PIAA soccer playoffs
Boys
Class 4A
First round
3-4 Central York (15-5-1) at 7-1 Fox Chapel (16-2)
5 p.m. Tuesday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel
Winner plays: Winner of 1-2 Abington (18-2-3)/3-2 Chambersburg (12-4-4) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Alex Neff, Central York; Sean Regan, Fox Chapel
Throw-ins: Central York reached the District 3 semifinals before falling to Chambersburg. Neff scored twice in the 3-2 loss. Neff is a two-time YAIAA Division I all-star and the 2024 player of the year. Central York had won four its past five games. … Fox Chapel is riding high after defeating Seneca Valley in the WPIAL championship game Friday. After a scoreless run through regulation and two overtime periods, senior Regan’s goal in the fifth round of penalty kicks sealed the victory. Fellow seniors Calyx Kimbrough, Rocco Didomenico and Nicolas Squeglia also scored in the shootout. Keeper Brady Matthews stopped two shots. It was the Foxes’ seventh WPIAL title. Fox Chapel now will try and win a second PIAA championship after taking the Class 3A crown in 1990. They also lost to Lower Merion in the 1987 title game. … This game will be part of a tripleheader at Fox Chapel with the field hockey team hosting a first-round game at 3 p.m. and the girls soccer team playing at 7 p.m.
Class 2A
First round
10-2 Harbor Creek (15-3-2) at 7-1 Deer Lakes (18-3-1)
6 p.m. Tuesday, Lancer Stadium, West Deer
Winner plays: Winner of 6-1 Juniata (17-2-1)/3-2 Tulpehocken (15-6) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Seth Tuttle, Harbor Creek; Zane Spence, Deer Lakes
Throw-ins: Harbor Creek lost to Fairview, 4-0, in the District 10 championship game. Seth Tuttle had a goal and assist in a 3-1 win over Cathedral Prep in the District 10 semifinals. Thanos Valasis and Quinn Brewer also scored. Before falling in the District 10 final, Harbor Creek was on a 5-0-1 run. … Deer Lakes won the program’s third WPIAL title last week by edging Beaver, 3-2. Zane Spence netted the winner with just over 11 minutes left. Peyton Kushon and Maddox Metzler also scored in the final. The Lancers have a deep senior class with 12 members. Deer Lakes reached the PIAA playoffs as the third-place WPIAL team a year ago and fell to District 10 champ Fairview, 6-0, in the first round. The Lancers are looking to make a third trip to the PIAA championship game. In 2018, they lost to Fleetwood, and they lost to Lewisburg in 2020.
Girls
Class 3A
First round
7-1 Fox Chapel (19-1-1) vs. 10-1 Harbor Creek (16-6)
7 p.m. Tuesday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel
Winner plays: Winner of 9-1 DuBois (17-2-1)/7-3 Moon (19-2) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Aubrey McClay, Harbor Creek; Emily McKee, Fox Chapel
Throw-ins: Fox Chapel returns to the field almost a week after defeating South Fayette, 1-0, in overtime in the WPIAL Class 3A title game. Senior Lily McLaughlin tallied the winner to lift the Foxes to their second title in three years. Fox Chapel has won eight games in a row. McKee scored 12 of her team’s 16 goals over four WPIAL playoff games, and she has a team-best 47 goals on the season. Fox Chapel makes its third consecutive trip to the PIAA playoffs. In 2023, as the WPIAL Class 4A champions, the Foxes defeated Landisville Hempfield in the first round before falling to District 1’s Conestoga in the quarterfinals. Last year, Fox Chapel rolled past District 6 champion Hollidaysburg in the Class 3A first round before taking a 2-1 loss against District 3 champion Lower Dauphin. … Harbor Creek secured District 10’s lone spot in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs with a 3-0 victory over Warren in the championship game Oct. 28. McClay, a senior and the team’s starting goaltender, stopped numerous Warren scoring chances. Sophomore Raven Tonks scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the 54th minute. Junior Rowan Wolfe also is a goal scorer to keep an eye on. Harbor Creek fell to Mars, 5-0, in the first round.
Class 2A
First round
7-2 Burrell (12-7-2) vs. 10-1 Cathedral Prep (18-2-1)
6 p.m. Tuesday, Hagerty Family Events Center, Erie
Winner plays: Winner of 5-1 Bedford (18-1)/7-3 Quaker Valley (15-3-1) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Players to watch: McKenna Miller, Burrell; Peyton Rodgers, Cathedral Prep
Throw-ins: Burrell enters the state playoffs after a 1-0 loss to Freeport in Saturday’s WPIAL championship game. It was the Bucs’ second runner-up finish in a row. Burrell was the No. 8 seed for the WPIAL playoffs. Wins over No. 1 South Park and No. 4 Mt. Pleasant clinched a PIAA berth. Miller and Allie McMahon scored goals for Burrell, and Leah Waldsmith helped produce a clean sheet in the 2-0 semifinal victory over Mt. Pleasant. The Bucs are familiar with Cathedral Prep. The teams played in last year’s PIAA first round. The Ramblers edged the Bucs, 1-0. … Cathedral Prep won its second straight District 10 title with a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory over Fort LeBoeuf. The Ramblers got late second-half goals from Rodgers, a sophomore, and fellow sophomore Jordyn DiRaimo. The Ramblers overwhelmed playoff opponents Greenville and Grove City by a combined 28-0 en route to the title game. Cathedral Prep is unbeaten over its last 17 games. After the win over Burrell in last year’s state playoffs, the Ramblers advanced to the PIAA final, where they lost to Northwestern Lehigh, 2-1 in two overtimes.
7-1 Freeport (18-1) vs. 10-2 Fort LeBoeuf (12-6-1)
6 p.m. Tuesday, Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Buffalo Township
Winner plays: Winner of 6-1 Forest Hills (18-2-1)/3-2 Lancaster Catholic (20-1) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Players to watch: Elena Jenkins, Freeport; Jenna Popowski, Fort LeBoeuf
Throw-ins: Freeport enters the state playoffs with momentum after capturing its first WPIAL title with Saturday’s 1-0 win over section rival Burrell. Jenkins, a sophomore, scored the winner in the second half off an assist from junior Cam Woods. The win was the Yellowjackets’ 17th in a row. They scored a trio of shutouts in the WPIAL playoffs and took down section foe North Catholic, 4-3 in overtime, in the quarterfinals. Freeport last entered the PIAA playoffs in 2016 as the WPIAL runner-up. It beat District 9 champion Karns City before falling to District 10 champion Hickory in the quarterfinals. … Fort LeBoeuf held a 1-0 lead into the second half of the District 10 title game against Cathedral Prep, but the Ramblers rallied for a 2-1 win. Senior Popowski, a Mercyhurst commit, scored in the first half for the Bison. She surpassed 100 career goals in a game in early October. Fort LeBoeuf was unbeaten in six straight before the loss in the title game. Fort LeBoeuf pitched three shutouts in the district playoffs. The Bison are in the PIAA playoffs for the fifth straight season. They lost to Quaker Valley, 2-0, in last year’s PIAA first round.
Class A
First round
7-3 Springdale (13-2-1) vs. 5-1 Windber (17-4)
7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Windber Stadium
Winner plays: Winner of 9-1 Karns City (18-3)/7-2 Sewickley Academy (18-3) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Players to watch: Adele Walters-Vrabel, Springdale; Heather Carney, Windber
Throw-ins: Springdale took down District 5 champion Conemaugh Township in penalty kicks in last year’s PIAA first round at Fox Chapel. The Dynamos then continued on to the state final. Springdale beat Waynesburg, 3-1, last Thursday in the WPIAL third-place consolation to earn a berth in its fourth consecutive state tournament. Senior Hailey Marchlewski scored two goals and added an assist, and sophomore Tessa Derringer added a goal and an assist. Freshman Shelby Dipalma also provided an assist. Marchlewski’s two goals in the consolation win were her team-leading 12th and 13th of the season. Springdale went 1-1 in the PIAA tournament in 2022 and 2023. … Windber last played in the PIAA tournament in 2022. The Ramblers lost in that year’s Class A first round, 3-2 in overtime, against Greensburg Central Catholic. Windber captured this year’s District 5 crown with a 1-0 overtime victory over top-seeded McConnellsburg. Junior Heather Carney scored the game-winner. It was her 30th goal of the season. Senior Kaylie Gaye tallied her team-best 23rd assist. Junior keeper Rylee Baer, who missed all of last season with an injury, recorded her 10th shutout of the season. Carney tallied a hat trick in a 7-0 win over Conemaugh Township in the District 5 semifinals.