Girls Soccer Class 4A WPIAL Semifinal Preview
The Class 4A quarterfinal round played out on Wednesday night with chalk holding as the top four seeds advanced to the semifinals today. Both games tonight will be played on neutral sites.
No. 1 Seneca Valley Raiders (14-2) vs. No. 4 Upper St. Clair Panthers (13-3) At North Allegheny, 5 p.m.
Seneca Valley had the easiest game in the quarterfinals and only game that wasn’t decided by a single goal. The Raiders defeated No. 8 Mt. Lebanon at home, 6-1. Seneca Valley scored five of its goals in the second half and all six goals were scored by a different player. The Raiders have won 10 of 11 games entering the semifinals. Seneca Valley lost to Upper St. Clair in the first round of the playoff last year, 2-0. The Raiders last made the semifinals in 2015 when they lost to Norwin, 2-0…Upper St. Clair survived a back-and-forth battle against Pine-Richland, winning 4-3 in overtime. Senior Landy Mertz scored the game-winning goal as part of her two-goal effort. Senior Nikki Gibbons registered the other two goals for the Panthers. USC have now won its last nine games. This is the second straight semifinal appearance for the Panthers, losing 2-1 to Penn-Trafford last year. This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams.
No. 2 Norwin Knights (15-2) vs. No. 3 Peters Township Indians (15-3) At Elizabeth Forward, 5 p.m.
The defending PIAA champion Norwin Knights survived a furious rally from No. 7 North Allegheny in the quarterfinals, coming away with a 2-1 win at home. Lacey Bernick registered both goals for the Knights, one in each half. Norwin have won 12 of its last 13 games Norwin defeated North Allegheny in last year’s semifinal game, 2-0, at Fox Chapel…Peters Township turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win against No. 11 Butler at home in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Regan LaVigna and Hannah Stuck scored the goals for the Indians in the contest. The win was the fifth straight for the Indians. Peters Township last made the WPIAL semifinals in 2013 when they defeated Bethel Park, 2-1. This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams.
For a look at the complete Class 4A bracket, click here.