Boys Soccer Class 4A Quarterfinal Preview

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With the first round in the books, the quarterfinals are set to begin tonight in CLass 4A boys soccer. The top three seeds who received a bye in the first round will be back in action and will all host. The one neutral site game being played is between the two teams that won their first round matchup.

No. 1 Seneca Valley Raiders (14-2-1) vs. No. 9 Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils (7-11-1), 8 p.m.

Seneca Valley will be playing its first game since Oct. 16, a 3-1 win at Bethel Park. The Raiders enter the playoffs winning three out of their last four games, but have been the leaders of Section 1 for the majority of the season and won the section title. Seneca Valley lost in the quarterfinal round last year, a 2-1 defeat against Pine-Richland at Hampton…Mt. Lebanon came into the playoffs with a losing record but picked up a first round win on the road against Connellsville on Monday, 3-2. The Blue Devils first round win snapped a four-game losing streak entering the playoffs. Tonight will be Mt. Lebanon’s first WPIAL quarterfinal appearance since 2013. The Blue Devils lost to Upper St. Clair, 4-1, that year. This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams.

No. 2 Norwin Knights (15-2-1) vs. No. 7 Peters Township Indians (11-7), 8 p.m.

Norwin cruised to a Section 3 title this year without suffering a loss in section. The Knights last played a game on Oct. 16, defeating Penn Hills 12-1 in that contest. They have won eight of their last nine regular season games, including five shutouts. This is the Knights first quarterfinal appearance since 2010 when they defeated Canon-McMillan 1-0 at Baldwin…Peters Township is coming off a 1-0 win in the first round against two-time defending WPIAL champion, North Allegheny. The Indians scored early in that contest and was able to hold on for the win. Peters Township made it to the WPIAL Championship Game a year ago, defeating Butler, 4-1, at Moon in the quarterfinal round. This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

No. 3 Upper St. Clair Panthers (11-4-1) vs. Butler Golden Tornado (11-4-2), 8:15 p.m.

Upper St. Clair earned a first round bye by winning the Section 2 regular season title. The Panthers last game was on Oct. 16, a 4-0 win against Baldwin that clinched the section title outright. Upper St. Clair lost to North Allegheny, 1-0, at Moon in the quarterfinal round last year…Butler is coming off a convincing 3-0 win Latrobe. The Golden Tornado have not suffered a loss since Oct. 9. Butler lost to Peters Township, 4-1, at Moon in last year’s quaretrfinal round. This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams.

No. 4 Canon-McMillan Big Macs (15-2) vs. No. 5 Pine-Richland Rams (11-4-3) at Moon, 8 p.m.

Canon-McMillan was forced to play a first round game on Monday with there being a 13-team field, and they made the most of it with a 4-1 win against visiting Fox Chapel. The Big Macs enter tonight’s game on a seven-game win streak. Canon-McMillan defeated Franklin Regional in last year’s quarterfinal round, 3-1, at Gateway…Pine-Richland made easy work of its first round opponent, Plum, with a 5-2 win at home. The Rams have now won four of their last five games entering tonight’s game. Pine-Richland defeated Seneca Valley, 2-1, at Hampton in last year’s quarterfinal round. This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

For a complete look at the Class 4A bracket, click here.