Breakdown of the 2024 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs

From: Michael love

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 | 3:15 p.m

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Here's a look at the 2024 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs:

Class 4A

Favorite: Peters Township (16-0-1) was stingy defensively, allowing just eight goals in 16 games while scoring 63. Only an overtime tie with Upper St. Clair kept the Indians from a perfect Section 2 lineup had. Peters Township defeated last year's WPIAL 4A champion and current Class 3A power Fox Chapel 3-0 on Monday in a matchup of undefeated section leaders. Paige Malley scored two goals to lead the Indians.

Competitors: Seneca Valley (12-2-2) remained undefeated in 14 games after a 2-2 start. The Raiders' only loss to a WPIAL team was a 2-1 setback to Peters Township on Aug. 28. The Section 3 champion Raiders are hoping for a title shot after being eliminated in the quarterfinals last year. … North Allegheny (10-5-1) finished second in WPIAL 4A and reached the PIAA semifinals last year, where it fell 1-0 to Fox Chapel in overtime at Highmark Stadium. The Tigers went 4-0-1 in five games during the regular season, with the scoreless tie coming on Oct. 7 against Seneca Valley. … Upper St Clair (9-5-2) defeated Connellsville and Mt. Lebanon last week to rebound from a three-game losing streak. The Panthers reached the WPIAL semifinals last year before falling to Fox Chapel. … Canon-McMillan (11-3-1), a WPIAL semifinalist last year, finished second in Section 2 by just one point behind Upper St. Clair. The Big Macs went 1-0-1 in the season series against the Panthers.

Don't overlook: Penn-Trafford (12-4) hopes to make an impact in the 4A playoffs after moving up from Class 3A. The Warriors defeated rival Norwin by three points to win the Section 1 title.

Top players: Anna Amato, Pine-Richland; Annalyse Bauer, Latrobe; Shea Best, Pine-Richland; Nicole Bown, Norwin; Sierra Dupree, Upper St. Clair; Camryn Klein, Peters Township; Molly Kubistek, Peters Township; Ashlee Libby, Seneca Valley; Karly Majeski, Seneca Valley; Madison Miller, North Allegheny; Kieran Shannon, North Allegheny; Emma Schupansky, North Allegheny; Emilee Tonkovich, Canon McMillan

Forecast: Peters Township via Seneca Valley

Class 3A

Favorite: Fox Chapel's undefeated regular season was tainted Monday by a loss to Class 4A No. 2 Peters Township, but the Foxes (15-1-1), the No. 6 seed, won a WPIAL Class 4A title last year are well-positioned to compete in this year's Class 3A tournament. Senior Alyssa Quakenbush and sophomore Emily McKee lead the scorers. Fox Chapel won Section 1 with a 12-0 record, posted two one-goal wins over rival Mars (14-2) and outscored its opponents 77-8 in 17 games.

Competitors: Mars' only losses in the regular season came against Fox Chapel. The Fightin' Planets, WPIAL and PIAA semifinalists last year, scored 75 goals in 16 games and posted 12 shutouts before defeating Obama on Monday. … Moon (12-3), last year's WPIAL runner-up and three-time defending champion, will be defined by the play of junior forward/midfielder Kendall Dydek. The Tigers scored 48 goals in 15 games and shared the Section 2 title with West Allegheny. … Plum (15-1) secured its sixth straight group title while allowing just five goals in the regular season. The only defeat came on September 19th at Montour, 0-1. … South Fayette (13-3), the reigning WPIAL champion, allowed just three goals in 10 section wins (10-0) and also defeated West Allegheny and Class 4A No. 5 Upper St. Clair in nonsection play. … West Allegheny (13-3-1) went 10 of 11 in a 4-0 victory at Blackhawk on Monday. The Indians defeated Moon 1-0 in the teams' second meeting on Oct. 2.

Don't overlook: In addition to handing Plum its only loss of the regular season, Montour (11-4-2) defeated Moon 3-2 on Monday to end the regular season, including a 1-0 victory over West Allegheny -0-1 series on the track.

Top players: Serena Carnahan, Plum; Callee Dalbon, Bethel Park; Kendall Dydek, Moon; Chloe Hart, West Allegheny; Sara Kenst, Hampton; Julia Lishia, Mars; Sami Maglicco, Thomas Jefferson; Grace Bannon, Montour; Emily McKee, Fox Chapel; Alyssa Quackenbush, Fox Chapel; Abby Paterline Fraklin Regional; Abby Spalla, South Fayette.

Forecast: Fox Chapel over Mars

Class 2A

Favorite: Mt. Pleasant (14-1) lost just once in its first 15 games, a 2-1 overtime setback to Section 1-4A champion Penn-Trafford, 2-1 in overtime, Sept. 21. The Vikings, all with experienced players, are hoping for a better run after their 2-1 overtime loss to Burrell in last year's quarterfinals. Mt. Pleasant reached the WPIAL final two years ago. The Vikings allowed just three goals in their 10 group games (10-0) and outscored their opponents 92-6 overall in 15 games.

Competitors: Freeport (11-1-1), led by sophomore forward Cam Woods and the defense of junior goalkeeper Alyssa Alcorn, won its second straight Section 2 title. The Yellowjackets defeated Burrell twice in overtime to win North Catholic 4-2 on Oct. 5 to avenge its only group loss. … Miley Kariotis and Maggie Nesko have experienced talent to lead Burrell into the postseason. The Bucs (11-5-1), who made it to the WPIAL semifinals last year, are in the WPIAL playoffs for the ninth straight year. … Senior midfielder Lilia Battalini assists Front Beaver (13-1), which split two one-goal games with Quaker Valley and shared the Section 3 title with the Quakers. … Quaker Valley (13-2-2) posted 12 shutouts in its first 16 games. Senior Mia Modrovich leads the Quaker defense. QV has rattled off eight straight wins following a 3-2 loss to Beaver on September 16th. … South Park (12-4-1) remained undefeated and won the Section 1 title. The Eagles lost competitive nonsection games to Burrell, Mt. Pleasant and Beaver. The Eagles scored 95 goals in 17 games.

Don't overlook: North Catholic defeated Freeport and Burrell in consecutive games last month to take second place to the Yellowjackets (8-2) in Section 2. Junior midfielder Simone Sharpless is a veteran leader for the Trojanettes, who are hoping for a deeper run after falling as the No. 2 seed to Shady Side Academy in last year's quarterfinals.

Top players: Lilia Battalini, Beaver; Claire Cacurak, Deer Lakes; Morgan Gesinski, Mt Pleasant; Miley Kariotis, Burrell; Emily Mihelcic, South Park; Annabel Miko, Quaker Valley; Mia Modrovich, Quaker Valley; Brooke Paylo, South Park; Laurel Rummel, Mt Pleasant; Simone Sharpless, Northern Catholic; Camryn Woods, Freeport.

Forecast: Mt Pleasant over Quaker Valley

Class A

Favorite: Springdale (13-1) captured the Section 4 title, outscoring its opponents 82-6. The Dynamos' only loss came on Sept. 28 against Class 2A contender Burrell, 3-0. Springdale, which reached the WPIAL semifinals last year, features a strong attack that includes seniors Briana Ross and Molly Hurley. Ross owns more than 100 career goals. The Dynamos outscored rivals Riverview and Greensburg Central Catholic 20-3 overall in four group games.

Competitors: Bentworth (15-1) won the Section 2 championship and lost just once in the regular season, a 1-0 setback to section rival Chartiers-Houston on Sept. 18. The Bearcats outscored their opponents 76-9 in their 16 games. … Seton LaSalle is seeking a first WPIAL championship. The Rebels (12-2-2) shared the Section 3 title with Sewickley Academy and won nine of 10 straight games late in the regular season. … Waynesburg (13-2) only lost twice in the regular season and was defeated twice by one goal against group winner Bentworth. The Raiders are hoping for their second WPIAL title (2017). … Sewickley Academy (11-3-1) tied Seton LaSalle for the Section 3 title at 10-1-1. The Panthers scored 55 goals in 15 games and finished the regular season with five straight wins. … Winchester Thurston (11-5) managed eight shutouts in the regular season and led Sewickley Academy to overtime in a nonsection game on Sept. 25. … Eden Christian (8-7-1) won Section 1 with a win over Freedom, but lost to the Bulldogs, 5-4, last week.

Don't overlook: Riverview (10-3), despite losing leading scorer Lola Abraham to the graduation of last year's WPIAL and PIAA runner-up, still has plenty of players who can put the ball in the net, including Hannah Hudack , Alix Delsault, Katerina Tsambis, Mary Quinlan and Cailey Trosch.

Top players: Amelia Brose, Chartiers-Houston; Maeve Dever, Winchester Thurston; Hannah Hudack, Riverview; Molly Hurley, Springdale; Riley Kerr, Greensburg Central Catholic; Megan Keturakis, Bentworth; Ella Miller, Waynesburg; Sydney Morgan, Seton LaSalle; Kolbi Rastoka, Waynesburg; Briana Ross, Springdale; Katherine Varghese, Sewickley Academy.

Forecast: Springdale via Bentworth

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. The Clearfield native and Westminster (Pennsylvania) graduate joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at [email protected].

Tags: Beaver, Bentworth, Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Mars, Montour, Moon, Mt. Pleasant, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Plum, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Seneca Valley, Seton La Salle, Sewickley Academy, South Fayette, South Park, Springdale, Upper St. Clair, Waynesburg, West Allegheny