WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules: Nov. 4

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, November 3, 2020 | 5:21 PM

Boys

Class 4A

Semifinals

4-Fox Chapel (11-3) at 1-Peters Township (12-1-1)

6:30 p.m., Wednesday, ClearEdge Stadium, McMurray

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Norwin (11-0-2) at No. 2 Seneca Valley (12-1-1) in championship, 3 p.m. Saturday at North Allegheny

Hat tricks: After earning a first-round bye, the Foxes scored six goals to top No. 6 Upper St. Clair in the quarterfinals. Fox Chapel is on a five-game winning streak. The Foxes have nine shutouts this season and have allowed 10 goals. … Peters Township won its quarterfinal match, 2-1, over No. 9 Baldwin in overtime. Andrew Massucci scored the game-winner. The Indians’ only loss was a 2-0 contest against Upper St. Clair. Peters Township has five shutouts.

3-Norwin (11-0-2) at 2-Seneca Valley (12-1-1)

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, NexTier Stadium, Jackson Township

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Fox Chapel (11-3) at 1-Peters Township (12-1-1) in championship, 3 p.m. Saturday at North Allegheny

Hat tricks: Norwin advanced to the semifinals for the second time in three years with a 4-1 win over North Allegheny in the quarterfinals that saw Caleb Yuricha scored two goals after moving from defender to midfield. Riley Zimmerman and Brendan Ash also scored. The Knights lost to Seneca Valley, 5-2, in the 2018 WPIAL championship. … Nate Eastgate scored for Seneca Valley in a 1-0 win over No. 10 Butler to push the Raiders into the semis for the third straight year. Seneca Valley has eight shutouts, including seven in its last nine games. Coach George Williams recorded his 300th win in the quarterfinals.

Class A

5-Springdale (12-1) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (13-1)

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Sewickley Academy (10-1-1) at 2-Winchester Thurston (13-1) in championship, 3 p.m. Saturday at Gateway.

Hat tricks: Springdale advanced to the semifinals for the fourth year in a row with a 5-0 win over short-handed Seton La Salle. Duncan Caltagarone had two goals, while Mason Gent, Billy Lawrence and Chris Mitchell had one apiece for the Dynamos, who lost to GCC, 4-2, in last year’s semis, and 1-0 in the PIAA quarterfinals. The Dynamos were a powerhouse at one time, winning nine WPIAL titles from 1961-73. .. GCC is the defending WPIAL champion but was challenged in the quarterfinals as it crept past Eden Christian, 1-0, on a Ricco Ciccarelli goal 12 minutes in. GCC had scored six or more goals in its previous six games. Carlo Denis leads the team with 31 goals.

Girls

Class 3A

Semifinals

6-West Allegheny (11-3) at 2-Plum (15-0)

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Montour (10-6) at 1-Mars (14-0) in championship, noon Saturday at North Allegheny

Hat tricks: Plum and West Allegheny are no strangers to each other. The Mustangs topped the Indians, 1-0, in last year’s WPIAL 3A semifinals on a second-half goal from current junior Marissa Liberto. Plum reached Wednesday’s semifinal with wins over No. 15 Gateway and No. 7 Thomas Jefferson. Senior Gina Proviano has four goals in the two playoff victories – two in each game – to give her a team-best 19 for the season. Sophomore Kaitlyn Killinger and senior Jamie Seneca added goals against Thomas Jefferson. … West Allegheny finished second to Mars in Section 4. The Indians have won nine of their past 10 games and topped No. 11 Trinity, 8-2, and No. 3 Hampton, 2-0, in the playoffs. Kyleigh Trecki tallied a goal and an assist in the quarterfinals against Hampton. Mackenzie Evers added a goal. West Allegheny is in the playoffs for only the third time in program history. The Indians were quarterfinalists in 2018, and they won last year’s consolation match to earn a spot in the state tournament.

Class 2A

9-Yough (11-4) at 5-Avonworth (13-1-1)

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Lenzer Field, Avonworth High School, Ohio Township

Winner plays: Winner of 3-North Catholic (11-2-1) at 2-Shady Side Academy (12-0) in championship, noon Saturday at Gateway

Hat tricks: Yough pulled somewhat of a surprise in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over No. 1 South Park as sophomore Nicky Veychek scored the only goal. The Cougars, who had some players get healthier as the season progressed, have playoff experience after reaching the WPIAL title game for the first time last season. The Cougars have five straight one-goal victories. … Avonworth held off on-the-rise Southmoreland with a 3-2 win in the quarterfinals. Ava Wert, a goalkeeper on the cup circuit, scored all three goals for the Antelopes, who repelled Olivia Cernuto, who scored twice in the second half. Avonworth, which didn’t make the playoffs last year, has 10 shutouts and has yet to allow more than two goals in a game.

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

Tags: Avonworth, Fox Chapel, Greensburg C.C., Norwin, Peters Township, Plum, Seneca Valley, Springdale, West Allegheny, Yough