South Fayette upends No. 1 Plum
South Fayette advanced to the semifinals in WPIAL Class 3A boys soccer tournament by knocking off top-seeded Plum, 1-0.
In the contest played Oct. 25 on Plum’s pitch, Adam Thompson provided the gamewinner. The senior midfielder snapped a scoreless tie with his tally at the 24:33 mark in the second half.
The Mustangs finished 18-2-0 overall while the Lions improved to 12-4-3 and moved on to face No. 5 Montour in the semifinal match set for Oct. 30.
The winner goes on to compete for the District 7 title at Highmark Stadium while the loser plays in third-place consolation match to determine the final PIAA playoff berth on Nov. 1. Times and sites were to be determined.
The Lions opened tournament action with a 4-0 triumph against Latrobe while the Mustangs dispatched Chartiers Valley, 5-1.
Against the Wildcats, Michael Plasko registered all the goals. Thompson, Reece DiCasolo, Ryan Bradley, Luke Gillen and Nate Belcufine picked up assists.
Dylan Janoski excelled in goal, earning the shutout wins.
SF’s upset was not the only surprise in the Class A bracket. Indiana upended Bethel Park, 1-0, in a shootout in first-round action.
The Black Hawks entered the tournament seeded fourth after winning the Section 3 title with a 13-0-1 record. BP (15-3-1) had outscored the opposition, 70-14, and posted seven shutouts this season.
Meanwhile, the Lady Lions matched their male mates and opened WPIAL playoff action with a 5-0 victory against Penn-Trafford.
Five different players scored for the Lions, including Mia Deramo, Juliana Rossi, Olivia Renk, Mia Patel and Emily Sinton.
With the win, the Lions advanced to the quarterfinals where they defeated Thomas Jefferson, 3-0, to advance to a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Mars on Oct. 31. Sinton, Renk and Abbey Spalla scored the goals.
In Class 4A girls playoff action, Upper St. Clair blanked Butler, 2-0. Helen Walker, off an assist from Mary Mascaro, and Sierra Dupre accounted for the goals.
With the win, the Panthers advanced to the semifinals set for Oct. 30. They will play Fox Chapel, a 5-1 winner against Peters Township.
The other semifinal will pit top-rated North Allegheny against Canon-McMillan. The Tigers dispatched Mt. Lebanon, 2-1, in a shootout while the Lady Macs edged Seneca Valley, 2-1.
Tillie Crown registered the lone goal for the Blue Devils, who were outscored, 3-0, in the shootout.