Preview: WPIAL Girls Soccer Class 4A Final – Moon vs Seneca Valley, 8 pm

WPIAL Girls Soccer Class 4A Final

Moon (15-1-1) vs Seneca Valley (16-3-2) 

Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 8 p.m.  |  Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA

Live Stream

PSN Coverage team:  John Krysinsky (Reporting) / Ed Thompson (Photography)

WPIAL Soccer History (List of WPIAL Champions) 

About the schools

Moon (Moon Township) 

Class 4A, Section 2 Champions – No. 2 seed

Head Coach – Bill Pfeifer

Three-time WPIAL Champions (2004, 2016, 2017)

Twitter: @_MLTS_

Seneca Valley (Harmony) 

Section 1 Runner-up – No. 4 seed

Head Coach –  Mark Perry

Five-time WPIAL Champions (2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2018)

Twitter: @SV_Sports 

Preview / Key Storylines: 

This one could very well be decided on one key play as both sides feature well-coached, organized units that won’t give an inch.

In fact, this match features two of the most successful coaches in the history of WPIAL soccer.

Bill Pfeifer, the all-time wins leader in PIAA girls soccer history has returned to coach the Tigers since winning back-to-back state titles in 2016 and ‘17, and knew that he had a good squad that was capable of going far this year, but needed some confidence building wins during the regular season.

Those wins came against its next closest rival in Section 2, Peters Township, including on October 4, when Hailey Longwell converted her chance late in the first half, then goalkeeper Serayah Leech came up with some big saves in a match that could have went either way.

The two sides would meet again in the WPIAL semifinal on Monday, and this time the match went the distance without a goal being scored in the run of play.

It was Moon goalkeeper Serayah Leech, a sophomore, who stopped two of the five shots she faced against Peters, as the Tigers escaped, 4-3, in penalty kicks.

Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, Seneca Valley had to figure out how to score on Fox Chapel, who came into that match making it through the first two rounds of the playoffs without surrendering a goal (or scoring one in the run of play) and winning two matches decided by PK’s, including an upset of Seneca Valley’s section rival and two-time defending champion, North Allegheny.

Seneca Valley’s Natalie Matthews, who was named all-WPIAL earlier in the day, had the game-winner on a free kick that proved to be the difference and lift the Raiders to the Final.

Under the direction of Mark Perry, SV’s won 10 in a row, and they’ve been tough to score upon as the win vs Fox Chapel was its 14th shutout of the season.. The Raiders played without the services of Julia Lozowski, who was injured celebrating a goal in the quarterfinal victory over Penn-Trafford. Perry indicated she might be available Thursday.

Perry’s coaching credentials are impressive.

In his 35 years as a head coach, he also won four other WPIAL titles. In 1990 he took home the trophy with the Hampton boys, in 1991 and 1995, with the Fox Chapel boys and with the Central Valley girls in 2013.

Following @SV_Sports Girls soccer advances to #WPIALSoccer Class 4A final, with 1-0 win vs Fox Chapel, @JohnKrysinsky caught up with Head Coach Mark Perry pic.twitter.com/i7NF7yon6D

— Pittsburgh Soccer Now (@pghsoccernow) November 2, 2021

WPIAL Girls 4A and 1A Semifinal Round Scoreboard

MLTS advance to the title game on Thursday after a PK shootout victory over a great Peters team. Great team defensive effort again! #Serena pic.twitter.com/6dRUOJdtMm

— Moon Girls Soccer (@_MLTS_) November 2, 2021