, including freshman Ali Joyce, junior Gianna Revetta, senior Mia Nardo, sophomore Emily Grubich, and senior Serena Carnahan. … Shaler defeated Gateway, 3-0, last Monday in a winner-take-all game for the fourth playoff spot from Section 1. The victory came after a three-game losing streak against playoff-bound Hampton, Mars and Moon. The Titans ended a nearly four-decades long playoff-appearance drought. Shaler dropped to Class 3A for the current two-year cycle. Sophomore Naudia Zotter is a leading goal scorer for the Titans.
16-Indiana (5-9-2) at 1-Fox Chapel (15-2-1)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel
Winner plays: Winner of 9-Franklin Regional (12-5)/8-Montour (11-5-2) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Fox Chapel hopes to make a second consecutive run to a WPIAL championship. Last year, as the No. 6 seed in Class 4A, the Foxes defeated Peters Township, Norwin and North Allegheny to win WPIAL gold. Dropping to Class 3A under the WPIAL’s latest realignment, Fox Chapel captured the Section 1 title with a 12-0 record, holding off perennial power Mars (8-2) for the crown. The Foxes suffered consecutive losses to Peters Township, 3-0, and Class 3A No. 2 seed South Fayette, 2-1, last week to close out the regular season. Emily McKee, in a 4-0 victory over Gateway on Oct. 9, scored the 50th goal of her varsity career. Alyssa Quackenbush also is a goal-scoring threat for the Foxes. … Indiana needed two overtimes but defeated Kiski Area, 1-0, last Monday to clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. The Indians missed out on the postseason by five points last year. It was only a one-year hiatus as Indiana tied Kiski Area for fourth place in their section in 2022 and qualified. Junior forward Sophie Scardina is one to keep an eye on for the Indians.
15-Kiski Area (6-9-1) at 2-South Fayette (15-3)
6:30 p.m. Monday, South Fayette Stadium, South Fayette Township
Winner plays: Winner of 10-Bethel Park (9-6-3)/7-Thomas Jefferson (9-6-1) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Kiski Area ended the regular season on a three-game losing streak. One of the losses came to section rival Indiana, 1-0, in two overtimes, and the others were to Section 4-3A champ Plum, 3-1, and Section 1-4A champ Penn-Trafford, 1-0. The Cavaliers, in the WPIAL postseason for the 10th consecutive season, suffered first-round defeats to Plum the past two years by a combined 15-1. Kiski Area, as the No. 13 seed, upset Connellsville, 2-1, in the 2021 Class 3A first round before falling to No. 5 Montour in the quarterfinals. Senior midfielder Camryn Kunz is a lethal goal-scoring threat. She recorded a hat trick in a 7-3 win over West Mifflin on Oct. 2. … South Fayette captured the 2023 Class 3A championship as the No. 5 seed. It upset No. 1 Mars on penalty kicks in the semifinals and did the same against Moon in the championship game at Highmark Stadium. The Lions defeated No. 1 Fox Chapel, 2-1, in their regular-season finale last Wednesday behind goals from freshman Gabby Beinecke and senior Emily Sinton. South Fayette has three players with 10 or more goals this season: Beinecke 24, Sinton 19 and junior Mia Deramo 14. The Lions have won 10 games in a row.
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