A-K Valley soccer capsules: Monday’s semifinals

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 7:00 PM

Class AA

Girls semifinals

No. 2 Deer Lakes (17-0-1) vs. No. 11 Shady Side Academy (10-6-1)

6 p.m. Monday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Quaker Valley/No. 4 Charleroi

Coaches: Jordan Wiegand, Deer Lakes; Ed Ellsworth, Shady Side Academy

Players to watch: Ryan Rodgers, Deer Lakes; Max Farner, Shady Side Academy

Corner kicks: The Section 2-AA rivals meet with a trip to Highmark Stadium for the WPIAL championship game on the line. Their first two meetings ended in a 2-2 draw and 3-1 Deer Lakes victory. Deer Lakes is coming off a 4-0 win over Waynesburg in which Rodgers scored a pair of goals, and Ronan Renter and A.J. Dorman added one apiece. The Lancers have outscored their two playoff opponents, 9-0 ; Rodgers has three goals, while Dorman, Renter and Michael Sullivan have two apiece . Shady Side Academy upended No. 3 Keystone Oaks, 1-0, in the quarterfinals thanks to a Farner goal. The Indians toppled No. 6 North Catholic in the first round. Last season, SSA made an underdog run to its first WPIAL championship, taking home the title as the No. 15 seed after beating top-seeded Quaker Valley in the finals.

Class A

Boys semifinals

No. 5 Springdale (15-2-1) vs. No. 1 Avonworth (18-0-1)

6 p.m. Monday at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic/No. 3 Seton LaSalle

Coaches: Cesareo Sanchez, Springdale; Tom Angell, Avonworth

Players to watch: Ephraim Duku, Springdale; Tyler Bryan, Avonworth

Corner kicks: The Section 3-A rivals meet for the third time this season. The first two games ended in a scoreless draw and a 1-0 Avonworth victory. Expect scoring to be at a premium here: Avonworth has allowed seven goals this season with goalkeeper Timmy Stewart and Springdale just five with Mike Zolnierczyk. Duku scored in double overtime to give Springdale a 1-0 win over Sewickley Academy in the quarterfinals and advance the team to the semifinals for the second straight year; the Dynamos were WPIAL runners-up last season. Both of the Dynamos’ playoff victories have come by 1-0 scores. They have 14 shutouts this season, including eight in a row. Avonworth is coming off a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Riverside after beating Mohawk, 4-0, in the first round. This is Avonworth’s first semifinal appearance since 2015, when the Antelopes were runner-up to Seton LaSalle. They won four games in 2016 and bowed out in the first round last season but have outscored their opponents 96-7 this season.

Tags: Avonworth, Deer Lakes, Shady Side Academy, Springdale