Westmoreland WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for Oct. 30, 2021

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, October 29, 2021 | 6:44 PM

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WPIAL soccer playoff capsules

Saturday’s games

Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

6-North Allegheny (14-5) at 3-Norwin (14-1-1)

2 p.m. at Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Winner plays: Winner of 10-Butler (14-5)/2-Peters Township (14-1-1) on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals

Notes: North Allegheny had won 9 of 10 heading into the regular-season finale against Norwin, but the Tigers fell 4-2. Now they will see the Knights for the second time in 12 days, this time with much more at stake. Norwin also beat the Tigers, 4-1, in the quarterfinals last year. In the first round Tuesday, Evan Anderson scored two goals, and Brandon Marzula added a score in a 3-0 win over No. 11 Upper St. Clair. North Allegheny reached the semifinals in 2017 on the road to a WPIAL title. … Section 3 champion Norwin resumes play after an 11-day layoff with a first-round bye. The Knights take a 14-game unbeaten streak into the WPIAL tournament. Senior Caleb Yuricha leads the Knights with 28 goals. Fellow battle-tested classmates Riley Zimmerman, Ryan Dimitroff and goalkeeper Andy Yanez bring playoff experience and leadership. The Knights made the semifinals last year and lost to Seneca Valley, 5-1. They reached the finals in 2018.

Class A

Quarterfinals

8-Springdale (11-4-1) at 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (13-3)

Noon at Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Eden Christian (16-2-1)/4-Bentworth (15-1-1) on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals

Notes: This will be the teams’ fourth postseason meeting in three years. GCC beat the Dynamos in the semifinals the last two seasons, 2-0 last year and 4-2 in 2019. The Centurions also won 1-0 in the ’19 PIAA quarterfinals. Springdale blanked No. 9 Seton La Salle, 1-0, in the first round as Chris Mitchell scored off a cross from Billy Lawrence in the 66th minute. Goalkeeper Andrew Hause posted the shutout, the Dynamos’ seventh of the season. Springdale’s losses are to No. 5 seed Eden Christian (2-1 and 2-0) and No. 2 Winchester Thurston (4-1 and 3-0), and the Dynamos tied Aquinas Academy (2-2). … Two-time defending champion Greensburg Central Catholic opened with an 8-0 win over Chartiers-Houston as Carlo Denis scored three goals and added an assist, and Jackson Vacanti had two scores and two assists in the first-round game at Mt. Pleasant. Mason Fabean added a goal and two assists. The win actually broke a two-game losing streak for the top-seeded Centurions, who are playing away from home in the first two rounds because they do not have an artificial turf home field. First-year coach Rob Fabean was an assistant for the pair of championship runs.

Girls

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

8-Yough (13-3-1) vs. 1-North Catholic (15-1)

1 p.m. at Mars Athletic Complex, Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Shady Side Academy (11-1-1)/4-Quaker Valley (7-8-2) on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals

Notes: Yough is in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years and is seeking its fourth semifinal trip since 2017. The team lost to Avonworth, 3-0, in last year’s semis after upsetting South Park in the quarters. The Cougars used a hat trick from McKenzie Pritts to take care of No. 9 Deer Lakes, 3-1, in the first round. Marin Sleith made six saves in the victory. Yough’s three losses are all by one goal. This game is a rematch of the 2019 WPIAL championship when North Catholic won 1-0 at Highmark Stadium. Freshman Kendalyn Umbel is another key scorer and is getting more comfortable with the playoff atmosphere. … North Catholic, the two-time defending champion, has shut out 12 of 16 opponents, including Waynesburg, 10-0, in the first round. Georgia State commit Jayden Sharpless and Angelina Berkey scored two goals apiece in the win, while teammates Lauren MacDonald, Teya Dave, Makenzie DeBlassio, Lily Karsman, Maria Pasquinelli and Kathleen Virostek also had goals, and Rylee Kumer recorded the shutout. Sharpless has won three WPIAL titles, including one at Freedom. She has 127 career goals. The Trojanettes’ only loss came against Section 1 foe Avonworth, 2-1.

7-Mt. Pleasant (13-5) at 2-Southmoreland (13-1-2)

Noon at Russ Grimm Field, Alverton

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Avonworth (13-3-1)/3-South Park (12-3-4) on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals

Notes: This will be the teams’ third meeting of the season after they split their Section 3 series. Mt. Pleasant won the first matchup 1-0 as the Scotties played without standouts Olivia Cernuto (leg) and Kendall Fabery (concussion). Rylin Bugosh had the game’s lone score on an assist from Riley Gesinski. The Vikings overcame Beaver in a defensive struggle in the first round. Marissa Garn scored the winner with 9:05 to play. Allison Bailey had the other goal with a helper from Bugosh. Jenna Piper had four saves in goal. … Southmoreland is back in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row and could be headed back to the semis if it can solve the Vikings two out of three times. After falling in the first meeting, the healthier Scotties blanled Mt. Pleasant, 2-0, in the rematch at Russ Grimm Field. Tatum Lucero and Cernuto scored for the Scotties, who won back-to-back section titles. Cernuto had three goals, while Gabby Fabery, Kayli Redmond and Amanda Hoffer had one each in a 6-0 win over West Mifflin in the first round. Southmoreland is 9-0 at home this season. It has eight wins in a row overall.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Mt. Pleasant, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Norwin, Southmoreland, Springdale, Yough