PT girls reach WPIAL finals
After beating Butler, 2-1, and knocking off defending state champion Norwin, 1-0, Peters Township (16-3) advanced to the WPIAL soccer championships for the first time since 2013.
The Lady Indians will tackle top-seeded Seneca Valley, a 2-0 winner over Upper St. Clair in the other semifinal, in the Quad-A title tilt set for 3:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at Highmark Stadium.
“We grinded this out,” Peters Township coach Pat Vereb said.
In the quarterfinals, the Indians overcame a 1-0 deficit to beat the Golden Tornado. Regan LaVigna planted a shot from more than 20 yards out into the upper right-hand corner of the net for the equalizer and Hannah Stuck headed in the a corner kick from Kaila McFerran for the game-winning goal with 25 minutes remaining in regulation.
Because of a leg injury, LaVigna was lost for the semifinal match. However, Jillian Marvin rose to the occasion. The freshman took a pass from Chloe Trapanotto and buried the decisive goal into the net with 10:21 remaining in the second half.
“What a moment for a freshman to handle the ball like that on the counterattack,” Vereb said.
Much of the contest proved a defensive struggle and Emma Sawich anchored the effort. The sophomore goalkeeper chalked up six saves.
“It was a collective defensive effort by our team,” Vereb said. “We didn’t want to play as defensive as it appeared to be in the second half, but there’s a reason why Norwin is the defending state champion. That’s a good team we beat. They put pressure on you.”
The Raiders will apply the pressure next. Seneca Valley raised its record to 15-2-0 after eliminating USC in the semifinals and Mt. Lebanon, 6-1, in the opening round of the playoffs.
In Class AAA, Oakland Catholic (17-1) applied the pressure against South Fayette (11-7-1) and dispatched the Lions, 1-0.
The loss came on the heels of SF’s dramatic win against West Allegheny, 3-1, in the playoff opener. The Lions were the 14th seed in the tournament and had lost a pair of one-goal decisions to the Indians earlier in the season during section action.
“We knew this was going to be a fight,” said Katie Munnell, who is in her second season as South Fayette’s head coach. “I don’t think our girls even know we were the 14th seed. We know what we’re capable of. As coaches, we lead them to what their potential is, not as others see us.”
What West-A saw was Annalisa Mariano broke a scoreless halftime tie just more than seven minutes into the second half when she took a pass from Helina VanBibber to blast a shot into the bottom half of the net.
After the teams traded goals, including one from VanBibber that initially gave the Lions a 2-0 lead, Maura Gagliardino scored off a corner kick to ice the victory for the Lions.
The Lions were scheduled to play Hampton Oct. 30 at Mars to decide the third-place finisher in the WPIAL and the final PIAA berth.
In Class A girls’ soccer playoff action, Seton LaSalle and Bishop Canevin were eliminated in the quarterfinals. The Rebels fell to Shady Side Academy, 9-0, and the Crusaders succumbed in overtime, 3-2, to Bentworth.
Boys action
In boys’ soccer playoff action, Upper St. Clair (12-4-2) succumbed to Norwin, 2-1, in the WPIAL Quad-A semifinals. Jack Myers scored the lone tally for the Panthers. The Knights will face Seneca Valley, a 3-2 winner against Canon-McMillan, in the championship game at Highmark Stadium.
USC had moved into the semifinals with a 3-0 win against Butler while Norwin dispatched Peters Township, 2-1.
Mt. Lebanon (7-12-1) ended its season with a 7-0 loss to Seneca Valley in the quarterfinals.
In Class AA, South Fayette (12-6-1) dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to Mars in the quarterfinals.
In Class A, Seton LaSalle (17-4) lost to Greensburg Central Catholic, 2-1, in a semifinal match played Oct. 29 at Norwin.
Luke Campbell contributed to this story.