Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) established its playoff brackets in four classifications for the 2023 WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Soccer Championships, with the championship games to be held at Highmark Stadium on dates to be announced.
A total of 56 teams from the 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A classifications punched their tickets for the WPIAL Girls’ Soccer Championships. The first round begins on Monday, Oct. 23 with Class 3A, followed by Tuesday, Oct. 24 for Class 2A and Class 1A, and Thursday, Oct. 26 for Class 4A. Teams qualify for the postseason by finishing inside the top four of their respective sections following the regular season.
North Allegheny (17-0-0, 14-0-0) and Upper St. Clair (15-1-0, 13-1-0) captured section championships in Class 4A, winning Section I and Section II, respectively. In Class 3A, Mars (14-0-0, 12-0-0) was an undefeated champion in Section I, Thomas Jefferson (16-1-0, 14-0-0) took home Section II, Plum (15-0-1, 12-0-0) collected the Section III plaque, and Moon (12-1-2, 9-1-2) won Section IV by a single point.
Avonworth (14-1-2, 11-1-0) and North Catholic (13-2-0) were co-champions of Section I in Class 2A. Freeport (13-1-1, 8-1-1) earned Section II plaudits by a single point, while Mt. Pleasant (14-2-0, 10-0-0) and South Park (13-5-0, 10-0-0) were undefeated in Section III and Section IV, respectively. In Class 1A, Riverview (15-2-0, 11-1-0) won Section I, Charleroi (14-1-0, 11-1-0) captured Section II, Freedom Area (14-3-0, 10-0-0) took home Section III, and Winchester Thurston (10-2-0, 10-0-0) earned Section IV.
The top two teams in Class 4A, top three teams in Class 1A and Class 2A, and the top four teams in Class 3A qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Soccer Championships, which will begin with first round matches on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and conclude at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg on Nov. 17-18.
North Allegheny is the reigning WPIAL champion in Class 4A after defeating Peters Township last year in a 3-2 penalty kick shootout following a 1-1 draw. Moon won Class 3A over Mars, 1-0, while Avonworth took home its second straight Class 2A title with a 2-1 victory over Mt. Pleasant. Freedom Area is the reigning champion in Class 1A, thanks to a 3-0 victory over Springdale.
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Thursday, Oct. 26
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 8
Top Four Seeds: #1 North Allegheny (17-0-0, 14-0-0), #2 Upper St. Clair (15-1-0, 13-1-0), #3 Peters Township (13-1-2, 11-1-2), #4 Seneca Valley (13-2-1, 11-2-1)
Qualifying Teams: Butler, Canon-McMillan, Fox Chapel, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Peters Township, Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair
2022 Final: North Allegheny 1, Peters Township 1 (2OT; North Allegheny wins in penalty kicks, 3-2.)
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Monday, Oct. 23
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Mars (14-0-0, 12-0-0), #2 Plum (15-0-1, 12-0-0), #3 Moon (12-1-2, 9-1-2), #4 Thomas Jefferson (16-1-0, 14-0-0)
Qualifying Teams: Connellsville, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Greater Latrobe, Hampton, Kiski Area, Laurel Highlands, Mars, Montour, Moon, Oakland Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Plum, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny
2022 Final: Moon 1, Mars 0
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Tuesday, Oct. 24
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Avonworth (14-1-2, 11-1-0), #2 North Catholic (13-2-0, 11-1-0), #3 Mt. Pleasant (14-2-0, 10-0-0), #4 Freeport (13-1-1, 8-1-1)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Beaver, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Keystone Oaks, Knoch, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Quaker Valley, Shady Side Academy, Southmoreland, South Park, West Mifflin, Woodland Hills, Yough
2022 Final: Avonworth 2, Mt. Pleasant 1
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Tuesday, Oct. 24
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Riverview (15-2-0, 11-1-0), #2 Freedom Area (14-3-0, 10-0-0), #3 Charleroi (14-1-0, 11-1-0), #4 Winchester Thurston (10-2-0, 10-0-0)
Qualifying Teams: Aquinas Academy, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Eden Christian Academy, Greensburg Central Catholic, The Ellis School, Freedom Area, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverside, Riverview, Seton LaSalle, Sewickley Academy, South Allegheny, Springdale, Waynesburg Central, Winchester Thurston
2022 Final: Freedom Area 3, Springdale 0
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