Westmoreland County soccer preview capsules: Games of Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, October 27, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

8-Norwin (12-5-1) at 1-Seneca Valley (13-0-3)

1 p.m. Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Fox Chapel (10-4-2)/4-Upper St. Clair (14-1-2) Tuesday in semifinals

Players to watch: Daniel Maddock, Norwin; Cole Kamarec, Seneca Valley

Throw-ins: Norwin is trying to solve a team it has been challenged to defeat in the postseason in recent years. Seneca Valley won, 6-2, in the WPIAL championship in 2018. Maddock and Owen Christopher are key players for the Knights, while Anthony Scalise is an underrated keeper. All three made the All-WPIAL list. … Seneca Valley, the WPIAL champion in 2021 and ‘20, was the runner-up to underdog Pine-Richland last year. The Raiders, who beat Norwin in the season opener, 5-1, have 62 goals and have allowed 10. They have nine shutouts. Cole Kamarec, Ben Keefer, Daniel Leech and Tyler Prex made the All-WPIAL list. Prex was the 4A co-player of the year.

Girls

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

6-Burrell (13-4) at 3-Mt. Pleasant (16-2)

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, while 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 runners-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.

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

Tags: Norwin, Seneca Valley