Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) announced its playoff brackets in three classifications for the 2023 WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Field Hockey Championships, with the championship games to be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Cameron Stadium on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College.
A total of 12 teams from the 1A, 2A, and 3A classifications qualified for the WPIAL Field Hockey Championships. Semifinal contests in all three classifications will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the higher seed’s home site. Teams qualify for the postseason by finishing inside the top four of their respective sections following the regular season.
Pine-Richland (17-0-0, 12-0-0) claimed the Class 3A section championship and Penn-Trafford (16-2-0, 8-0-0) won the Class 2A section title with unbeaten section marks. Shady Side Academy (8-5-0, 5-1-0) and Aquinas Academy (6-3-1, 5-1-0) shared the Class 1A section crown after splitting the regular-season series with each other, with the former claiming the bracket’s top seed thanks to goal differential in the two matchups.
The champion in each classification will qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Field Hockey Championships, which will begin with first round matches on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and conclude at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg on Saturday, Nov. 18.
The reigning WPIAL field hockey champions are The Ellis School in Class 1A, Penn-Trafford in Class 2A, and Pine-Richland in Class 3A. The Ellis School was a 3-1 winner over Aquinas Academy, Penn-Trafford won its seventh consecutive championship in a 4-1 decision against Greater Latrobe, and Pine-Richland made it four straight titles after defeating North Allegheny, 3-0.
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Championship Game Details: Saturday, Nov. 4 at Cameron Stadium (Washington & Jefferson College) – 4:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 4
Top Four Seeds: #1 Pine-Richland (17-0-0, 12-0-0), #2 Peters Township (12-4-2, 8-2-2), #3 Mt. Lebanon (10-3-3, 7-3-2), #4 North Allegheny (8-8-2, 6-4-2)
2022 Final: Pine-Richland 3, North Allegheny 0
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Championship Game Details: Saturday, Nov. 4 at Cameron Stadium (Washington & Jefferson College) – 2:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 4
Top Four Seeds: #1 Penn-Trafford (16-2-0, 8-0-0), #2 Fox Chapel (11-6-0, 6-2-0), #3 Upper St. Clair (5-9-1, 3-4-1), #4 Greater Latrobe (5-6-2, 2-5-1)
2022 Final: Penn-Trafford 4, Greater Latrobe 1
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Championship Game Details: Saturday, Nov. 4 at Cameron Stadium (Washington & Jefferson College) – 12:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 4
Top Four Seeds: #1 Shady Side Academy (8-5-0, 5-1-0), #2 Aquinas Academy (6-3-1, 5-1-0), #3 Winchester Thurston (2-9-0, 2-4-0), #4 The Ellis School (0-11-0, 0-6-0)
2022 Final: The Ellis School 3, Aquinas Academy 1
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