Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held its championship games for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Soccer Championships last week at Highmark Stadium. The week saw two schools defend their WPIAL titles with Avonworth in Class 2A and Freedom Area in Class 1A, while South Fayette became a new champion at Class 3A, and Fox Chapel snapped a 38-year drought in Class 4A.
In Class 4A, Fox Chapel took home its second WPIAL girls’ soccer title and its first since 1985. The 38-year wait between championships is the longest in league history for the sport, breaking the previous record of 14 years between Penn-Trafford’s first title in 2003 and second in 2017.
South Fayette is the first new WPIAL girls’ soccer champion since Steel Valley in 2021, and the first in Class 3A since Oakland Catholic in 2018.
Avonworth is the fifth different school to win three consecutive WPIAL girls’ soccer championships, joining Mars (2010-12 in Class 2A, 2019-21 in Class 3A), Mt. Lebanon (1980-84 in Class 3A), Sewickley Academy (2002-04 in Class 2A), and South Park (2006-08 in Class 2A).
Freedom Area successfully defended its 2022 Class 1A crown, becoming the second different school in the classification to repeat. Greensburg Central Catholic is the other, as the Centurions won back-to-back in 2011-12 and 2014-15.
The top two teams in Class 4A, top three teams in Class 1A and Class 2A, and top four teams in Class 3A have qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Soccer Championships, which begin on Tuesday, Nov. 7 with first-round games at home sites and conclude with the championship games on Nov. 17-18 at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg.
CLASS 4A RECAP
After 80 minutes weren’t enough to decide the Class 4A title, Fox Chapel senior midfielder Katherine Friday picked out the top right corner 35 seconds into overtime to lift the sixth-seeded Foxes over top-seeded North Allegheny, 1-0, last Thursday night in the championship game.
Fox Chapel (13-4-2, 8-4-2 Section I) faced pressure from North Allegheny (20-1-0, 14-0-0 Section I) near the end of regulation, as the Tigers peppered the Foxes’ defense with five shots over the final 10 minutes. Freshman goalkeeper Lia Pizzella made a pair of saves over this stretch, stopping a centering attempt from senior midfielder Libby Earley and a shot inside the post by freshman forward Kieran Shannon.
The golden goal for Fox Chapel came 35 seconds into the extra frame. Junior midfielder Alyssa Quackenbush carried the ball before laying it off to Friday, and she lifted a rising shot inside the right post to send the Foxes faithful into a frenzy.
North Allegheny held advantages in shot attempts (16 to 11), corner kicks (4 to 2), and possession (51% to 49%). Senior forward Abigail Stager contributed seven shots – two on goal – in 73 minutes, while Shannon had three – one on goal – in 31 minutes off the bench. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Rak made five saves for the Tigers.
Friday had a team-high four shot attempts in 76 minutes, while Quackenbush added three – all being on target. Pizzella earned the shutout victory with six saves.
Fox Chapel reached the WPIAL championship game with a pair of impressive offensive performances, defeating third-seeded Peters Township, 5-1, and second-seeded Upper St. Clair, 5-2. North Allegheny needed penalty kicks to win over eighth-seeded Mt. Lebanon (1-1, 2-1 PK) and overtime to top fifth-seeded Canon-McMillan (2-1, OT).
Fox Chapel begins the PIAA Championships by hosting District III fourth-place Hempfield, while North Allegheny will travel to District VI champion Altoona.
CLASS 3A RECAP
A defensive stalemate seemed destined for penalty kicks in the Class 3A championship game, but South Fayette sophomore forward Mia Deramo squashed that ending, as she curled a shot inside the right post to give the eighth-seeded Lions a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Moon this past Saturday.
South Fayette (15-4-2, 9-2-1 Section IV) entered the second overtime trailing in shot attempts, 20-17, but increased the pressure in the additional extra frame by outshooting Moon (15-2-2, 9-1-2 Section IV), 7-2. Senior forward Juliana Rossi provided three of the Lions’ first four attempts in the second overtime, with her last saved by Tigers senior goalkeeper Serayah Leech.
After Rossi’s attempt was stopped in the 103rd minute, South Fayette generated three more chances over the next six minutes. Junior midfielder Mia Patel was denied at the left post and sophomore forward Quinn Miller had her shot blocked by a Moon defender. The ricochet found its way to Deramo, who from the left edge of the box ripped a shot inside the far post to give the Lions their first WPIAL title.
South Fayette had more shot attempts (24 to 22) and shots on goal (10 to 7) than Moon, while the reigning champions held edges in corner kicks (9 to 8) and possession (57% to 43%). Rossi, Deramo, and Miller each generated five shot attempts, with Deramo and Patel putting two on target. Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlyn Thompson made seven saves in the victory.
Leech stopped nine shots in defeat. Senior defender Marina Mollica had a team-high five shot attempts and three on target, while midfielders Kendall Dydek and Lillian Snyder recorded four shot attempts each.
South Fayette didn’t allow a single goal all postseason, defeating 12th-seeded Penn-Trafford (5-0), fourth-seeded Thomas Jefferson (3-0), and top-seeded Mars (0-0, 3-2 PK) to make it to Highmark Stadium. Moon’s run to the title tilt consisted of wins over 14th-seeded Connellsville (3-0), sixth-seeded Greater Latrobe (1-0), and seventh-seeded Montour (0-0, 4-2 PK). Mars and Montour earned PIAA Championships qualification by making the semifinals.
South Fayette and Montour will meet each other in the PIAA Championships first round. Moon takes on District IX champion Bradford, while Mars plays District X champion Warren.
CLASS 2A RECAP
Top-seeded Avonworth completed a three-peat at Class 2A as the Antelopes defeated seventh-seeded Shady Side Academy, 1-0, this past Saturday afternoon in the WPIAL championship game.
Avonworth (18-1-2, 11-1-0 Section I) had advantages in shot attempts (23 to 8), shots on goal (9 to 6), corner kicks (6 to 1), and possession (54% to 46%) over the course of the match and enjoyed 65 percent possession in the first half, which led to the game’s only goal. Senior forward Gianna Babusci tested the Shady Side Academy (15-4-1, 8-2-0 Section IV) defense with a shot on target in the 35th minute that was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Maria Ravotti, but five minutes later Babusci found the upper right corner from outside the box to make it 1-0 Antelopes.
The Bulldogs recorded four shots on goal over the final 19 minutes of the game – three coming from senior midfielder Caroline Liptak – but Avonworth junior goalkeeper Elena Zimmerman stopped three of them and the fourth was cleared off the line to preserve the championship.
Babusci had a game-high eight shot attempts and five shots on goal for the Antelopes, while junior midfielder Fiona Mahan recorded seven shot attempts. Zimmerman made five saves to earn the shutout win.
Liptak led Shady Side Academy with four shot attempts – all on goal – and junior defender Cooper Danforth added two. Ravotti made eight saves in the defeat.
Avonworth began its championship journey with an 11-0 win over 16th-seeded Yough, then defeated ninth-seeded Quaker Valley (4-3) and fifth-seeded South Park (2-1). Shady Side Academy defeated 10th-seeded Deer Lakes (3-0), second-seeded North Catholic (3-1), and sixth-seeded Burrell (3-0) to make it to Highmark Stadium. South Park topped Burrell, 3-0, in the third-place consolation match to qualify for the PIAA Championships.
Avonworth starts its PIAA Championships run by hosting District X runner-up General McLane. Shady Side Academy plays District VI champion Central, while South Park is on the road to District X champion Fort LeBoeuf.
CLASS 1A RECAP
Second-seeded Freedom Area successfully defended its WPIAL Class 1A championship, as it defeated top-seeded Riverview, 1-0, in the championship game last Friday evening.
Freedom Area (18-3-0, 10-0-0 Section III) posted advantages in shot attempts (24 to 14) and shots on target (11 to 7), while Riverview (18-3-0, 11-1-0 Section I) held edges in corner kicks (4 to 3) and possession (59% to 41%). Deadlocked at 0-0 in the 71st minute, Bulldogs senior forward Shaye Bailey found sophomore Mackenzie Mohrbacher with a through ball into the box, and she tucked it home inside the right post to give the reigning champions a 1-0 lead.
The Raiders nearly had an immediate answer behind senior forward Lola Abraham, who carried the ball off the restart to the edge of the box before ripping a shot that was saved by Freedom Area sophomore goalkeeper Trinity Vojtko. Despite having eight shot attempts in the second half, that would be Riverview’s final of the contest as the Bulldogs saw out the remaining nine minutes to secure the win.
Bailey and senior midfielder Madison Meyer paced the Bulldogs with six shot attempts, while Mohrbacher provided five. Vojtko made seven saves to pick up the clean sheet.
Abraham led all players with nine shot attempts for Riverview, five being on target. Junior goalkeeper Chiara Brun stopped 10 shots for the Raiders.
Freedom Area reached Highmark Stadium with wins over 15th-seeded The Ellis School (9-2), seventh-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (3-2), and sixth-seeded Springdale (3-2). Riverview made its first championship game appearance after defeating 16th-seeded Aquinas Academy (4-0), eighth-seeded Chartiers-Houston (3-0), and 12th-seeded South Allegheny (5-1). Springdale was a 7-0 winner over South Allegheny in the third-place consolation match to secure the final PIAA qualifier spot.
Freedom Area opens the PIAA Championships at home against District X runner-up Mercer. Riverview takes on District V champion Conemaugh Township, while Springdale faces District X champion Seneca.
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