WPIAL Soccer: South Fayette and Sewickley Academy Advance
Top seeds dominate the first round, with Sewickley Academy reaching its 16th win of the season.
By Joao Menon ·
The WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first round concluded on Monday night, sending several top seeds into the quarterfinals scheduled for Thursday. The South Fayette Lions (10-4-5) opened their postseason campaign with a 4-0 shutout victory over Franklin Regional (8-7-2). Abbey Spalla and Silvi Rossi each scored twice for the fifth-seeded Lions, who will now face No. 4 Mars in the next round.
Sewickley Academy extended its undefeated streak to 16-0 with a 12-0 blowout of Beth-Center (4-12-2) in the Class A first round. Emma Eannarino scored a hat trick, marking her 100th career goal, while Claire Karsman added three more. Madison Sundo, Olivia Stefanik, Emilia Carrabba, Sara Merryman, and Madeleine Milburn also found the back of the net for the No. 1 Panthers. They are set to play No. 8 Carlynton on Thursday.
In the boys soccer action, No. 13 Ambridge (14-4-2) pulled off a first-round upset with a 4-3 overtime win over No. 4 Elizabeth Forward (13-4-2). Aaron Scheib scored all four goals for Ambridge, including the equalizer with 2:15 remaining in regulation and the winner in extra time. Aidan Davis and Luca Valerio provided the offensive production for the defeated Titans.
Several other notable results defined the Monday evening slate. In Class A, No. 5 Bentworth (16-2) defeated No. 12 Aquinas Academy (5-6-1) by a score of 5-0. Brielle Dillon scored four goals, and Julia Brandau recorded the shutout. No. 2 Shaler (13-3) won 2-0 against No. 15 Thomas Jefferson (6-9-4), with Etta Warner and Lily Trgovic providing the goals. Shaler will face No. 7 Elizabeth Forward on Thursday.
The boys’ bracket saw No. 1 Avonworth (16-1-1) beat No. 16 West Mifflin (10-10) 5-2 in Class 2A. Carlos Miranda contributed a goal and two assists. In Class 4A, No. 4 Mt. Lebanon (12-3-3) advanced with a 3-0 win over No. 13 North Hills (9-7-3), while No. 5 North Allegheny (10-3-3) edged No. 12 Gateway (6-9-2) 2-1. Connor Heliger scored the decisive goal for North Allegheny.
Volleyball action included a Class 5A preliminary match where No. 14 Mars (10-7) defeated No. 19 Indiana (6-12) in straight sets. Natalie Janusz recorded seven kills and nine digs, while Gabi Weidemann provided 25 assists. Mars is scheduled to face No. 3 Shaler in the first round on Wednesday.
Ice hockey matches took place across multiple divisions. Avonworth (3-3) won a Class A game against Baldwin (0-4-2) 4-3 in a shootout. Owen Stiers and Jack Sutch scored third-period goals to secure the win. In Division 2, Burrell (5-0) defeated Neshannock (2-1-1) 3-2 in overtime, with Jared Wall scoring the winner. Deer Lakes (3-2) won a Division 2 match 10-1, led by Brayden Wilhelm’s six goals.
North Catholic (5-0) dominated Shady Side Academy (4-2) 7-1 in Class A hockey. Will Schorr recorded three goals and an assist, while Rocco Piccirilli added four assists. Quaker Valley (6-0) won a Class A game 9-3 against Richland (1-3), powered by Matthias Lezama’s four goals. Seneca Valley (4-0-1) beat Upper St. Clair (2-2) 4-1 in Class 3A, and Wheeling Park (1-2) defeated Greensburg Salem (0-5) 4-2 in Class A.
All quarterfinal matches for the WPIAL soccer playoffs are set for Thursday. The brackets feature matchups such as No. 3 Montour versus No. 6 Plum, No. 2 Winchester Thurston versus No. 7 Eden Christian, and No. 6 Riverview versus No. 14 Springdale. The teams will look to maintain their momentum from the first round as the tournament progresses.
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
