WPIAL soccer playoffs
Girls
Class A
First Round
13 Chartiers-Houston (8-5-2) at 5-Springdale (10-1-1)
6 p.m. Tuesday at Springdale High School
Winner plays: Winner of 12-Riverview (8-5) vs. 5-Riverside (8-3-1) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Throw-ins: Springdale is seeking back-to-back WPIAL titles. The Dynamos captured the third WPIAL crown in program history last year with a 5-3 win over Winchester Thurston at Highmark Stadium. Springdale then advanced to the PIAA championships game, where it fell to state power Dock Mennonite. The Dynamos captured the Section 4 title with a 9-0-1 record. Their only blemish was a 1-1 tie against Winchester Thurston on Sept. 3. It beat the Bears, 1-0, in the rematch Sept. 29. Springdale’s lone loss in the regular season came against Class 2A contender Burrell. The Dynamos outscored opponents 48-11 over their 12 games with seniors Hailey Marchlewski and Lacey Shondeck, sophomore Tessa Derringer and freshman Adele Walters-Vrabel leading the way. … Chartiers-Houston finished in a three-way tie for second with Brownsville and Waynesburg Central in Section 2 behind champions and No. 2 seed Bentworth. The Bucs won two of three to close out the regular season. Last year, as the No. 11 seed, Chartiers-Houston fell to Winchester Thurston, 4-0, in the first round. Top-seeded Riverview beat the Bucs, 3-0, in the 2023 quarterfinals on its way to Highmark Stadium. Freshman attacking midfielder Grace Littlecott and senior midfielder Cecilia Hess are ones to watch for Chartiers-Houston.
12-Riverview (8-5) vs. 5-Riverside (8-3-1)
6 p.m. Tuesday at Central Valley High School
Winner plays: Winner of 5-Springdale (10-1-1)/13-Chartiers-Houston (8-5-2) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Throw-ins: Riverview enters the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Last year, the Raiders defeated Waynesburg Central in the first round before falling to semifinalist and state qualifier Seton LaSalle in the quarterfinals. Riverview finished third in Section 4 behind Springdale and Winchester Thurston. The Raiders beat Winchester Thurston in overtime and took Springdale to the limit in a 1-0 loss late in the regular season. Riverview junior Mary Quinlan leads her team in scoring with 21 goals. Freshman Mia Murphy, junior Hannah Hudack and junior Catie Hoolahan also are top scoring threats for the Raiders. … Riverside captured the Section 1 title with an 8-1-1 record. A 2-1 victory over Mohawk in the regular-season finale snapped a three-game losing streak. But two of the losses came to Class 2A playoff qualifier Beaver Area and Central Valley, and the other was to section foe and playoff qualifier OLSH. Riverside scored 30 goals and gave up 10 in its 12 regular-season games. The Panthers lost to No. 5 Sewickley Academy, 2-0, in last year’s first round. Sophomore midfielder Ashley Hare helps control the field for Riverside along with junior goalkeeper Saeryn Hoover.
Class 2A
First Round
12-Shady Side Academy (7-9) at 5-Deer Lakes (15-2)
6 p.m. Tuesday at Deer Lakes High School
Winner plays: Winner of 4-Mt. Pleasant (13-4-1)/13-Avonworth (9-8-1) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Throw-ins: Deer Lakes used a powerful regular season to power its way to a third straight WPIAL playoff berth. The Lancers and Shady Side Academy also met in the 2023 first round with the Bulldogs, as the No. 7 seed, picking up a 3-0 victory. Deer Lakes topped Avonworth, 1-0, in last year’s first round before falling to eventual WPIAL champion Quaker Valley, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. The Lancers finished runner-up (8-2) to Mt. Pleasant in Section 4 with both losses coming to the Vikings. Seniors Claire Cacurak and Bri Simonetti and junior Tessa Hollibaugh help lead a potent Deer Lakes offense, which scored 81 goals in 17 regular-season games. The Lancers closed the regular season on a five-game win streak, which included a 2-1 overtime triumph over Class 4A North Hills on Oct. 15. … Shady Side Academy picked up a playoff berth with a fourth-place finish in Section 2 behind Freeport, North Catholic and Burrell. The Bulldogs took section champion and No. 2 seed Freeport to overtime and lost four total section games by one goal. Shady Side built some momentum with an 8-1 win over Class A playoff contender Riverview in its section finale Oct. 14. Junior Reese Kearns is one to watch in the Bulldogs offense attack. Shady Side fell to No. 3 Beaver Area in last year’s Class 2A first round. Shady Side made it to the 2023 WPIAL title game at Highmark Stadium before falling to Avonworth, 1-0.
15-Ringgold (6-9-1) at 2-Freeport (15-1)
6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium at Freeport Area High School
Winner plays: Winner of 7-North Catholic (12-5)/10-Beaver Area (9-7-1) Saturday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD)
Throw-ins: Freeport won its third consecutive Section 2 title with a 10-0 record, but it had to work for it against a competitive grouping of teams including North Catholic, Burrell, Shady Side and Knoch. The Yellowjackets’ lone loss in the regular season came against Class 4A Butler, 1-0, in the second game of the season. Freeport outscored its opponents 76-6 in 16 games behind a potent offense attack that includes leading scorer junior Cam Woods as well as seniors Peyton Los and Nia DiSanti and sophomore Elena Jenkins. A stingy defense is backed up in net by senior goalkeeper Alyssa Alcorn. Freeport lost in the quarterfinals each of the past three years. The Yellowjackets upset No. 1 Hopewell in the 2019 quarterfinals. … Ringgold is back in the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. The Rams, then in Class 3A, qualified for the 2022 postseason and lost in the first round to Greater Latrobe, 5-1. Ringgold finished fourth in Section 1 behind No. 1 South Park and fellow playoff qualifiers Belle Vernon and Keystone Oaks. The Rams tied Belle Vernon, 0-0, Sept. 3. Senior forward Imani Arnold, sophomore goalkeeper Alayna Macioce and senior midfielder Miranda Santina help pace Ringgold, which fell to Class 3A power Mars, 2-0, in the regular-season finale Oct. 15.