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WPIAL Boys Soccer: Class 4A and 1A Semifinal Round Scoreboard

The WPIAL boys soccer playoffs continued with Class 4A and Class 1A semifinal round matches taking place on Tuesday evening — with a berth to the WPIAL Championship on the line.

The results are in — and we’ll have a pair of rematches from last year’s finals coming up this weekend as Seneca Valley will take on Peters Township in Class 4A while Winchester Thurston will meet Greensburg Central Catholic again in Class 1A.

Match Night Updates 

Final Scores:

4A

Seneca Valley 1, Fox Chapel 0

Peters Twp 4, North Allegheny 1

1A

Winchester Thurston 4, Riverside 0

Greensburg Central Catholic 6, Eden Christian 5

7:35 p.m. — GCC-Eden Christian going to OT!

WPIAL Boys Class 4A Schedule

Semifinal Round – Tuesday, November 2
  • Fox Chapel (5) vs Seneca Valley (1) at North Allegheny – 8 p.m.
  • North Allegheny (6) vs Peters Township (2) at West Allegheny – 8 p.m.
Championship at Highmark Stadium – Saturday, November 6, 2021 – 5:45 p.m.

WPIAL Boys Class 1A Schedule

Semifinal Round – Tuesday, November 2
  • Winchester Thurston 4, Riverside 0
  • Greensburg CC 6, Eden Christian 5
Championship at Highmark Stadium – Friday, November 5, 2021 –  8 p.m.

Preview / Key Storylines 

4A 
Fox Chapel (15-3-1) vs Seneca Valley (15-0-1) at North Allegheny – 8 p.m.

It’s the third match of the season between the section rivals.

Seneca Valley impressively rolled through its Section 1 schedule and won the title by an easy margin.

The next closest team?

That’s right, Fox Chapel.

The Foxes take a six-game winning (and eight-game unbeaten) streak into this match.  Coach Erik Ingram last led the Foxes to the WPIAL Finals in 2015, when they lost to Canon-McMillan in overtime.

This year’s team brought back a number of players from last year’s squad that made it to the semifinals, and had Peters Twp on the ropes, only to lose with a late equalizer, then in overtime.  Among their top players include Ashton Schutzman, forward Sean Ahia and juniors George Tabo and defender Colin Westerberg.

The Raiders are ranked third in the state, registered 11 shutouts. They don’t have one, but two all-State talents in Nathan Prex and Beaux Lizewski.

They have won two of the last three WPIAL titles and also brought home a PIAA crown last season. The team has not been beaten in 29 games.

North Allegheny (6) vs Peters Township (2) at West Allegheny – 8 p.m.

Peters Township have been a team on a mission this season, eagerly looking to get back to the WPIAL finals, where they lost a classic to Seneca Valley last season.

Once again, leading the way is Andrew Massucci, who came through again in their quarterfinal round 4-2 win vs Butler with a hat trick.

This is a match of two longtime, established WPIAL coaches, Bobby Dyer and Bobby Vosmaer.

North Allegheny topped Norwin, 1-0 in the quarterfinal round as Evan Anderson scored 63 seconds into the game and that is all the Tigers would need as they upset No. 3 Norwin. Goalkeeper Dante Accamando came up with some big saves, including a diving effort in the final moments to deny a Knights equalizer.

This will be a good battle to see if Peters’ potent attack can solve a North Allegheny defensive group that has posted clean sheets in four of its last five matches.

WPIAL Boys Class 4A Quarterfinal Round Scoreboard


1A 
Riverside (9-9-0) vs Winchester Thurston (17-0-1) at Ambridge – 6 p.m.

One of the tournament’s big surprises has been Riverside.

The Panthers, who entered the playoffs with a losing record and as an 11-seed, have knocked off two higher seeds en route to their semifinal round appearance. Riverside defeated Trinity Christian 2-1 last Tuesday in the opening round and then upset No. 3 Sewickley Academy 2-1 on Saturday to continue their playoff journey.

On Saturday, Noah Zelch scored off a penalty kick and Evan Burry buried the game winning goal with a rocket from inside the box to lead the Panthers.

Winchester Thurston have lost to Greensburg Central Catholic the past two years in the WPIAL Final. The Bears have 14 shutouts this season — so they’ve proven they won’t be conceding goals very easily. In the first two rounds, they’ve defeated Jeannette (5-0) and OLSH (4-1). Alex Hauskrecht is among the better finishers in Class A and midfielder Oliver Daboo is also a member of Riverhounds SC’s ECNL 2005 squad.

Eden Christian (17-2-1) vs Greensburg CC (14-3-0) – at West Mifflin – 6 p.m.

The top-seeded Centurions shut out No. 8 Springdale, 4-0, in a quarterfinal round, but now heading into this semifinal round, they will be without senior standout Mason Fabean, who was sent off with a red card near the end of the match.

Fabean, who has a team-leading 27 goals, will be missed, but his teammates will be determined to reach the WPIAL finals for the third consecutive season as they also go for the WPIAL three-peat.

These two sides met a year ago in the playoffs, as GCC had a narrow semifinal round win, 1-0.

However, in the first game of this season, the Warriors edged the Centurions, 4-3, on Sept. 4.

Eden Christian’s only two losses this season came to section rival, Winchester Thurston, and they won a pair of tightly contested matches (2-0 vs Serra Catholic and 2-1 vs Bentworth) in the first two rounds.

As we learned from some other matches so far in the WPIAL playoffs this season, early season matches mean very little when the playoffs roll around, however, with Greensburg missing its top scorer, and Eden Christian is good form, this will be a huge challenge for the defending champs.

WPIAL Class 1A Boys Quarterfinal Round Scoreboard

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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