WPIAL boys soccer quarterfinal preview capsules for A-K Valley teams

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 | 10:24 PM

Quarterfinals

Class AA

No. 12 Beaver (7-8-3) vs. No. 4 Deer Lakes (13-3-2)

8 p.m. Wednesday at Seneca Valley

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Winner plays: No. 1 Quaker Valley (17-1)/No. 9 Riverside (11-5-1) winner Saturday in semifinals

Free kicks: Deer Lakes' defense continued its trend of solid play with another shutout, topping No. 13 Brownsville in the first round. … The Lancers posted a ninth shutout in 10 games with Saturday's win and got two goals apiece from Devin Murray and A.J. Dorman and one other from Brenden Wangler. … Deer Lakes is in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row and hopes to snap a five-game losing skid in the round of eight dating back to 1997. … Beaver pulled the first-round upset of Section 1 runner-up Keystone Oaks, 5-1, on Saturday. The Bobcats, the fourth-place team from Section 4, got two goals from Jacob Miller and one each from Nick Gengarella, Mitchell Snowden and Aidan Perez. … Beaver bounced back from a 2-3-2 stretch to close out the regular season. … The Bobcats are gunning for a trip to the WPIAL semifinals for the second year in a row. They were 16-2 in the 2015 regular season, but lost in the Class AA first round as the No. 5 seed.

Class A

No. 11 Riverview (12-5-1) vs. No. 3 Seton LaSalle (16-2-1)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Seneca Valley

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Winner plays: No. 2 Freedom (18-1)/No. 7 Springdale (13-4-1) winner Saturday in semifinals

Free kicks: Riverview's dual-sport standout Mike Komaniak (cross country) tallied a dramatic goal with 93 seconds left in Saturday's first-round game as the Raiders topped defending champion Sewickley Academy, 2-1. Adam Walker tallied a goal for Riverview early in the second half. … Riverview is in the playoffs for the first time since 2014. … Section 3 is the only section with three teams remaining in the Class A playoffs. No. 1 Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and No. 7 Springdale each posted shutouts Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals. … Seton LaSalle, the Section 4 champion, edged Section 3's Avonworth, 3-1, on two goals from Gabe Rosario and one from Kaleb Krebs. … The Rebels bounced back from a loss to Section 4-AAA champion Chartiers Valley in their regular-season finale. Their only other loss this season came in a 2-1 setback to conference foe Monessen. … Seton LaSalle is on a quest for its seventh WPIAL title. It captured the WPIAL Class A crown in 2002, ‘06, ‘08, ‘10, ‘11 and ‘15.

No. 7 Springdale (13-4-1) vs. No. 2 Freedom (18-1)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Mars

Winner plays: No. 3 Seton LaSalle (16-2-1)/No. 11 Riverview (12-5-1) winner Saturday in semifinals

Free kicks: Springdale is hoping for a measure of revenge after suffering a 3-2 double-overtime loss to Freedom in the first round last year. The Bulldogs went on to lose to eventual WPIAL champ Sewickley Academy in the semifinals. … In Saturday's 4-0 first-round victory, the Dynamos held a 3-0 lead at halftime. Justin McClafferty scored twice, and Zach Liberati and Nick Taliani had goals. … Taliani and leading scorer Jared Demore left the game with injuries, but coach Cesareo Sanchez said both should be able to play Wednesday. … Freedom made quick work of No. 15 Trinity Christian on Saturday with eight goals scored for the eighth time this season in an 8-2 triumph. … The Bulldogs are one of three teams alive in the playoffs with only one loss on the season (Winchester Thurston, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic). Freedom went 12-0 in Section 1, and its only loss came to Class AA Central Valley in its regular-season finale. … The Bulldogs are seeking their first-ever WPIAL boys soccer title. The Freedom girls are the defending WPIAL AA champs.

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: Beaver, Deer Lakes, Freedom, Riverview, Seton-LaSalle, Springdale