South Fayette returns to WPIAL soccer final

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Quinn Miller (33) celebrates while Gabby Beinecke (35) rushes in to congratulate her after she scored on a penalty kick to tie the game, 1-1, against Moon. South Fayette went ahead, 2-1, on a goal by Beinecke before the first half ended.

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Alexa Deutschendorf (18) of South Fayette kicks up her heels and diverts the ball away from her opponent during WPIAL Class 3A semifinal playoff action. The Lions battled Moon for a spot in the finals.

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Brynn Busch (7) takes a shot on goal while defended by North Allegheny's Ava Hutter (8) during WPIAL girls semifinal playoff action. Despite Busch's efforts, Peters Township dropped a 1-0 decision to the Tigers.

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North Allegheny girls celebrate a 1-0 victory while Peters Township players Julie Spergel (17) and Brynn Busch (7) agonize after a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal game.

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Peters Township's Marina Hajnosz (23) is boxed in by the North Allegheny duo of Kieran Shannon (19) and Sahara Catlos (13) during WPIAL semifinal soccer playoff action.

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Despite a shaky start, South Fayette defeated Moon, 4-1, in a WPIAL girls soccer semifinal game played Oct. 27 at Dormont Stadium and returned to the Class 3A championship match for the third year in a row.

The Lions were scheduled to face Fox Chapel, a 2-1 winner in overtime against Plum, in the finals set for 8 p.m. Oct. 29 at Highmark Stadium. (Results unavailable at press time.)

South Fayette defeated the Foxes, 4-0, in last year’s championship match. In 2023, the Lions edged Moon, 1-0, in double overtime.

So, the Tigers were a familiar foe to the Lions even though they competed in different sections this fall. Both teams won their respective divisions with undefeated records.

“Honestly, we were a little nervous about how we were going to look,” said Quinn Miller.

The Tigers took advantage of those jitters, jumping into the lead, 1-0, on a goal by Emma Marquis in the 10th minute of the contest.

Miller scored the equalizer on a penalty kick then Gabby Beinecke followed with her 50th career goal to put the Lady Lions in the lead for good, 2-1.

“We brought it after the first 10 minutes and then we showed who we are,” said senior goalkeeper Caitlyn Thompson. “We dominated.”

In the second half, the Lions exploded for two tallies. Freshman Silvanna Rossi scored first and Mia Deramo followed with the next goal.

“Going into the second half we really showed what this team is capable of,” said Miller. “We left it all on the field. It was amazing.”

With the loss, the Tigers slipped to 18-2 and into the consolation contest to determine the WPIAL’s third-place finisher and qualifier for the PIAA tournament, which starts Nov. 4.

With the win, South Fayette improved to 18-1-1 overall. The lone blemishes on the record are a loss to West Allegheny and a tie to Peters Township, both of which occurred during the first two games of the season.

Meanwhile, North Allegheny ended Peters Township’s quest to return to the Class 4A final when the Tigers blanked the Indians, 1-0, in the first game of the doubleheader Oct. 27 at Dormont Stadium.

The Lady Indians were the defending champions, having defeated Seneca Valley, 1-0, in a shootout during last year’s final, and the top-seed in the Class 4A tournament. They finished the year at 15-3-2 overall after winning the Section 2 crown with a 10-0 slate.

Averie Bierker scored the winning goal with 11:40 remaining in the game while Jordan Beemer recorded the shutout for the Tigers.

With the win, NA improved to 16-3-2 overall and advanced to face Seneca Valley in the Class 4A final at Highmark Stadium.