Girls Soccer Class 4A WPIAL Quarterfinals Preview
The first round of the girls soccer Class 4A WPIAL playoffs played out over the weekend with three of the higher seeds advancing. One double-digit seed remains as No. 11 Butler knocked out defending WPIAL Class 4A champion, Penn-Trafford.
The quarterfinal round will feature the top four seeds after they received a bye in the first round. All four quarterfinal games will be played on Wednesday night and will be hosted by the higher seeded team.
No. 1 Seneca Valley Raiders (13-2) vs. No. 8 Mt, Lebanon Blue Devils (11-5-3), 8 p.m.
Seneca Valley was the section champion in Section 1, who still have all four of their teams that qualified for the playoffs in contention for a title. The Raiders last played on Oct. 15 when they lost to Butler, 4-3. The loss snapped a 9-game win streak for SV. The Raiders were upset in the first round last year with a home loss to Upper St. Clair in the first round…Mt. Lebanon enters tonight’s game with a 2-1 come-from-behind win against visiting Connellsville on Saturday. The Blue Devils trailed 1-0 at halftime before tying it up and then eventually getting the winning goal around 11 minutes left in regulation. Mt. Lebanon last made the quarterfinals in 2016 where the picked up a 3-2 win against Penn-Trafford. This will be the first meeting of the season between these teams.
No. 2 Norwin Knights (14-2) vs. No. 7 North Allegheny Tigers (11-5-1), 8 p.m.
The defending PIAA Class 4A champion, Norwin, will be making its debut in the 2018 playoffs. The Knights were crowned section champions in Section 3 this season. Norwin last played on Oct. 15 with a 4-1 win against Penn-Trafford that clinched the section title. Norwin defeated Kiski Area, 3-1, in last year’s quarterfinal round at Penn-Trafford…North Allegheny survived treacherous weather conditions and the defending Class 3A WPIAL and PIAA champion, Moon, on Saturday at Newman Stadium. The Tigers scored two first half goals and hung on to a 2-1 win. The Tigers defeated Pine-Richland 2-0 in last year’s quarterfinal round at Hampton. Norwin got the best of North Allegheny last year, knocking them out in the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA semifinals. This year, North Allegheny shut out Norwin 2-0 at home on Oct. 12.
No. 3 Peters Township Indians (14-3) vs. No. 11 Butler Golden Tornado (11-5-2), 8 p.m.
Peters Township was co-section champions in Section 2. The Indians last played on Oct. 16, resulting in a 7-0 shutout against Allderdice. They enter the quarterfinal game on a 4-game winning streak. In last year’s quarterfinal round, Peters Township had their season end on a 1-0 loss to Upper St. Clair at Chartiers Valley…Butler is the reason why a new WPIAL champion will be crowned this year as they knocked off Penn-Trafford, 4-1, in the first round on Saturday at North Allegheny. The Golden Tornado scored four unanswered goals after an early goal by Penn-Trafford. Butler is playing in its first quarterfinal game since 2003 when they defeated Upper St. Clair, 1-0, at Shaler. This is the first meeting of the season between these teams.
No. 4 Upper St. Clair Panthers (12-3) vs. No. 5 Pine-Richland Rams (15-3), 8 p.m.
Upper St. Clair was the other teams that was named Section 2 champions along with Peters Township this year. The Panthers last played on Oct. 15 when they defeated Mt. Lebanon 4-2 at home. They enter tonight’s game on a 8-game win streak. As mentioned in the prior brief, Upper St. Clair defeated Peters Township 1-0 in last year’s quarterfinal round…Pine-Richland recorded a lopsided 9-0 win against Hempfield in the first round on Saturday. Also mentioned before, the Rams lost to North Allegheny, 2-0, in last year’s quarterfinal round. Pine-Richland is on a 6-game win streak entering tonight’s game, scoring at least nine goals in three of those wins. This is the first meeting of the season between these teams.
For a look at the updated Class 4A bracket, click here.