Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) established its brackets for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Soccer Championships on Wednesday, with 61 teams qualifying by finishing inside the top four, including ties, of their respective sections following the regular season.
 
Teams competed in three different sections in Class 4A and four different sections in Class 1A, Class 2A, and Class 3A, and played each of their section opponents twice. Teams received three points for a win and one for a tie.
 
Class 4A section champions were Penn-Trafford (12-4-0, 9-1-0) in Section I, Peters Township (15-0-1, 9-0-1) in Section II, and Seneca Valley (12-2-2, 7-0-1) in Section III. All three schools broke droughts of multiple years, as Penn-Trafford last won in 2017, Peters Township in 2020, and Seneca Valley in 2018.
 
At Class 3A, Fox Chapel (15-1-1, 10-0-0) won Section I, Moon (12-3-0, 10-2-0) and West Allegheny (13-3-1, 10-2-0) split Section II, South Fayette (13-3-0, 10-0-0) took Section III, and Plum (15-1-0, 12-0-0) captured Section IV. Plum has now won six consecutive section titles, while it’s four straight for Moon and five in the last six years.
 
The Class 2A section winners were South Park (12-4-1, 12-0-0) in Section I, Freeport (11-1-1, 8-1-1) in Section II, and Mt. Pleasant (14-1-0, 10-0-0) in Section IV. With a win in its final section match this evening, Beaver (13-1-0, 8-1-0) will share the Section III title with Quaker Valley (13-2-2, 9-1-0). South Park has now won 18 straight section championships, while it’s the third straight for Mt. Pleasant and second in a row for Freeport.
 
Emerging as section champions in Class 1A were Eden Christian Academy (8-7-1, 7-2-1) in Section I, Bentworth (15-1-0, 9-1-0) in Section II, Seton LaSalle (12-2-2, 10-1-1) and Sewickley Academy (11-3-1, 10-1-1) in Section III, and Springdale (13-1-0, 12-0-0) in Section IV. Springdale has now won three in the last four seasons, while it’s the first for Bentworth and Seton LaSalle since 2019.
 
Last season, all four WPIAL girls’ soccer champions won by a 1-0 scoreline. Fox Chapel triumphed in Class 4A versus North Allegheny in overtime, South Fayette won its first in school history with a double-overtime victory over Moon at Class 3A, Avonworth completed a three-peat in Class 2A with a win against Shady Side Academy, and Freedom Area defeated Riverview to defend its Class 1A crown.
 
The WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Soccer Championships begin on Thursday, Oct. 17 a preliminary round game in Class 1A. Championship games will be played between Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium, with exact dates and times to be determined. The top two teams in Class 4A and top three teams in Class 1A, Class 2A, and Class 3A will move onto the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Soccer Championships, which begin with first round games on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and all championship games are held on Nov. 15-16 at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg.
 
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Monday, Oct. 21
Championship Info: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 12
Top Four Seeds: #1 Peters Township (16-0-1, 9-0-1), #2 Seneca Valley (12-2-2, 7-0-1), #3 Penn-Trafford (12-4-0, 9-1-0), #4 North Allegheny (10-5-1, 5-2-1)
Qualifying Teams: Butler, Canon-McMillan, Greater Latrobe, Hempfield Area, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair
2023 Final: Fox Chapel 1, North Allegheny 0 (2OT)
 
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Monday, Oct. 21
Championship Info: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Fox Chapel (15-1-1, 10-0-0), #2 South Fayette (13-3-0, 10-0-0), #3 West Allegheny (13-3-1, 10-2-0), #4 Plum (15-1-0, 12-0-0)
Qualifying Teams: Bethel Park, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Hampton, Indiana, Kiski Area, Laurel Highlands, Mars, Montour, Moon, Oakland Catholic, Plum, Shaler, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny
2023 Final: South Fayette 1, Moon 0 (2OT)
 
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22
Championship Info: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Mt. Pleasant (14-1-0, 10-0-0), #2 Quaker Valley (13-2-2, 9-1-0), #3 Beaver (13-1-0, 8-1-0), #4 South Park (12-4-1, 12-0-0)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Burrell, Central Valley, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Quaker Valley, Shady Side Academy, South Park, Southmoreland, Yough
2023 Final: Avonworth 1, Shady Side Academy 0
 
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22
- One preliminary round game to be played on Thursday, Oct. 17
Championship Info: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 17
Top Four Seeds: #1 Springdale (13-1-0, 12-0-0), #2 Seton LaSalle (12-2-2, 10-1-1), #3 Bentworth (15-1-0, 9-1-0), #4 Eden Christian Academy (8-7-1, 7-2-1)
Qualifying Teams: Aquinas Academy, Bentworth, California, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Eden Christian Academy, The Ellis School, Freedom Area, Greensburg Central Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverside, Riverview, Seton LaSalle, Sewickley Academy, Springdale, Waynesburg Central, Winchester Thurston
2023 Final: Freedom Area 1, Riverview 0
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• 49: The number of teams in the 2024 fields that qualified for the WPIAL Girls’ Soccer Championships last season.
• 44: The number of seasons the WPIAL has crowned a girls’ soccer champion. Mt. Lebanon was the first in 1980.
• 38: The number of seasons between Fox Chapel’s first and second WPIAL girls’ soccer championships, the longest gap between championships in league history. The Foxes ended their drought with a 1-0 double-overtime win over North Allegheny in last year’s Class 4A final.
• 29: The number of schools who have boasted at least one WPIAL girls’ soccer champion.
• 9: The number of WPIAL girls’ soccer championships won by Mt. Lebanon, a league record. The Blue Devils won in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1993, 2000, and 2008.
• 7: The number of times a WPIAL girls’ soccer championship game has needed penalty kicks to determine a champion. Only three of those instances have come since 2009, with North Allegheny’s 2022 win over Peters Township in the Class 4A final being the most recent one.
• 5: The longest streak of consecutive WPIAL girls’ soccer championships, also accomplished by Mt. Lebanon. The Blue Devils won the first five WPIAL girls’ soccer titles from 1980 to 1984.
• 5: The number of schools to win at least three consecutive WPIAL girls’ soccer championships. Avonworth joined this group last season with a 1-0 win over Shady Side Academy in the Class 2A final, pairing the title with its 2021 and 2022 ones. The other four schools to accomplish this feat are Mars (2010-12, 2019-21), Mt. Lebanon (1980-84), Sewickley Academy (2002-04), and South Park (2006-08).
• 1: The number of schools who won their first WPIAL girls’ soccer championship last season. South Fayette captured its first WPIAL girls’ soccer title at Class 3A – and a sweep of both boys’ and girls’ crowns at the classification – with a 1-0 double-overtime triumph over Moon.

 
CLASS 4A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Penn-Trafford (12-4-0, 9-1-0)
Section II: Peters Township (15-0-1, 9-0-1)
Section III: Seneca Valley (12-2-2, 7-0-1)
 
CLASS 3A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Fox Chapel (15-1-1, 10-0-0)
Section II: Moon (12-3-0, 10-2-0); West Allegheny (13-3-1, 10-2-0)
Section III: South Fayette (13-3-0, 10-0-0)
Section IV: Plum (15-1-0, 12-0-0)
 
CLASS 2A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: South Park (12-4-1, 12-0-0)
Section II: Freeport (11-1-1, 8-1-1)
Section III: Quaker Valley (13-2-2, 9-1-0) *
* Beaver (13-1-0, 8-1-0) can claim a share of the Section III title with a win against Hopewell on Oct. 16.
Section IV: Mt. Pleasant (14-1-0, 10-0-0)
 
CLASS 1A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Eden Christian Academy (8-7-1, 7-2-1)
Section II: Bentworth (15-1-0, 9-1-0)
Section III: Seton LaSalle (12-2-2, 10-1-1); Sewickley Academy (11-3-1, 10-1-1)
Section IV: Springdale (13-1-0, 12-0-0)
 
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