Teams advance in WPIAL soccer playoffs
Defense was the name of the game as Mt. Lebanon slipped past Connellsville, 3-2, and Peters Township edged North Allegheny, 1-0, in first-round WPIAL Quad-A boys’ soccer playoff action.
“We are so proud of the team’s effort,” said Lebo coach Bill Perz. “This team wanted to earn that long-awaited playoff win.”
Giuseppe Croce played a hand in two of the tallies. He scored the first goal on a penalty kick and assisted on the game-winning goal by Zach Nellis. Jack Remark registered the second score. Joseph Coutinho assisted.
With the win, Lebo (7-11-1) advanced to the quarterfinals to tackle top-seeded Seneca Valley at 8 p.m. Oct. 25. The Raiders are the Section 1 champion and they sport a 14-2-1 record.
“Seneca Valley is a great team,” Perz said. “They will present a lot of problems that we will have to be ready to answer.”
With its win, Peters Township (11-7) also will play Thursday at 8 p.m. at Norwin, which won the Section 3 title with a 13-0-1 slate. The Knights are 15-2-1 overall and seeded second.
But playing a higher seed does not phase the Indians. It obviously did not bother them in the opening round of the tournament as they ousted the two-time defending WPIAL champions. In knocking off the Tigers, Peters Township used a goal by Christian Verner to cap the triumph.
The senior captain is one of the few returning starters from last year’s squad that reached the WPIAL finals only to fall to the Tigers. PT and NA also met in last year’s PIAA quarterfinals.
Seven minutes into the first half, Verner scored the game-winner. Brian Bruzdewicz assisted.
“We know that we can still compete. We knew coming in that this was our game to prove to everybody that we were ready for the playoffs,” Verner said.
And the Indians prepared to rely on Verner.
Meanwhile, Jackson Basar came up with critical saves in the second half to preserve the shutout, PT’s ninth of the season.
“I think he robbed them a couple times, and he was very steady in his decision making, ” PT coach Bob Dyer said.
Meanwhile, Upper St. Clair, which received a first-round bye, will take on Butler, which was a 3-0 winner over Latrobe in its playoff opening, at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at home. The Golden Tornado improved to 11-4-2 overall. The Panthers are the Section 2 champion with a 10-1-1 slate and an 11-3-2 overall mark.
In Class AA boys’ playoff action, Seton La Salle (16-3) defeated Trinity Christian, 3-1. Kellen Krebs, TJ Cherry and Anthony Newman scored the goals for the Rebels, who will now play Winchester Thurston in the second round of the playoffs set for 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at Moon.
In Class AAA post-season play, South Fayette (12-5-1) blanked Moon, 2-0, while Charters Valley (7-9-3) dropped a 4-1 decision to Mars (17-1-1). Ethan Bollinger and Josh Heinemann scored the goals for the Lions, who will now play the Planets at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at Ambridge.
Lebo beats Falcons
Mt. Lebanon (11-5-2) edged Connellsville (12-6) in the first round of the WPIAL Quad-A girls’ soccer playoffs, 2-1. The Blue Devils will play at Seneca Valley (13-2) at 8 p.m. Oct 24 in the quarterfinals. The Raiders won the Section 1 championship with a 10-2 slate. They are the top seed in the tournament.
In beating the Falcons, they took advantage of their chances to seal the victory and berth in the quarterfinals.
Nine minutes into the second half, Michelle Malizio scored off an assist by Bridget Caste. With 12 minutes left in the game, Megan Haslett registered the gamewinner. The goal was unassisted.
“Our girls did a good job of playing through some adversity during the game and capitalizing on opportunities that we were not able to capitalize on in the first half,” Lebo head coach Cara Senger said.
After receiving first-round byes, Upper St. Clair (12-3) and Peters Township (14-3) begin their championship chase at 8 p.m. Oct. 24. Both were co-champions of Section 2 with 11-3 slates.
The Panthers will host Pine-Richland while the Indians host Butler. The Rams (15-3) blanked Hempfield, 9-0, to set up their showdown with USC while the Golden Tornado (11-5-2) dispatched Penn Hills, 4-1, in their opening playoff contests.
SF edges BV
In Class AAA action, South Fayette (10-6-1) also survived a close opener, edging Belle Vernon, 2-1. The Lady Lions will play league rival West Allegheny (12-5) in a quarterfinal match-up set for 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at Peters Township.
The Indians finished runner-up to Ambridge in Section 3 with a 9-3 slate. They have beaten the Lady Lions twice this fall by one-goal margins, 4-3 and 2-1. SF finished fourth in the division with a 6-5-1 slate.
“We know it is going to be a fight, physically and tactically,” SF coach Katie Munnell said.
Beating Belle Vernon required a similar strategy, with Helina Van Bibber and Rachel Weiss scoring the goals.
“We played composed and stuck to our ways. This led us to find scoring opportunities,” Munnell said.
In Class A action, Seton-La Salle (10-4-2) used two, first-half tallies by Makaela Small to coast to victory, 3-1, against Serra Catholic. The Lady Rebels, who were Section 4 champions with a 9-1-2 record, will take on Shady Side Academy (10-3) at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at Deer Lakes. SSA reached the quarterfinals by blanking South Side Beaver, 8-0.
The semifinal games will be played Oct. 27 with the championship matches to be played Nov. 1-3 at Highmark Stadium in Station Square.