Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) saw four schools capture titles at the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Boys’ Soccer Championships from Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at Highmark Stadium.
Fox Chapel is now a repeat champion for the first time in program history as they now have seven total WPIAL titles.
West Allegheny found gold in the championships for the first time since 2013 with their win over Franklin Rwegional. This is the Indians second WPIAL Championship after being a runner-up on three other occasions.
Deer Lakes captured their third overall program championship and their second in three seasons as they won in 2022 and 2020 at the 2A level.
Bentworth ran the table in 1A and became the first program to win three titles in a row since Quaker Valley did so from 1991-1993. Next year, Bentworth will look to become just the second team in WPIAL history to win four straight championships.
CLASS 4A RECAP
Second-seeded Fox Chapel captured its second straight WPIAL Class 4A boys’ soccer title on Friday night at Highmark Stadium, outlasting top-seeded Seneca Valley, 0-0 (4-2 PKs), in a championship thriller that featured 29 total shots but no goals in 110 minutes of play.
Both teams generated strong chances throughout regulation and overtime, but Fox Chapel’s Brady Matthews and Seneca Valley’s Chase Good stood tall in goal. Matthews made five saves, while Good recorded seven.
The shootout began with Calyx Kimbrough calmly converting for Fox Chapel, setting the tone before Matthews denied Seneca Valley’s Owen Eastgate on the opening Raider attempt. The Foxes’ Rocco Didomenico, Nicolas Squeglia, and Sean Regan all buried their kicks to seal the win and clinch back-to-back WPIAL titles.
Squeglia was a constant threat, firing eight shots (one on target), while Didomenico added three shots on goal and Rocco Poli contributed two more attempts. Fox Chapel held a narrow 14–13 edge in total shots and finished with seven on target to Seneca Valley’s five.
For Seneca Valley, Jake Phillips, Zach White, and Owen Eastgate each tallied three shots, while Fynn O’Donnell and Landon Loya were active in the attack. The Raiders slightly controlled possession (56%–44%) and led in corner kicks (5–4).
The Foxes reached Highmark Stadium with back-to-back shutout wins over Pine-Richland (2-0) and Plum (3-0) before taking down Seneca Valley in the finals.
CLASS 3A RECAP
Eighth-seeded West Allegheny completed a remarkable postseason run, defeating third-seeded Franklin Regional, 2-1, in Saturday afternoon’s championship match at Highmark Stadium.
Franklin Regional struck first in the 19th minute when Fabrizzio Costa found the back of the net. But West Allegheny quickly answered with two goals in a span of 55 seconds — from junior Harrison Murray and sophomore Michael Johnson, who also added an assist.
The Indians’ goalkeeper was stellar the rest of the way, shutting out the Panthers for the final 61 minutes to secure the title.
West Allegheny’s defensive unit was dominant throughout the postseason, opening with a 4-0 win over Greater Latrobe, then upsetting top-seeded Hampton (2-1) before edging Thomas Jefferson (1-0) in the semifinals.
Franklin Regional advanced with a 2-0 win over Montour, an overtime quarterfinal victory against Chartiers Valley (2-1), and a 2-0 win over Bethel Park in the semifinals.
In the third-place consolation match, Thomas Jefferson outlasted Bethel Park, 3-2 (2OT), to earn the final PIAA qualifying spot.
CLASS 2A RECAP
Sixth-seeded Deer Lakes captured its first WPIAL boys’ soccer championship since 2022, edging ninth-seeded Beaver, 3–2, in an offensive showcase at Highmark Stadium.
Deer Lakes broke through in the 33rd minute when senior forward Peyton Kushon buried a feed from defender Riley Beacom to give the Lancers a 1-0 halftime lead.
The second half erupted with five combined goals in just 20 minutes. Beaver equalized in the 49th minute on Anthony Furda’s strike off a cross from Josef Woodske, but moments later, Collin Rodgers put the Lancers back in front, assisted by Artemey Parshyn. The Bobcats tied it again in the 64th minute on Caleb Kullen’s finish from Ryan Perez, yet Deer Lakes found the winner four minutes later as senior defender Zane Spence headed home Maddox Metzler’s corner service.
Beaver led in total shots (15–14) and possession (52%–48%), while Deer Lakes capitalized efficiently, scoring on half of its six shots on goal. Both teams recorded four corner kicks in a clean, fast-paced match.
Furda and Kullen each scored once and combined for 10 shots (seven on target) to pace the Bobcats. Goalkeeper Sean Perez made three saves in the loss. For the champions, Kushon, Rodgers, and Spence all found the back of the net, while Wesley Boyle anchored the defense with seven saves.
Deer Lakes’ postseason run included wins over Central Valley (5-1) and Quaker Valley (1-0) en route to the title game. Beaver reached the final with victories over Charleroi (6-0), defending champion South Park (2-1), and Avonworth (8-2).
In the third-place consolation match, Quaker Valley edged Avonworth, 2-1 (OT), to qualify for the PIAA Championships.
CLASS 1A RECAP
Top-seeded Bentworth successfully defended its WPIAL Class 1A boys’ soccer crown, using two goals from senior Ryan Moessner and another from his brother Adam Moessner to secure a 3–1 win over third-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) on Thursday night at Highmark Stadium.
Bentworth wasted no time taking control, as Ryan Moessner scored just 2:33 into the match off a pass from Adam. OLSH leveled the match in the 25th minute when senior defender Andre Kolocouris finished a rebound, but Bentworth answered six minutes later with an Adam Moessner strike assisted by Caden Hackinson.
The Bearcats added an insurance goal in the 43rd minute when Ryan Moessner netted his second of the night from William Moyer’s cross, sealing a 3–1 victory.
OLSH outshot Bentworth (16–9) and led in possession (55%–45%) and corner kicks (7–3), but the Bearcats made their chances count, converting three of their four shots on target.
Ryan Moessner finished with five shots and two goals, while Adam added a goal and assist. Goalkeeper Issac Vipperman made two saves for the Bearcats. Kolocouris led OLSH with two shots and a goal, and Patrick Altmar tallied one save in goal.
Bentworth did not allow a single goal during its playoff run, blanking Brentwood (7-0), Eden Christian (6-0), and Beaver County Christian (2-0). OLSH advanced with a 13-1 win over Greensburg Central Catholic, followed by victories against Sewickley Academy (4-1) and Winchester Thurston (1-0).
Winchester Thurston edged Beaver County Christian, 1-1 (PKs), in the third-place match to secure its spot in the PIAA Championships.