WPIAL Class A boys soccer championship breakdown: Charleroi vs. Winchester Thurston

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, November 3, 2022 | 5:05 PM

WPIAL Class A boys soccer championship

No. 8 Charleroi (17-2) vs. No. 2 Winchester Thurston (15-2-1)

8 p.m. Friday at Highmark Stadium

Video livestream: TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Playoff path: No. 4 Charleroi beat No. 9 Freedom, 2-0, No. 1 Greensburg C.C., 3-2, and No. 4 Eden Christian, 1-0. No. 2 Winchester Thurston defeated No. 15 California, 8-1, No. 10 Serra Catholic, 4-0, and No. 3 Sewickley Academy, 4-3 in overtime.

WPIAL titles: Charleroi, 0; Winchester Thurston, 2 (2014, ‘22)

Coaches: Jonathon Ducoli, Charleroi; Adam Brownold, Winchester Thurston

Players to watch: Bryce Large, MF, Charleroi; Alex Hauskrect, MF, Winchester Thurston

Corner kicks: Charleroi is chasing its first WPIAL championship. The Cougars lost to North Catholic in the Class 2A semifinals last season and then fell in the third-place match to Ambridge. They dropped down to Class A due to PIAA realignment. Charleroi started 7-0 and finished as the Section 2 runner-up. Its only two losses were to GCC. It outscored opponents 93-22 this season. The Cougars are led by Bryce Large (21 goals) and Arlo McIntyre (18). McIntyre scored the winning goal in the semifinals. … Winchester Thursday is looking to defend its WPIAL Class A title after defeating Greensburg Central Catholic, 3-1, last season. The Bears, who also went on to win the PIAA title last season, won Section 3 with a 10-1-1 record. Their lone losses were against North Allegheny and Springdale. Tomer Tuti scored the game-winning goal in the first overtime in the semifinal victory. Returning all-state honoree Alex Hauskrecht led the Bears’ scoring with 22 goals in the regular season.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Charleroi, Winchester Thurston