Posted by: Don Revell
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | 10:01pm
West Allegheny’s Anthony Mimna and Chartier Valley’s John Klug compete for the ball Sept. 12.
Wednesday marks the first foray into the second round of the 2024 district soccer playoffs.
Class 3A boys and Class A boys take to the pitch for the quarterfinals.
All but one of the remaining seeds in the 3A Elite Eight are single-digit seeds.
No. 14 Chartier Valley (9 wins, 8 losses) defeated No. 3 Indiana, 4 wins and 1 loss, in the opening game, advancing to the final tournament with momentum.
The Colts had a strong performance on the road, with John Klug scoring two goals and an impressive victory.
CV will visit Mars 6 (14-1-4) at 6:30pm and depart again.
The Fightin Planets defeated Penn-Trafford 4-1 to advance to the second round.
The other three games in the 3A quarterfinals are:
• Top-seeded Moon (18-0) will host No. 9 Hampton (12-3-3) at 8 p.m. The Tigers defeated Belle Vernon 6-0 in the opener, while The Talbots needed overtime to defeat West Allegheny 2-1.
• No. 5 Bethel Park (12-5) takes on No. 4 Latrobe (13-4-1) for the sectional championship at 6:30 p.m. The Blackhawks defeated Montour 3-2 in the first round. The Wildcats shut out Ringgold 2-0.
• No. 2 Thomas Jefferson (13-1-3) will play No. 7 Franklin Regional (12-3-1) at home in the first round at 6:30 p.m. The Jaguars defeated Armstrong 8-0. The Panthers also earned a shutout victory, defeating Trinity 3-0.
private party
The quarterfinals of the men’s soccer A-level playoffs were held as a private party.
Six of the remaining eight teams are private schools.
Since the creation of Class A boys soccer in 2000, 21 of the 24 WPIAL championship schools have been private schools.
Bentworth was one of three public schools to win gold medals last season.
The top-seeded Bearcats began their title defense by defeating California 11-0 in the opening game.
Bentworth (16-0) will play No. 9 Trinity Christian (11-4-1) at Peters Township Stadium at 8 p.m.
The Falcons advanced to the second round with a 3-0 shutout victory over Beth Center.
The other public school still in the bracket is No. 6 Springdale (14-4). Dynamos will play No. 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (13-2) in the Moon at 6 p.m.
The Dynamos defeated Sewickley Academy 2-1 in the first round, and the Chargers defeated Freedom 1-0 in overtime.
The other two games in Wednesday’s Class A boys soccer quarterfinals are:
• No. 4 Beaver County Christian (14-3) will play No. 12 Greensburg Central Catholic (7-7-1) at Peters Township Stadium at 6 p.m. In the first round, the Eagles defeated Riverview 2-0. The Centurions defeated No. 5 Aquinas Academy 2-1 in double overtime.
• No. 2 Winchester Thurston (13-2-1) will play Eden Christian Academy (9-6-2) at Penn Hills at 6:30 p.m. The Bears defeated Serra Catholic 9-0 in the first round, while the Warriors defeated Serra Catholic 9-0 in the first round. They defeated Carrington 2-1 in overtime.
3A women’s volleyball rematch
The WPIAL Class 3A girls volleyball playoffs opener begins with a full set of eight games, including a postseason rematch from a year ago.
In the 2023 playoffs, No. 4 Thomas Jefferson defeated Kiski Area, and No. 5 South Fayette defeated Mars in the first round, setting up a showdown in the quarterfinals.
The Jaguars defeated the Lions 3-0 to advance to the 3A semifinals, while TJ lost 3-0 to eventual champion Hampton.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again, this time in the first round, with No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (13-3) taking on No. 12 South Fayette (9-7) at 7 p.m.
The other seven games in the 3A girls volleyball season opener are: All are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
• Top-seeded Beavers (15-3) host No. 16 Gateway (9-5). The Gators defeated Central Valley in the qualifying round.
• No. 9 Blackhawks (11-3) visit No. 8 Oakland Catholic (9-7). The Eagles were semifinalists last year.
• No. 4 Hampton (11-5) will host No. 13 Greensburg-Salem (15-3). The Talbots went undefeated and won all four games in the district playoffs last fall.
• No. 2 Mars (14-4) will host No. 15 Albert Gallatin (9-8). The Colonials won their preliminary game 3-2 in Derry on Monday.
• No. 10 Montour (11-4) travels to No. 7 Indiana (14-2). This season, the Spartans finished the first round in second place and the Little Indians won the fourth round.
• No. 3 Chartier Valley (15-2) hosts No. 14 Laurel Highlands (12-5). The Colts finished last in the section and went 4-11 overall in 2023, but won the section this season.
• No. 11 Ringgold (13-4) heads off on a trip to No. 6 Freeport (10-3). The Yellowjackets have won the district tile six times in the past 11 years.
From pigtails to openers
The biggest slot this fall in any sport was the girls volleyball Class 2A tournament, which featured a total of 22 teams.
Six of those teams have already been eliminated in six preliminary round games played on Monday.
These winners have a quick turnaround to advance from the pigtail round to the first round.
The opening games, which were scheduled at the time of Friday’s standings, were No. 8 Ellwood City (13-4) hosting No. 9 Charleroi (14-7) and No. 10 Burrell (12-4). There were only two matches, the visit of Charleroi. 7 South Allegheny (16-4). Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Other 2A opening round games involving teams that have already begun postseason play are: All games begin at 7 p.m.
• Top-seeded Quaker Valley (14-2) will host No. 16 Keystone Oaks (10-8). The Golden Eagles defeated Shenango 3-0 in the preliminary round.
• No. 4 South Park (13-5) hosts No. 13 Yo (13-8). The Cougars defeated Ligonier Valley 3-2 on Monday.
• No. 5 Southmoreland (14-3) will take on No. 12 Seton LaSalle (14-7). The Rebels defeated Brownsville 3-0 in the preliminary round.
• No. 15 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (11-6) visits No. 2 Neshannock (13-1). The Chargers defeated Laurel 3-0 in the preliminary round.
• No. 14 McGuffie (12-5) moves to No. 3 Hopewell (14-2). The Highlanders defeated Bentworth 3-0 on Monday.
• No. 6 Waynesburg (17-0) hosts No. 11 Avonworth (10-9). The Antelopes defeated Mohawk 3-0 in the preliminary round.
Final putt at Penn State
With the individual state championships also on the horizon, Wednesday’s focus will be on crowning four new PIAA team golf champions.
Four WPIAL teams will compete for a state championship at Penn State Golf Course in State College.
North Allegheny will compete in the boys’ 3A playoffs, North Catholic will play in the boys’ 2A, Peters Township will play in the girls’ 3A and Shady Side Academy will compete in the girls’ 2A championship.
Last year, Peters Township swept the Class 3A championship, winning PIAA honors for both the boys and girls.
Field hockey playoffs begin
The 2024 WPIAL field hockey playoffs begin Wednesday with a pair of Class A semifinals and Class 2A games.
Shady Side Academy, a 20-time WPIAL champion, is the top seed and will host No. 4 Winchester Thurston at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs are the defending champions and have won five of the eight Class A titles.
In another Final Four battle, second-place Aquinas Academy takes on third-place Oakland Catholic. That game will be played at Shadyside Academy and is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
In Class 2A, eight-time defending champion and third-seeded Penn-Trafford visits second-seeded Fox Chapel at 7 p.m.
