WPIAL Super Saturday
FINAL: Avonworth 2, North Catholic 1, 2OT (Girls 2A) PSN Match Report
FINAL: Mars 2, Plum 1 (Girls 3A) PSN Match Report
FINAL: Hampton 1, West Allegheny 0 (Boys 3A) PSN Match Report
FINAL: Seneca Valley 3, Peters Twp. 1 (Boys 4A) PSN Match Report
Saturday, November 6, 2021 | Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
PSN Coverage team: John Krysinsky, Jordan Smith & Matt Popchock (Reporting) / Ed Thompson (Photography)
Super Saturday Updates
Boys 4A – PETERS TWP vs SENECA VALLEY
FINAL: Seneca Valley 3, Peters Twp 1
Post Match Interviews (Peters Twp’s Bobby Dyer, Seneca Valley’s George Williams and Nathan Prex)
Final Team Stats in the 4A Boys Final
Seneca Valley
Shots – 5
Shots on Goal – 6
Corner Kicks – 7
Offsides – 1
Fouls – 14Peters
Shots – 4
Shots on Goal – 2
Corner Kicks – 4
Offsides – 1
Fouls – 181 Yellow Card on each team @pghsoccernow @SVRaiderSoccer @PTHSSoccer
— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_1187) November 7, 2021
It’s over! Seneca Valley wins back-to-back WPIAL titles.
End of the 1st half 2-1 – Stats
SV
Shots – 3
Shots on Goal – 1
Corner Kicks – 4
Offsides – 0
Fouls – 9Peters
Shots – 2
Shots on Goal – 1
Corner Kicks – 1
Offsides – 1
Fouls – 7@pghsoccernow @SVRaiderSoccer @PTHSSoccer— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_1187) November 6, 2021
33' – ALL STATE ANDREW MASSUCCI SCORES!! Peters gets back into it! Massucci slots it in past the keeper off a pass from Nick Magree. 2-1 game now. @pghsoccernow @SVRaiderSoccer @PTHSSoccer
— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_1187) November 6, 2021
20' – SENECA SCORES AGAIN!! 2-0 LEAD! Prex sets up Cole Kamarec in the box. Seneca dominating play so far. @pghsoccernow @SVRaiderSoccer @PTHSSoccer
— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_1187) November 6, 2021
8' – AND NATHAN PREX SCORES! What a goal! A long shot from 25 yards out into the right corner. 1-0 to Seneca Valley. @pghsoccernow @SVRaiderSoccer @PTHSSoccer
— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_1187) November 6, 2021
Boys 3A – WEST ALLEGHENY vs HAMPTON
FINAL – HAMPTON 1, WEST ALLEGHENY 0
FINAL @hampton_soccer 1@WestABoysSoccer 0
Last chance corner for West A — Hampton's keeper Thomas Bradfield comes to near post to clear it away.
Talbots win first WPIAL title since 2011.
Look for more on @pghsoccernow
Photo courtesy @ThompsonFoto12#WPIALSoccer pic.twitter.com/ddBCOJ0Qdt
— John Krysinsky (@JohnKrysinsky) November 6, 2021
@hampton_soccer are your @wpial7 AAA Soccer Champions. Great win over an tough @WestABoysSoccer. Check over at @pghsoccernow for the recap and stories from ALL of todays championship games here at @highmarkstadium #WPIAL pic.twitter.com/TtPCyD2oLh
— Ed Thompson (@ThompsonFoto12) November 6, 2021
73′ — SAVE!!!
It was Zach Panza.
He’s everywhere!
Saves ball on the line from @WestABoysSoccer’s Logan Mackey shot in crowded box.
65′ — GOAL – HAMPTON 1, WEST A 0
Zack Panza with the goal!
In a game where chances have been hard to come by in the run of play, Panza delivers a vicious header crashing the goal on a corner kick.
57′ — West A again — this time with some space it’s Logan Mackey who rips a shot from 18 yards, but its right at Hampton keeper Thomas Bradfield.
51′ — West A’s Will Douglas grazes a shot from right side off the left bar.
HALF — West A 0, Hampton 0
3:40 pm – the match has kicked off. We’re about 15 minutes behind schedule, due to the 2A girls game going to OT.
Girls 3A – MARS vs PLUM
FINAL — MARS 2, PLUM 1
57′ — GOAL PLUM (1-2)
Kaitlyn Killinger with the goal.
A couple previous shot attempts are stopped but Killinger shows impressive closing speed to get to ball before anyone else. First goal Mars has allowed in WPIAL playoffs since 2018.
49′ — GOAL – MARS (2-0)
GOAL @marsgirlssoccer
Brynn Ramsey is right there in the goal box to poke a loose ball into the goal after a ball in from a corner bounces around.49'
2-0 Mars leads @plumladystangss #WPIALSoccer— John Krysinsky (@JohnKrysinsky) November 6, 2021
HALF — MARS 1-0
6′ — GOAL – MARS (1-0) — Only six minute in, and it’s Piper Coffield who’s there to bury the header — 1-0.
Girls 2A – FINAL – AVONWORTH 2, NORTH CATHOLIC 1
It's LITERALLY a game of inches today for @NCForeverTrue @NCGSoccer as they lose in overtime to @Avonworthschool @AvonworthA @AGSLopes in what was an INCREDIBLE @wpial7 championship matchup. One of the best so far. See the recap at @pghsoccernow #WPIAL pic.twitter.com/BbvcLxC4Ms
— Ed Thompson (@ThompsonFoto12) November 6, 2021
Avonworth wins its first-ever WPIAL title.
GOLDEN GOAL!
Avonworth
Fiona Mahan from 30 yards
lofts shot over Rilee Kumer for the game winner in 2nd OT (101').It's the first-ever Girls Soccer WPIAL title for the 'Lopes.
2-1 Avonworth beat N. Catholic
We'll have more to follow on @pghsoccernow #WPIALSoccer
— John Krysinsky (@JohnKrysinsky) November 6, 2021
GOAL
North Catholic
Lauren McDonald!The Trojans respond just two minutes later
It's now 1-1 #WPIALSoccer
I
— John Krysinsky (@JohnKrysinsky) November 6, 2021
Reminder: North Catholic Girls Soccer playing in the WPIAL CHAMPIONSHIP‼️
🆚 Avonworth
📍 Highmark Stadium
🗓 Saturday November 6th
⏰ 11 amWear RED‼️
See you there👀#ForeverTrue@NCForeverTrue— North Catholic Girls Soccer (@NCGSoccer) November 5, 2021
Super Saturday Game Capsules
Girls 2A
11 am North Catholic vs Avonworth
It’s a rematch from 2020’s final between two girls programs that know each other very well.
And once again both teams come from Section 1. Section champion and two-time defending champs North Catholic and runner-up Avonworth are back on the big stage for their sixth meeting in the past two seasons.
In the two regular season meetings, the Trojans won at home, 4-0, while the Antelopes earned a split with a 2-1 home victory three weeks later.
North Catholic beat Avonworth in the 2A finals last year, 1-0.
Leading the way for North Catholic is Jayden Sharpless, who was featured by PSN’s Ed Rosensteel recently. Sharpless has been the leading scorer for WPIAL title winning teams the previous three years, and she’s hoping to make it a clean sweep for her storied high school career.
On the other side, Avonworth have shown in big games they have the ability to bring dangerous attacking options.
The Antelopes scored three goals in the first 12 minutes of their 4-1 victory over No. 2 Southmoreland. Sophomore Minah Syam scored in the 7th minute, then again in the 9th minute, then Giani Babusci finished the surge three minutes later. Ava Wert, a junior, also scored in the second half. ”
Girls 3A
1:15 pm Mars vs Plum (19-1-1)
Not only is this a rematch of last year’s final, but it’s now the third straight season these two teams are meeting in the WPIAL final. Mars won 4-0 in 2019 and 1-0 in last year’s championship match.
Mars is trying to become the fourth WPIAL girls soccer program to three-peat and the first school to do it twice. Sewickley Academy won in 2002, ’03 and ’04, South Park won in 2006, ’07, ’08, and Mars did it one other time in 2010, ’11, ’12.
To get to the final this year, Plum defeated Laurel Highlands, 7-1, Hampton, 3-1, South Fayette, 2-0; Mars, who are riding a 15-game win streak, defeated Penn Hills, 7-0, Oakland Catholic, 6-0, Montour, 1-0
The Mustangs are getting closer with each year — but they still have never won a WPIAL girls soccer championship. With senior Kaitlyn Killinger leading the way (32 goals this year), Plum has the firepower and the defensive capability, having given up just four goals in the past 12 matches. Plum’s only loss this season came
Head Coach Blair Gerlich has been at the helm leading The Fightin’ Planets to a dominant run which they’ve won six titles in the past 10 years. Overall, they have won seven WPIAL crowns: 2000, ’10, ’11, ’12, ’15, ’19, ’20.
Boys 3A
3:30 pm No. 2 Hampton (18-1) vs. No. 1 West Allegheny (21-0)
How they got here: Hampton defeated Penn Hills, 8-0, Moon, 1-0, Franklin Regional, 1-0; West Allegheny defeated Indiana, 3-0, Mars, 6-0, Plum, 2-1
It always seems no matter who the contestants are in the Boys 3A final — it’s a heavyweight level match with two teams that have been nearly unbeatable.
West Allegheny has not lost this season, while Hampton has only one loss and that was to Class 4A semifinalist North Allegheny.
West Allegheny didn’t have any problem dethroning defending WPIAL and PIAA champions, Mars, by an impressive 6-0 margin in the quarterfinal round with contributions coming with three players earning a brace each including Mason Day (2), Will Douglas (2), and Johnny Dragisich (2). while Day added three assists, along with one each for Alex Hennon, Brayden Lambert, and Trevor Day.
However, once they got to the semifinal round, they found their toughest test to the season, beating Plum, 2-1, in a hard-fought match that included three penalty kick attempts.
The Indians perfect season hasn’t been without pressure. Head Coach Kevin Amos acknowledged that his team, with a host of seniors and experience, were feeling the weight as the regular season came down to the wire to keep the unblemished season going.
West A capped the regular season with a tough test from South Fayette (winning 4-2) then topped Class 4A’s Mt. Lebanon, 3-0. They’ve also started their playoff run with back-to-back shutouts, beating Indiana and Mars, with a host of contributions from various players.
In 2019, these programs met in a 3A semifinal round match with West Allegheny winning, 1-0.
Hampton are also a senior laden squad, led by all-WPIAL midfielder Gabe Viszlay, along with forward Liam Nichols, midfielder Zach Panza and defender Henry Hughes, and third-year goalie Thomas Bradfield, were put to the test against Moon in the quarterfinal round, coming away with a 1-0 win after scoring an early goal. In the semifinal round, they shut down Franklin Regional’s Anthony DiFalco and as the game came down to the final moments of regulation when Panza delivered a penalty kick into the back of the net with 3:38 remaining.
Hampton has only allowed eight goals all season and has posted 14 shutouts. The Talbots’ have not played in the final since 2011.
The Talbots have won three WPIAL boys soccer championships: 1990, 2010, 2011. The Indians have won one WPIAL crown in 2013 and a PIAA State Title in 2018.
Boys 4A
5:45 pm No. 2 Peters Township (16-1-1) vs. No. 1 Seneca Valley (17-0-1)
Peters Township defeated Butler, 4-2, North Allegheny, 4-1; Seneca Valley defeated Allderdice, 1-0, Fox Chapel, 1-0
Last year, these two teams played a thrilling final, which Seneca Valley won, 4-3, in OT.
The way things have played out, these two storied boys soccer programs, coached by WPIAL legends been on a collision course to meet once again. Seneca Valley won Section 1-4A by three games while Peters Township was co-champion in Section 2-4A with Canon-McMillan, but were playing its best soccer toward the end of the season.
Peters Township have been a team on a mission this season. Once again, leading the way is Andrew Massucci (15 goals this regular season), who came through again in their quarterfinal round 4-2 win vs Butler with a hat trick.
The Raiders are ranked third in the state, registered 11 shutouts. They don’t have one, but two all-State talents in Nathan Prex (32 goals in regular season) and last year’s WPIAL title game hero, 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.
The Indians have won nine WPIAL boys soccer championships: 1986, ’87, ’88, ’89, 2003, ’08, ’10, ’13, ‘14. The Raiders have won two WPIAL crowns in 2018 and 2020.
Putting a Beaux on It: Seneca Valley Retakes Boys 4A Title on Sophomore’s OT Strike
Recent PSN Coverage of Girls 3A/2A and Boys 4A/3A
WPIAL Boys Soccer: Class 4A and 1A Semifinal Round Scoreboard