A-K Valley WPIAL girls soccer capsules: Games of Oct. 24, 2019

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Girls soccer

Quarterfinals

Class AAAA

9-Fox Chapel (10-7-1) at 1-Norwin (16-1)

8 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Moon (15-2-1) and 5-Seneca Valley (12-3-2) on Monday in the semifinals

Coaches: Peter Torres, Fox Chapel; Lauren Karcher, Norwin

Players to watch: Lucy Ream, Jr., F, Fox Chapel; (Katelyn Kauffman, So., MF/F, Norwin

Corner kicks: Sam Dockey and Kaylee Uribe had a goal each to propel Fox Chapel to a 2-0 first-round win over Upper St. Clair. Ream and Claudia DeMartino had assists in the win, which was the Foxes’ fifth shutout of the season. The Foxes are seeking their first semifinal appearance since 2016. … Norwin earned a bye after winning the Section 3 title and enters the postseason having won nine consecutive matches. The Knights have posted nine shutouts. Kauffman and Lacey Bernick, who are Pitt recruits, lead a balanced scoring attack. Anna Durmis is a William & Mary commit. Norwin won WPIAL titles in 2015 and ’16 and a PIAA title in ’17.

Class AAA

7-Hampton (12-5-1) vs. 2-Plum (15-1-1)

8 p.m. Thursday at Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 3-West Allegheny (14-2)/6-Kiski Area (13-4) on Monday in the semifinals

Coaches: Bill Paholich, Hampton; Jamie Stewart, Plum

Players to watch: Rylee Obringer, Sr., D, Hampton; Gina Proviano, Jr., M/F, PLum

Corner kicks: The teams tied 1-1 in the regular-season finale. Plum survived a challenge from Gateway in the first round, winning 6-5 on penalty kicks. The Section 3 co-champion snapped a four-game playoff losing streak and qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. … Led by two goals from Logan Nicklas, six players scored goals for Hampton in a first-round win over Elizabeth Forward. The Talbots, 6-1-1 in their past eight games, finished third in Section 1 behind No. 1 Mars and No. 6 Kiski Area. Hampton made the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals last year.

6-Kiski Area (13-4) vs. 3-West Allegheny (14-2)

6 p.m. Thursday at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Hampton (12-5-1) vs. 2-Plum (15-1-1) on Monday in the semifinals

Coaches: Mike Spagnolo, Kiski Area; Dave Tissue, West Allegheny

Players to watch: Sidney Palla, Sr., F, Kiski Area; Mackenzie Taranto, Jr., F, West Allegheny.

Corner kicks: Kiski Area is in the quarterfinals for the third straight season. Cavaliers, led by four goals apiece from Palla and Kaylee Elwood, exploded for nine first-half goals in Monday’s 11-0 first-round win over No. 11 Ringgold. Kiski Area, the Section 1 runner-up, has won nine of its last 10 games. … West Allegheny, the Section 4 champion, shut out No. 14 Franklin Regional, 2-0, in the first round and got goals from Taranto and fellow junior Morgan Shansky. The Indians are seeking their first WPIAL title. West Allegheny, on a five-game winning streak, owns a victory over No. 4 Oakland Catholic.

Class AA

8-Freeport (15-4) vs. 1-Hopewell (12-2)

8 p.m. Thursday at Hopewell

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Burrell (17-0)/5-Yough (15-1-1) on Monday in the semifinals

Coaches: Brittni Grenninger, Freeport; Bill Pfeifer, Hopewell

Players to watch: Sidney Shemanski, Sr., F, Freeport; Raychel Speicher, Sr., F, Hopewell

Corner kicks: Hopewell, the Section 1 co-champion with North Catholic, has won 10 games in a row. The Vikings finished runner-up in Class AA last year. Hopewell never has won a WPIAL title. Pfeifer, a 1983 Springdale graduate, is the all-time winningest coach in Pennsylvania girls soccer history with 441 wins (441-71-20). … Freeport punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with an overtime win over No. 9 Waynesburg on Monday. Sidney Shemanski scored both Yellowjacket goals and has a team-best 36 on the season. Freeport tied Deer Lakes for second in Section 3 behind undefeated Burrell. The Yellowjackets reached at least the WPIAL quarterfinals in Class AA for the fourth year in a row. They played in the semifinals in 2017 and finished as runner-up in 2016.

4-Burrell (17-0) vs. 5-Yough

6 p.m. Thursday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of 8-Freeport (15-4)/1-Hopewell (12-2) on Monday in the semifinals

Coaches: Frank Nesko, Burrell; Dann Appolonia, Yough

Players to Watch: Megan Malits, Sr., M, Burrell; Justine Appolonia, Sr., F, Yough

Corner kicks: Burrell beat Yough in the first round last season, and the Cougars topped the Bucs in overtime in the quarterfinals in 2017. Both teams are seeking their first WPIAL titles. … The Bucs, with Monday’s 5-0 win over Mt. Pleasant, extended their goal-scoring advantage this season to 94-8. Allie Vescio’s two goals in the contest give her a team-best 29 on the season. Malits, Danica Johns and Maia Ferra each added goals in the victory. Burrell’s defense owns 10 shutouts this season. … Appolonia, Yough’s all-time leading scorer and a Youngstown State recruit, had a hat trick to lead the Cougars to a 10-1 first-round rout of No. 12 Highlands. Yough is the Section 3 co-champion with South Park. The Cougars are averaging 6.1 goals a game.

6-Deer Lakes (14-3-1) vs. 3-South Park (12-3-1)

8 p.m. Thursday at South Park

Winner plays: Winner of 1-North Catholic (11-4)/10-Brownsville (10-6) on Monday in the semifinals

Coaches: Frank Accetta, Deer Lakes; Shelly Thropp, South Park

Players to Watch: Lily Litrun, Jr., F, Deer Lakes; Maya Wertelet, Soph., F, South Park

Corner kicks: Deer Lakes, which finished tied with Freeport for second in Section 2, punched its ticket to the second round with a 2-1 win over Quaker Valley on Monday. Abigail Boulos and Litrun scored the goals for the Lancers. Deer Lakes seeks a trip to the WPIAL semifinals for the second year in a row. The Lancers have surrendered one or fewer goals in 11 of their 18 games this season. … South Park won its fourth WPIAL championship last year and reached the state semifinals. The Eagles finished tied with Yough for the Section 3 title. They won their final four games of the regular season by a combined 19-1. Senior forward Haleigh Finale, a 100-career goal scorer, is a Robert Morris recruit.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.