Preview: Class 4A Boys Soccer Championship
No. 1 Peters Township (17-0-1) vs. No. 2 North Allegheny (18-2-1) At Highmark Stadium (8 p.m.)
At the beginning of the season, the Indians and Tigers were on a collision course to meet in the Class 4A boys soccer championship. It doesn’t always work out that way, but the two best teams will be battling it out on the field tonight for a chance to lift the trophy. For North Allegheny, they are looking to become the last team standing in the WPIAL for the second year in a row. Peters Township is looking for its first WPIAL championship since 2014. The Indians also went on to win the PIAA championship that year.
Peters Township didn’t struggle much on their way to the title game. In the first round, they defeated Fox Chapel 2-0 and then registered a pair of 4-1 wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals against Butler and Pine-Richland, respectively.
North Allegheny had a couple of 1-0 victories in the first two rounds against Connellsville and Upper St. Clair. The match against Connellsville went into overtime. The Tigers had a couple handfuls of near misses in those games, but nearly missed in their 9-0 rout of Canon-McMillan in the semifinals.
The Indians have four players on the first-team all-section teams that were just announced yesterday. Seniors Logan Brinsky, Luke Kelly, Matt Stuck, and Bryce Gabelhart all received the honor, while Bobby Dyer received the Coach of the Year.
The Tigers placed five players on the first-team all-section, led by senior Josh Luchini. Luchini leads the team with 32 goals after his four goal effort in the semifinals. Also making first team were seniors Sean Atwater, Sam Buirge, Nick Williams and goalie Grant Glorioso.
This is the second meeting of the season between the teams, with Peters Township winning the first 2-1 on Sept. 9.
For a look at the complete bracket, click on the link below.