Here’s a look at the 2025 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs:
Class 4A
Favorite: Defending Class 4A champion Peters Township (13-2-2) rolled to a 10-0 record in Section 2, outscoring opponents, 46-6. The Indians and Class 3A power Fox Chapel played to overtime Monday before the Foxes prevailed. Peters had won six in a row before the loss. Peters Township allows just 0.8 goals per game.
Contenders: Seneca Valley (10-3-2) edged North Allegheny and Pine-Richland for the Section 3 title. The Raiders, who finished 7-1 in section play, allowed just three goals in eight section games and 10 tallies in 15 games overall with nine shutouts. Seneca Valley finished as the WPIAL runner-up last year. … Pine-Richland (14-2-1), a WPIAL quarterfinalist last year, won three straight by a combined 14-0 after a 1-0 loss to Seneca Valley on Oct. 1. The Rams’ defense has given up just four goals all season while the offense posted 41 scores in 17 contests. … Norwin went 10-0 in winning Section 1. The Knights have won 13 in a row since early losses to Pine-Richland, 1-0, and North Allegheny, 3-0. Norwin handed Class 3A power Plum its only loss, a 2-1 overtime result Sept. 27. North Allegheny (12-3-2) won six of seven games through Monday’s 3-0 victory over Allderdice and handed Seneca Valley its first and only loss in Section 3 play, 2-1 on Oct. 6. The Tigers’ lone loss in that stretch was a 1-0 setback to section rival Pine-Richland. Senior midfielder Emma Schupansky and junior forward Kieran Shannon help fuel the Tigers.
Don’t overlook: Mt. Lebanon (12-5), a 2024 quarterfinalist, played Peters Township tough in a pair of losses (3-1 and 2-0) and also battled Norwin down to the wire before losing 2-1 in late August. The Blue Devils won six straight before a three-game skid.
Top players: Annalyse Bauer, Latrobe; Shea Best, Pine-Richland; Becca Braunsdorf, Mt. Lebanon; Sarah Coffman, Canon-McMillan; Natalia DiSora, Upper St Clair; Emme Kline, Pine-Richland; Molly Kubistek, Peters Township; Ellie Lebe, Penn-Trafford; Ashlee Libby, Seneca Valley; Karly Majeski, Seneca Valley; Cameryn Reed, Norwin; Kieran Shannon, North Allegheny; Emma Schupansky, North Allegheny.
Prediction: North Allegheny over Seneca Valley
Class 3A
Favorite: Fox Chapel (14-1-1), last year’s WPIAL runner-up, again is looking to make it to Highmark Stadium. Prolific goal scorer Emily McKee, a Pitt commit, has led the strong scoring attack as the Foxes outscored opponents 70-14 this season. A tie against Mars and a 1-0 loss to North Allegheny were the only blemishes through 16 games. McKee scored a hat trick in Monday’s 3-2 overtime win over Peters Township.
Contenders: South Fayette (14-1-1) started the season with a tie against Peters Township and a 2-1 loss to West Allegheny. The Lions have done nothing but win since. The two-time defending WPIAL Class 3A champion won its 14th straight with a 3-0 victory over Class 4A Mt. Lebanon on Monday. South Fayette surrendered just four goals in those 14 wins and outscored section opponents 82-3. Gabby Beinecke, Paige Deklewa and Stella Medvec each scored a goal in the win over the Blue Devils. … Plum continued its streak of consecutive section titles and swept away the competition in Section 4. The Mustangs posted their fifth win since their lone loss (2-1 to Norwin) as they shut out Greensburg Salem, 6-0, on Monday behind a pair of goals from Gianna Revetta and Olivia Bigger. … Moon (16-1) allowed just two goals in Section 2 play en route to the title, and the Tigers’ lone loss in 17 games came by a 2-1 count against Class 6A Pine-Richland. Moon hopes to regain Class 3A gold after winning back-to-back titles in 2021 (Class 4A) and 2022 (Class 3A). The Tigers lost to Plum in two overtimes in last year’s WPIAL quarterfinals. … Mars (12-3-1) gave Fox Chapel all it could handle in two section clashes, losing to the Foxes, 2-1, before tying 1-1 on Oct 1. The Planets topped Plum in last year’s WPIAL third-place consolation to earn a spot in the PIAA tournament. Mars won three straight WPIAL Class 3A titles from 2019-21. Franklin Regional (14-3) finished 10-2 in Section 4 and won six straight to end the regular season.
Don’t overlook: Montour (12-3) made it to the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals last year before running into the buzzsaw that was Fox Chapel. The Spartans’ two losses in Section 2 play came against Moon by a 2-1 count Sept. 17 and 1-0 in Monday’s section finale.
Top players: Addison Ayres, Franklin Regional; Gabby Beinecke, South Fayette; Cassie Classen, Fox Chapel; Kendall Dydek, Moon; Emily Grubich, Plum; Irelynn Hobbs, Montour; Kira Hobbs, Montour; Sami Maglico, Thomas Jefferson; Emily McKee, Fox Chapel; Addison Orehowsky, Mars; Gianna Ravetta, Plum; Caitlyn Thompson, South Fayette.
Prediction: South Fayette over Fox Chapel
Class 2A
Favorite: South Park (17-0) is the only unbeaten girls soccer team in the WPIAL. South Park surrendered just three goals in 17 games overall while scoring 93. It won the Section 1 title with a 12-0 record and a 79-1 scoring differential. Last year, the Eagles lost a dramatic WPIAL semifinal to Burrell, 3-2, and then fell to North Catholic in the third-place consolation. South Park last claimed WPIAL gold in 2018.
Contenders: Quaker Valley (13-1-1) hopes to defend its WPIAL title with another run to Highmark Stadium. The Quakers edged Burrell to claim gold in 2024. This year’s team hasn’t lost since a 1-0 result to Pine-Richland in late August and claimed the Section 3 title with a 9-0-1 record. The only blemish was an overtime tie to runner-up Central Valley. … Freeport (14-1) defended its Section 2 title with an undefeated record against the challenge of North Catholic, Burrell and Shady Side Academy. The Yellowjackets, behind leading scorer Cam Woods and goalkeeper Alyssa Alcorn, outscored opponents 69-5 through 15 games. … Mt. Pleasant (13-4-1) didn’t shy away from top competition, including Freeport in nonsection play as well as Class 4A foes Penn-Trafford and Peters Township. Senior Morgan Gesinski paces the Vikings attack, which scored 87 goals through 18 games. Mt. Pleasant, as the No. 1 seed, was upset by Burrell in last year’s WPIAL quarterfinals. … North Catholic (12-5) finished runner-up to Freeport in Section 2 and defeated Burrell and Shady Side Academy down the stretch to clinch that position. The Trojanettes made the WPIAL semifinals last year and qualified for states with a win in the third-place consolation match.
Don’t overlook: Deer Lakes (14-2) is led by a plethora of scoring threats, including seniors Bri Simonetti and Claire Cacurak and junior Tessa Hollibaugh. The Lancers’ only two losses came against Mt. Pleasant, 2-1 and 3-0. Deer Lakes surrendered just five goals in the 14 wins and scored 78.
Top players: Alyssa Alcorn, Freeport; Arianna Beck, South Park; Ariana Bosh, Quaker Valley; Claire Cacurak, Deer Lakes; Gianna Cardillo, South Park; Morgan Gesinski, Mt. Pleasant; Aubrey Grater, Central Valley; Annabel Miko, Quaker Valley; Simone Sharpless, North Catholic; Bri Simonetti, Deer Lakes; Cam Woods, Freeport.
Prediction: South Park over Quaker Valley
Class A
Favorite: Sewickley Academy (15-1) rolled to a perfect 12-0 record in Section 3 play and won 13 games in a row overall through an 8-1 win over Bishop Canevin on Tuesday. The Panthers’ lone loss this season came in a 4-0 setback to defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Quaker Valley on Sept. 4. They average 5.1 goals per game and outscored opponents 83-13 in the regular season.
Contenders: Bentworth (15-1-1) won seven games by one goal and two others by two scores. The Bearcats outscored their opponents 67-14 over their 17 games. Bentworth, as the No. 3 seed, was upset by Winchester-Thurston, 4-0, in last year’s quarterfinal round. … Seton LaSalle’s only losses in section play came in a pair of one-goal results to Sewickley Academy (3-2 and 1-0). The Rebels (12-4) topped South Allegheny, 8-1, Monday to conclude section play. It was their second straight win after a 3-0 loss to Class 3A power Moon. … Defending champion Springdale (10-1-1) finished 9-0-1 in Section 4, winning the title by six points over runner-up Winchester Thurston. Springdale surrendered just three goals in section matches. Sophomore Tessa Derringer leads the way with 11 goals, senior Hailey Marchlewski and freshman Adele Walters-Vrabel own 10 each, and senior Lacey Shondeck is right behind with nine. … Winchester Thurston (10-5-1) hopes to make another run to Highmark Stadium. The Bears finished as the 2024 WPIAL runners-up. They rallied for four straight wins after a stretch of losses to Sewickley Academy (4-0), Class 2A power Burrell (2-0) and Springdale (1-0).
Don’t overlook: Riverside (8-3-1) captured the Section 1 title by edging Eden Christian. A 2-1 win over Mohawk on Monday snapped a three-game losing skid. The Panthers fell to Sewickley Academy in last year’s first round.
Top players: Kennedy Bakota, Seton LaSalle; Addy Brown, Brownsville; Tessa Derringer, Springdale; Brielle Dillon, Bentworth; Emma Eannarino, Sewickley Academy; Allie Emswiler, Eden Christian; Ashley Hare, Riverside; Avi Keller, Winchester Thurston; Gloria Kovscek, Brownsville; Hailey Marchlewski, Springdale; Mary Quinlan, Riverview; Kolbi Rastoka, Waynesburg
Prediction: Sewickley Academy over Bentworth