CLASS 3A
- The Score: #1 Mt. Lebanon 14, #2 Pine-Richland 9
- The Story: Playing with great poise in their third meeting of the season against their section rivals, the top-seeded Blue Devils captured their third consecutive WPIAL crown. The victory marks a district-best eighth WPIAL championship in program history.
RECAP
The opening 12 minutes set a frantic pace, but Mt. Lebanon's quick adjustments off turnovers allowed them to capitalize on a pair of Pine-Richland penalties and carry a 3–1 lead out of the first quarter. Junior midfielder Cali Green and senior Lucy Pryor spearheaded the early attack. Green scored two quick goals in the first half—literally sacrificing her front tooth to a physical, uncalled hit to the face on her second score—but remained on the field to celebrate.
Pine-Richland regrouped during a timeout, fueled by midfielder Cate Gentile, who went on a offensive tear to score five goals on the night. However, Mt. Lebanon’s depth was too much to handle. Seven players scored for the Blue Devils, with Pryor putting away a team-high four goals and Grace Manning netting three. In the net, Mt. Lebanon goalie Nina Crago turned away more than a dozen critical shots to anchor the 14–9 victory.
The Road to the Finals
- Mt. Lebanon: Defeated #8 Shaler 18–5 in the quarterfinals and ran past #4 Fox Chapel 18–6 in the semifinal round.
- Pine-Richland: Advanced through the bracket by downing #7 Bethel Park 16–5 and topping #3 Upper St. Clair 13–8.
Class 3A State (PIAA) Qualifiers
- Mt. Lebanon
- Pine-Richland
- Fox Chapel
CLASS 2A
- The Score: #1 Mars 19, #3 Quaker Valley 5
- The Story: The top-seeded Mars Planets proved completely untouchable, rolling to their fourth consecutive WPIAL title and fifth championship in the last six seasons. The match marked a historic run for Quaker Valley, who battled their way to the finals for the first time since 2018.
RECAP
Determined to start the game with electric momentum, Mars dismantled Quaker Valley’s defense with a blistering 7–0 run in the first quarter alone. Junior attack Katie Blake was unstoppable early, evading defenders to bury two quick scores and complete a first-quarter hat trick.
Mars extended its command by outscoring Quaker Valley 4–1 in the second frame, invoking the continuous-clock mercy rule with an 11–1 advantage before halftime. Aside from stellar defense, Mars dominated the draw circle to maintain total possession. Quaker Valley’s Lucy Roig, the WPIAL Class 2A all-time career goals leader (finishing the regular season with 258 goals), finally broke the shutout in the second quarter. Katharine Miller added two second-half goals for the Quakers, but Mars cruised smoothly to a 19–5 victory.
The Road to the Finals
- Mars: Steamrolled #8 Oakland Catholic 23–1 in the quarterfinals and held off #4 South Fayette 14–11 in a highly competitive semifinal matchup.
- Quaker Valley: Handled #5 Franklin Regional and #2 Hampton to punch their ticket to the final stage.