Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules: Oct. 31

By: Michael Love
Friday, October 30, 2020 | 7:10 PM

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Boys

Class 4A quarterfinals

5-Upper St. Clair (8-5-1) at 4-Fox Chapel (10-3)

Noon, Saturday, Fox Chapel Stadium, Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Baldwin (8-6-1) at 1-Peters Township (11-1-1) in semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m. at a site to be determined.

Hat tricks: Two of Fox Chapel’s losses came against No. 2 seed and section foe Seneca Valley. The Foxes have won seven of their last eight games. They are searching for their first WPIAL title since 1995. … The Panthers scored five goals against Latrobe to advance to the quarterfinals. It was their first win since Oct. 13 after dropping their final two regular-season games. It was their seventh time scoring three goals or more in a game this season.

Class A quarterfinals

5-Springdale (11-1) at 4-Seton LaSalle (12-2)

2 p.m., Saturday, ClearEdge Stadium, McMurray

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Eden Christian Academy (9-2) at 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (12-1) in semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m. at a site that has yet to be determined.

Hat tricks: The Dynamos are looking to make a fourth consecutive trip to the WPIAL Class A semifinals. Freshman Billy Lawrence leads the team with 19 goals. Their only loss came against WPIAL Class 2A No. 2 seed Deer Lakes (3-1) in their regular-season finale. … Seton LaSalle has nine shutouts this season, and it just three goals — all in one match — since Sept. 24. The Rebels are looking to make their fifth semifinal appearance in six years. They last won a WPIAL title in 2015.

Girls

Class AA quarterfinals

6-Burrell (8-3) vs. 3-North Catholic (10-2-1)

Noon, Saturday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Shady Side Academy ( 11-0) vs. 7-Brownsville (9-4) in the semifinals Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (Site TBD).

Hat tricks: Burrell outlasted No. 11 Mt. Pleasant, 3-2, in double-overtime in the first round Tuesday. Junior Kaitlyn Postupack scored the winner off an assist from freshman Leah Brockett with 28 seconds left in the second OT. Postupack and Brockett also scored first-half goals against the Vikings. Burrell, the Section 2 runner-up to No. 2 Shady Side Academy, is in the WPIAL quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Bucs lost to Yough, 1-0, in the round of eight last year. … North Catholic, the defending Class 2A champion, was undefeated against Class 2A opponents this season, losing to Class 4A Pine-Richland and Class 3A Oakland Catholic. Senior striker Jayden Sharpless, a Georgia State commit, recorded a natural hat trick in the first 20 minutes of Tuesday’s 7-0 win over Freeport. The Trojanettes have outscored opponents 49-8.

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, Fox Chapel, North Catholic, Seton La Salle, Springdale, Upper St. Clair