A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games for Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

By: Michael Love
Friday, October 27, 2023 | 5:31 PM

Purchase Photo Options

WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 4A

Semifinals

5-Fox Chapel (11-4-2) at 4-Upper St. Clair (14-1-2)

1 p.m. Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Seneca Valley (13-0-3)/8-Norwin (12-5-1) in semifinals Oct. 31

Players to watch: Pablo Linzoain, Fox Chapel; Joe Donnelly, Upper St. Clair

Throw-ins: Fox Chapel finished fourth in Section 1 behind a stingy defense that allowed just 13 goals. The Foxes have won three straight games, outscoring Central Catholic, Franklin Regional and Shady Side Academy, 16-1. Senior midfielder Colin Lazzara and junior midfielders Milo Chu and Linzoain were All-WPIAL selections. Linzoain scored 10 goals this season. Carson Kruschansky led the Foxes with 11. … Upper St. Clair won the Section 1 title at 11-1-2. The Panthers’ only loss came against Peters Township on Sept. 14. They have outscored opponents 57-11. Junior midfielder Liam Burlovic, senior midfielder Joe Donnelly and senior defender Ethan Jooste were All-WPIAL selections. Donnelly, who had 15 goals this season to lead the Panthers, was also named the Section 2 Player of the Year. Coach Uwe Schneider reached 300 career wins earlier this season.

Girls

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

6-Burrell (13-4) at 3-Mt. Pleasant (15-2)

11 a.m. Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Shady Side Academy (13-3-1)/2-North Catholic (14-2) Tuesday in semifinals

Players to watch: Miley Kariotis, Burrell; Rylin Bugosh, Mt. Pleasant

Throw-ins: Both teams won handily in the opening round in shutout fashion. Burrell blanked No. 11 Keystone Oaks, 6-0, and Mt. Pleasant scored early and often in a 9-0 rout of No. 14 West Mifflin. Tessa Mathabel had two goals for Burrell in the program’s first home playoff game. … Morgan Gesinski had a hat trick, and Maddie Barrick scored twice. … Burrell lost in the first round to Beaver last year, 1-0. Mt. Pleasant, which has won 15 straight games, all via shutout, is looking for its second straight semifinal trip. The Vikings were the WPIAL runner-up last year, reaching the finals for the first time. … Burrell’s last five wins are shutouts. … This is a rematch of the 2020 first round when Burrell edged the Vikings, 3-2, in double overtime. That was Burrell’s second straight first-round win over Mt. Pleasant.

5-South Park (14-5) at 4-Freeport (15-1-1)

1 p.m. Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Quaker Valley (10-6-1)/1-Avonworth (15-1-2) Tuesday in semifinals

Players to watch: Brooke Paylo, South Park, Peyton Los, Freeport

Throw-ins: Freeport is in the WPIAL quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Yellowjackets edged Beaver Area, 2-1, in the first-round Tuesday at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium. Freshman Camryn Woods scored both goals for the Yellowjackets. She now has 31 for the season. Los, a sophomore, assisted on Wood’s first goal. Freeport, the Section 2 champion, upped its winning streak to nine since its only loss of the season, a 2-0 setback to Deer Lakes on Sept. 27. … Saturday’s game is a rematch of a 2021 first-round game won by South Park, then the No. 3 seed, by a score of 4-0. The Eagles were upended by No. 6 Avonworth in the quarterfinals. … South Park advanced to this year’s quarterfinal round with a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 12 Knoch. Paylo, a junior midfielder, scored the game-winner in the extra session. The goal was her team-best 13th of the season. Freshman midfielder Ariana Beck tallied South Park’s regulation goal. Junior midfielder Alicia Riberich also is a goal-scoring threat for the Eagles with 11 on the season.

Class A

Quarterfinals

8-Chartiers-Houston (14-3) vs. 1-Riverview (17-2)

2 p.m. Saturday at Peters Township High School

Winner plays: Winner of 12-South Allegheny (12-7)/4-Winchester Thurston (11-3) Tuesday in semifinals

Players to watch: Cailey Trosch, Riverview; Amelia Brose, Charters-Houston

Throw-ins: Senior Pitt commit Lola Abraham scored four goals in the Raiders 5-0 first-round win over Aquinas Academy. That gives her 60 on the season. Trosch, a junior midfielder/forward added a goal in the victory. Riverview had lost its previous two first-round games since returning to the WPIAL after a one-year hiatus in 2020 because of low numbers. The Raiders bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Class 2A No. 4 Freeport in their regular-season finale. Riverview had won 15 games in a row and also picked up a forfeit win over Valley. … Chartiers-Houston advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over No. 9 Eden Christian in the first round Tuesday. Brose, a sophomore forward, and junior Ella Richey scored goals in the victory. The goal was Brose’s team-leading 16th of the season. Junior Ava Capozzoli also is a goal-scoring threat after tallying 12 in the regular season. The Bucs finished runner-up to No. 3 Charleroi in Section 2.

6-Springdale (12-3) at 3-Charleroi (14-2)

1 p.m. Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of 7-OLSH (10-4)/2-Freedom (15-3) Tuesday in semifinals

Players to watch: Hailey Marchlewski, Springdale; McKenna DeUnger, Charleroi

Throw-ins: Springdale, last year’s WPIAL runner-up to Freedom in Class A, had no trouble with Sewickley Academy in a 10-0 first-round win. The Dynamos led 6-0 at halftime. Junior Briana Ross scored four goals, giving her 40 on the season. Fellow junior Molly Hurley added a hat trick, raising her senior total to 11. Also scoring were Marchlewski, Ariana Feizi and Lacey Shondeck. Springdale won its second in a row — they toppled North Hills, 4-1, in the regular-season finale — since a loss to section champion Riverview on Oct. 16. …Charleroi is seeking its first WPIAL girls soccer championship. The Cougars defeated No. 14 Riverside, 4-1, in the first round Tuesday behind two goals from DeUnger, a senior midfielder. It was the team’s first playoff win since 2016. DeUnger now has 30 goals on the season. Junior Rhianna Grogan and senior Ella Sypolt added a goal each in the playoff triumph. Senior forward Bella Carroto also is a goal-scoring threat for Charleroi with 24 on the season.

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.

Tags: Burrell, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Mt. Pleasant, Riverview, South Park, Springdale, Upper St. Clair