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PREVIEWING WPIAL GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS

Norwin girls have been unbeatable this season. Now they have to take on WPIAL Class AAA two-time defending champs Seneca Valley tonight.


PREVIEWING WPIAL SOCCER SEMIFINALS 
All Games Scheduled Monday, November 2
Locations and Times Below   
 
GIRLS CLASS AAA
Fox Chapel vs Upper St. Clair 6 p.m. at Penn Hills Linton Middle School

#3 Upper St. Clair (15-1-1, 10-0, Section 5-AAA Champs)
How they got here:    def Kiski Area (2-1), def Mt. Lebanon
WPIAL 3-time Champion (2001, 2002, 2011)
Taking note:  Maddie Rocks leads the team in goals, but it’s Penn State recruit Emma Hasco who orchestrates their attack at center midfield — and has USC as one of the favorites to take their fourth WPIAL title.
#7  Fox Chapel (18-2, 14-0, Section 3-AAA Champs)
How they got here:  def Penn Trafford (2-1), def Canon McMillan (1-0)
WPIAL  Champion (1985)
Taking Note:   The Foxes have had hit a few hiccups this season against non-section Class AAA playoff caliber teams like Upper St. Clair and Seneca Valley.  But head coach Peter Torres said at the beginning of the playoffs those games made them better, and they were going to work out those wrinkles.  Sure enough, FC beat #2 Canon-McMillan to reach the semifinal.   Now, can they beat the Section 5-AAA champs?   Something tells me this one will be closer than their previous match.

Previous meeting this season:  September 10 – Upper St. Clair won 4-1
 
Seneca Valley vs Norwin 6 p.m. at North Allegheny

#4 Seneca Valley (16-3, 10-2, Section 2-AAA Champs)
How they got here:  def Oakland Catholic 1-0, def Peters Twp 4-0
WPIAL:  4-time Champions (2007, 2009, 2013, 2014)
Taking note:  Seneca have been here, done that.  The 4-time WPIAL champs have won six in a row, including an impressive 3-0 win over Fox Chapel in non-section play.  This group of seniors has gone 43-4-1 in section play and were on teams that won the last two WPIAL titles.

#1 Norwin (20-0, 12-0, Section 1-AAA Champs)
How they got here:  def Franklin Regional 3-1, def Plum 3-0.  
Taking note:  Norwin has been unbeaten primarily due to a strong defense.  Including their two playoff wins, they’ve posted 15 shutouts this season and surrendered a total of five goals.  They have also been the top scoring team in Class AAA with 115 goals.

Previous meeting this season:  October 10 – Norwin won 1-0 
 
GIRLS CLASS AA 
South Fayette vs South Park 6 p.m. at Canon McMillan

#2. South Park (17-2-1, 11-1, Section 5-AA Champs)
How They Got here:    def Freeport 5-0, def Mount Pleasant 1-0 
Taking note:   South Park has won 19 straight section titles, even with a formidable competition from teams like South Fayette.   They’ve played up in classification, going 2-1-1 against Class AAA teams.
#3. South Fayette (14-4-2, 11-2, Section 5-AA Runner-Up)
How They Got here:    def Greensburg Salem 5-0, def Highlands 2-1 
Taking note:   Playing in the same section as South Park can be challenging, but South Fayette have finally beaten South Park for the first time this year in the regular season.

Previous meetings this season:   Series 1-1 (South Fayette 1-0 on Sept. 23, South Park 3-0 on Oct. 15)
 
Central Valley vs Mars 6 p.m. at Moon

#4 Central Valley (16-0-1, 11-0-1, Section 3-AA Champs)
How They Got here:   def T. Jefferson 7-0, def Belle Vernon 3-1 
Taking Note: Central Valley’s only blemish on their record is a 0-0 draw vs section foe Hopewell.
#1 Mars (15-2, 12-0, Section 1-AA Champs)
How They Got here:  First Round-bye, Waynesburg Central 4-0 
Taking Note:  Looking to return to the WPIAL final after being upset by Montour last season, this year’s Mars team seems to be on a mission.  They’ve only surrendered five goals against Class-AA team, and their only two losses are two Class AAA teams (#1 Norwin and Pine-Richland).

Previous meetings:  This is first meeting this season between the two teams
GIRLS CLASS A 
Greensburg Central Catholic vs Freedom 6 p.m. at Peters

#1 Greensburg Central Catholic (19-1, 16-0, Section 4-A Champs)
How they got here:   def Quigley Catholic 7-0, def Sewickley Academy 4-1
WPIAL Champions:  4-time (AA- 2005, Class A- 2011, 2012, 2014)
Taking note:  GCC have been dominant in Class A WPIAL play, only loss in the past five years was to Shady Side Academy in the 2013 final. Their only losses in the past four years were toWPIAL Class AAA schools (Fox Chapel -2012, Pine Richland -2013 and Moon -2014) in non-section games.  Their only loss this season was to Rocky River (Ohio) on September 7.
#4 Freedom (14-4-1, 12-1-1, Section 1-A Champs)
How they got here:  def Bentworth 4-0, def South Allegheny 6-1
Taking note: Lost their final three regular season games, all non-section games against higher classification teams.  They won’t be a surprise this year.  A season ago, Freedom made a splash in Class A playoffs by reaching the final as an #11 seed.   In their two games against closest section rivals, New Brighton, this year they played some unbelievably high scoring games, 8-6 and 6-4 (yeah maybe even higher scoring that USL’s Keystone Derby clashes between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg this season!).

Previous meetings:  This is first meeting this season between the two teams
 
#2 Shady Side Academy vs Charleroi 6 p.m. at Chartiers Valley

Shady Side Academy (16-3, 14-2, Section 4-A Runner Up)
How They Got here:  def Serra Catholic 2-0, def Vincentian 1-0
WPIAL Champions:  (2010, 2013)
Taking Note:  The Indians have been a strong possession team that has relied heavily on freshman Krystyna Rytel, a midfielder who has been their primary playmaker, to lead their scoring attack.  Rytel is a member of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds U-15 girls team that won National Cup in June.
Charleroi (16-1-2, 13-0-1, Section 2-A Champs) 
How They Got here:   def Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 4-1, def New Brighton 5-2
Taking Note:   Charleroi have scored a ton of goals this year.   In all, 128 goals in 19 games, including seven in two playoff games.  If common opponents mean anything, Charleroi hammered Shady Side’s first round victim, Serra Catholic, 8-0 and 5-1, while Shady Side dominated possession but only beat Serra 2-0.

 

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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