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Sunday, October 20, 2024 | 6:06 PM
Mt. Pleasant’s Grant Zahrobsky works against Belle Vernon on Sept. 3, 2024, at Viking Stadium.
WPIAL soccer playoffs
Boys
Class 2A
First round
10-Shady Side Academy (11-4-1) at 7-Mt. Pleasant (13-5)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant
Winner plays: Winner of 15-McGuffey (9-8-1)/2-Avonworth (14-2-2) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Shady Side Academy outscored teams 83-19 and has a five-game winning streak. The Bulldogs beat Valley, 20-0. Last year, they reached the semifinals and lost to Quaker Valley. Mark Bence makes the offense go. … Mt. Pleasant finished two points behind Charleroi in Section 4. The Vikings upset high-scoring Charleroi on the final section night, 3-2 in overtime. Aiden Johnson is a key player.
11-Southmoreland (11-7) at 6-North Catholic (14-4)
6 p.m. Monday, J.C. Stone Field, McCandless
Winner plays: Winner of 14-Hopewell (9-7)/3-Deer Lakes (15-2-1)
Corner kicks: Southmoreland is in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Scotties have secured their first winning season since 2015, when the WPIAL still had three classifications. The Scotties have scored 50 goals and allowed 40. … North Catholic has won five of its past six games, with the loss coming against Hampton, 1-0 in overtime. The Trojans are 7-1 at home this season. Justin Garvey and Arthur Mendonca are two of their better goal scorers. North Catholic made the 3A playoffs last year.
Girls
Class 4A
First round
12-Mt. Lebanon (9-7-1) at 5-Norwin (10-7-1)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon
Winner plays: At 4-North Allegheny (11-5-1) Thursday in quarterfinals.
Corner kicks: Mt. Lebanon finished fourth in Section 2 while scoring just 31 goals in 17 games. They allowed 27. After winning five straight, the Blue Devils take a four-game losing streak into the playoffs. They lost to North Allegheny in the quarterfinals last year. … Norwin missed the playoffs for two straight years but returns led by first-year coach Ashley DeVito. The Lady Knights lost to Mt. Lebanon earlier in the season, 5-3. They are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games, with wins over Penn-Trafford and Latrobe and 1-0 losses to Plum and Fox Chapel. Norwin’s most recent playoff win came in 2021.
9-Latrobe (8-5-1) at 8-Pine-Richland (12-5)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Pine-Richland Stadium, Gibsonia
Winner plays: At 1-Peters Township (16-0-1) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Latrobe leads Class 4A in goals with 78. The Wildcats have several Division I commits: Robin Reilly (West Virginia), Maddy Petruzzi (Valpraiso), Ava Yurko (Youngstown State) and Annalyse Bauer (Eastern Michigan). Gianna Trunzo has been a strong first-year goalkeeper. … Pine-Richland took third place in Section 3 behind Seneca Valley and North Allegheny. The Rams have given up 14 goals in 17 games and are riding a five-game winning streak. They have been in seven one-goal games.
11-Hempfield (5-12) at 6-Canon-McMillan (11-3-1)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Canon-Mac Stadium, Canonsburg
Winner plays: At 3-Penn-Trafford (13-4) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Hempfield has been one of the WPIAL’s resurgent programs this season, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The team went 1-62 from 2020-23. Jiana Patterson, a transfer from Greensburg Central Catholic, has boosted the offense. Third-year goalkeeper Lila Clark has experience. The Spartans have only 17 goals. … Canon-McMillan was the third-place team in Section 2 behind Peters Township and Upper St. Clair. The Big Macs allow just a goal a game and have won three in a row. Sarah Coffman is a key goal scorer. Canon-McMillan was a semifinalist last year.
Class 3A
First round
9-Franklin Regional (12-5) at 8-Montour (11-5-2)
6:30 p.m. Monday, Thomas J. Birko Stadium, McKees Rocks
Winner plays: Winner of 16-Indiana (5-9-2)/1-Fox Chapel (15-1-1) Thursday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Franklin Regional finished four points behind Plum in Section 4. The Panthers play a deliberate style which has limited opponents to 19 goals. Abby Paterline (Edinboro) and Eden Williams (IUP) are future PSAC opponents. The Panthers have won six games in a row. … Montour was third in Section 2 behind West Allegheny and Moon. The Lady Spartans surrendered only nine goals in section play. Senior Grace Bannon is a dangerous scoring threat. Both teams have seven shutouts.
Class 2A
First round
11-Yough (12-6) at 6-North Catholic (13-3)
8 p.m. Monday, J.C. Stone Field, McCandless
Winner plays: Winner of 14-Shady Side Academy (6-9-2)/3-Beaver (14-1) Saturday in quarterfinals
Corner kicks: Yough led 2A with 95 goals, scoring 10 or more four times. They have won five of their past six games. Kate Slavick is a player to watch for the Cougars, who won half of their games on the road. … North Catholic, a perennial playoff contender, finished one point behind Freeport for the Section 2 lead. The Trojanettes scored 62 goals and gave up 15. Nine of their wins have come via shutout. Simone Sharpless is one of the better players in the bracket.
15-Southmoreland (10-7) at 2-Quaker Valley (13-2-2)
8 p.m. Monday, Quaker Valley Stadium, Leetsdale
Winner plays: Winner of 10-Avonworth (7-10-1)/7-Deer Lakes (13-3-2)
Corner kicks: Southmoreland, another postseason regular, tied with Yough for third in Section 4. The Scotties dropped three of their final four games to end the regular season. Aubrey Seder and Megan Mehall are a talented scoring duo. … Quaker Valley blanked Southmoreland in the first round last year, 7-0, as the No. 9 seed playing in Alverton. The Quakers have 12 shutouts, including the first five games to start the season. They are 8-0-1 in their past nine games.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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