Westmoreland boys soccer capsules: Monday’s semifinals

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 6:51 PM

Boys Soccer

Class 4A

Semifinals

No. 2 Norwin (16-2-1) vs. No. 3 Upper St. Clair (12-3-2)

8 p.m. Monday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Seneca Valley (15-2-1)/No. 4 Canon-McMillan (16-2)

Coaches: Scott Schuchert, Norwin; Uwe Schneider, USC

Players to watch : Carter Breen, Sr., F, Norwin; Zachary Ioli, Sr., D, USC

Corner kicks: Norwin broke a seven-game losing streak — all first-round defeats — with a 2-1 win over No. 7 Peters Township in the quarterfinals after a first-round bye. Breen scored his 32nd goal of the season, and Jake Nebinski added an insurance score on a penalty kick with 10:53 to play. Norwin last made the semis in 2010 but lost to Peters Township. School officials said the last time Norwin played in the WPIAL boys soccer final was 1979. The Knights lost to Shaler. … Upper St. Clair is back in the semifinals for the second time in three years. The Panthers lost to North Allegheny in the quarterfinals last season but returned eight seniors. Ioli, Ben Burlovic, Connor Ryan and Abelardo Sobarzo all scored in a 4-1 win over No. 6 Butler in the second round. … The winner goes to the WPIAL title game Friday or Saturday at Highmark Stadium at Station Square and qualifies for the PIAA playoffs.

Class 3A

Semifinals

No. 1 Franklin Regional (16-0-1) vs. No. 12 Thomas Jefferson (15-4-1)

8 p.m. Monday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 West Allegheny (18-1)/No. 3 Mars (18-1-1)

Coaches: Rand Hudson, Franklin Regional; Michael “Doc” Kulish, Thomas Jefferson

Players to watch: Anthony DiFalco, Fr., F, Franklin Regional; A.J. Meshanko, Sr., F, Thomas Jefferson

Corner kicks: Franklin Regional advanced to the semifinals for the first time in school history with a 2-1 victory over No. 8 Hampton in the quarterfinals. DiFalco scored early and Matt Kimmich found the net late for the Panthers, who have not allowed more than one goal in a game all season: four total. They have 13 shutouts, including a 2-0 win over Thomas Jefferson in Section 3 play. The Panthers also beat TJ, 4-1. … Jeremy Marshall and Meshanko, an All-WPIAL pick last year, had goals for Thomas Jefferson in a 2-1 quarterfinal win over No. 4 Ringgold. The Jaguars are in the semifinals for the third time in four seasons. … Meshanko and DiFalco also kick for their respective football teams. … The winner advances to the WPIAL championship Friday or Saturday at Highmark Stadium and also qualifies for the PIAA playoffs; the loser will move into the third-place consolation game.

Class A

No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic (16-1) vs. No. 3 Seton La Salle (17-3)

Semifinals

6 p.m. Monday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Avonworth (18-0-1)/No. 5 Springdale (15-2-1)

Coaches : Tyler Solis, GCC; Ryan Kelly, Seton La Salle

Players to watch: Luke Mort, Sr., F, GCC; Kellen Krebs, Sr., MF, Seton La Salle

Corner kicks: Mort, a Pitt recruit, had a hat trick in a 5-0, second-round win over No. 7 Brentwood to put the Centurions back in the final four. Mort has 34 goals this season. GCChas not been to the finals since 2012. The Centurions’ last WPIAL title came in 2009. … Seton LaSalle , which has won a section title seven times in the past eight years, enters the semifinals for the fourth straight time. The Rebels lost to Springdale in last year’s semifinals. Krebs was an All-WPIAL selection last season and was the Section 4-A player of the year. Ethan Gardner, Tyler Stack and Gabe Rosario scored for the Rebels in a 3-0 win over Winchester Thurston, GCC’s section rival, in the second round. … The winner goes to the WPIAL title game Friday or Saturday at Highmark Stadium and makes the state playoffs. The loser drops into the third-place consolation game for one more shot at the PIAA tournament.

—Bill Beckner Jr.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Norwin, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair