Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) announced its brackets for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Boys’ Soccer Championships on Wednesday, with 63 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.
 
In Class 4A, the section champions were Plum (15-0-3, 10-0-0) in Section I, Peters Township (15-1-1, 10-0-0) in Section II, and a shared crown in Section III between Fox Chapel (10-4-1, 8-2-0) and North Allegheny (13-3-1, 8-2-0). Plum has now won four section titles in a row, while it’s four in five years for Peters Township.
 
The Class 3A section champions were Indiana (15-2-0, 10-2-0) in Section I, Bethel Park (11-5-0, 11-3-0) and Thomas Jefferson (12-1-3, 10-1-3) in Section II, Greater Latrobe (12-4-1, 10-0-0) in Section III, and Moon (17-0-0, 12-0-0) in Section IV. Moon has now won three section titles in a row, and it’s three in four seasons for Thomas Jefferson.
 
Emerging as section champions in Class 2A were Deer Lakes (15-2-1, 13-1-0) in Section I, Avonworth (14-2-2, 14-1-1) and Quaker Valley (14-3-1, 14-1-1) in Section II, South Park (16-1-1, 13-0-1) in Section III, and Charleroi (14-1-0, 13-1-0) in Section IV. All four teams extended section champion streaks, with South Park winning its fourth consecutive and 14th in 16 seasons, Deer Lakes taking its third straight, and Avonworth and Charleroi both making it two in a row.
 
Collecting section plaques in Class 1A were Beaver County Christian (13-3-0, 8-2-0) in Section I, Bentworth (14-0-0, 8-0-0) in Section II, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-2-0, 9-1-0) in Section III, and Winchester Thurston (12-2-1, 9-0-1) in Section IV. Winchester Thurston has now won five section championships in six seasons, while it’s the second in four seasons for Bentworth and second in five seasons for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
 
Last season, Norwin and Bentworth both won their first WPIAL boys’ soccer championships as the Knights won Class 4A over North Allegheny, 1-1 (5-3 PK), and the Bearcats took Class 1A against Charleroi in overtime, 3-2. South Fayette won its league-high 19th WPIAL title with a 4-2 triumph against Hampton in Class 3A, and South Park bested Quaker Valley, 1-0, in the Class 2A championship game to win its fourth WPIAL trophy.
 
The WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Boys’ Soccer Championships begin on Thursday, Oct. 17 with preliminary round games in Class 1A and Class 3A. 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) Boys’ 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: Tuesday, Oct. 22
Championship Info: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 13
Top Four Seeds: #1 Plum (15-0-3, 10-0-0), #2 Peters Township (15-1-1, 10-0-0), #3 Fox Chapel (10-4-1, 8-2-0), #4 North Allegheny (14-3-1, 8-2-0)
Qualifying Teams: Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, North Hills, Norwin, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Plum, Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair
2023 Final: Norwin 1, North Allegheny 1 (5-3 PK)
 
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Saturday, Oct. 19
- 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 Moon (17-0-0, 12-0-0), #2 Thomas Jefferson (12-1-3, 10-1-3), #3 Indiana (15-2-0, 10-2-0), #4 Greater Latrobe (12-4-1, 10-0-0)
Qualifying Teams: Armstrong, Belle Vernon, Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Franklin Regional, Greater Latrobe, Hampton, Indiana, Mars, Montour, Moon, Penn-Trafford, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, West Allegheny, West Mifflin
2023 Final: South Fayette 4, Hampton 2
 
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Monday, Oct. 21
Championship Info: TBA at Highmark Stadium
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 South Park (16-1-1, 13-0-1), #2 Avonworth (14-2-2, 14-1-1), #3 Deer Lakes (15-2-1, 13-1-0), #4 Quaker Valley (14-3-1, 14-1-1)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Burrell, Central Valley, Charleroi, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Hopewell, McGuffey, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Quaker Valley, Seton LaSalle, Shady Side Academy, South Park, Southmoreland, Waynesburg Central
2023 Final: South Park 1, Quaker Valley 0
 
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Saturday, Oct. 19
- 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 Bentworth (15-0-0, 8-0-0), #2 Winchester Thurston (12-2-1, 9-0-1), #3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-2-0, 9-1-0), #4 Beaver County Christian (13-3-0, 8-2-0)
Qualifying Teams: Aquinas Academy, Beaver County Christian, Bethlehem-Center, Bentworth, California, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Eden Christian Academy, Freedom Area, Greensburg Central Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverview, Serra Catholic, Sewickley Academy, Springdale, Trinity Christian, Winchester Thurston
2023 Final: Bentworth 3, Charleroi 2 (OT)
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• 90: The number of seasons the WPIAL has crowned a boys’ soccer champion. South Fayette was the first in 1933.
• 47: The number of teams in the 2024 fields that qualified for the WPIAL Boys’ Soccer Championships last season.
• 41: The number of schools who have boasted at least one WPIAL boys’ soccer champion.
• 19: The number of WPIAL boys’ soccer championships won by South Fayette, a league record. The Lions won in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1958, 2015, and 2023.
• 10: The longest streak of consecutive WPIAL boys’ soccer championships, also accomplished by South Fayette. The Lions dominated the early days of WPIAL boys’ soccer, winning 17 of their 19 championships between 1933 and 1958 – 10 of those coming consecutive from 1943 to 1952.
• 10: The number of times a WPIAL boys’ soccer championship game has needed penalty kicks to determine a champion. Seven of those instances have come since 2003, with Norwin’s win over North Allegheny in last year’s Class 4A final being the most recent one.
• 4: The number of overtimes that the 1977 and 1986 WPIAL championship games needed to decide a winner. In 1977, Mt. Lebanon outlasted North Allegheny, 1-0, to claim gold, while nine seasons later, Moon defeated Upper St. Clair, 2-1, to secure a repeat.
• 2: The number of schools who won their first WPIAL boys’ soccer championship last season. Norwin previously was a runner-up in 1989 and 2018 before securing the Class 4A crown, while Bentworth took home the Class 1A trophy in its first WPIAL championship game appearance.

 
CLASS 4A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Plum (15-0-3, 10-0-0)
Section II: Peters Township (15-1-1, 10-0-0)
Section III: Fox Chapel (10-4-1, 8-2-0); North Allegheny (13-3-1, 8-2-0)
 
CLASS 3A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Indiana (15-2-0, 10-2-0)
Section II: Bethel Park (11-5-0, 11-3-0); Thomas Jefferson (12-1-3, 10-1-3)
Section III: Greater Latrobe (12-4-1, 10-0-0)
Section IV: Moon (17-0-0, 12-0-0)
 
CLASS 2A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Deer Lakes (15-2-1, 13-1-0)
Section II: Avonworth (14-2-2, 14-1-1); Quaker Valley (14-3-1, 14-1-1)
Section III: South Park (16-1-1, 13-0-1)
Section IV: Charleroi (14-1-0, 13-1-0)
 
CLASS 1A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Beaver County Christian (13-3-0, 8-2-0)
Section II: Bentworth (14-0-0, 8-0-0)
Section III: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-2-0, 9-1-0)
Section IV: Winchester Thurston (12-2-1, 9-0-1)

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