
WPIAL SOCCER WATCH
Thursday, September 14, 2023
If you have any updates to provide, please share on Twitter using #WPIALSoccer and/or include Pittsburgh Soccer Now’s Twitter handle @pghsoccernow.
For the 2023 High School soccer season, we will be using this forum to preview upcoming matches, share news and information and also share more from coaches and players, followed by a final WPIAL Scoreboard to post later that evening or early the following morning.
Coming off back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA titles, Bill Pfeifer’s Moon girls squad have suddenly come back to earth a bit in week four of this new season.
The Tigers won the Class 3A state title in 2021 and the 4A crown in 2022 bringing their total of PIAA championships to six overall, posting a remarkable 44-1-1 record in the previous two seasons, including a pair of wins in much anticipated showdowns against an equally talented Mars squad in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs last season.
“I think people want to beat Moon,” Pfeifer told Pittsburgh Union Progress earlier this year. “It’s just like people want to beat Mars. There’s always somebody, and right now that cycles through [Moon].”
Moon entered the 2023 campaign with continued hype but also with a big target on its backs, even as they graduated many key players from the repeat championship squad, namely Hailey Longwell, the 2022 Moe Rosensteel Award winner. The program earned a No. 2-ranking in the nation as part of the United Soccer Coaches girls high school preseason rankings.
After starting this season with five straight wins, to extend its unbeaten streak to 47 matches, Moon ran into a pair of determined section opponents this week in Montour and South Fayette.
On Monday, the Spartans and Tigers played to a scoreless draw.
And on Wednesday, the Lions were the first team since September 2021 to defeat the Tigers, by a 1-0 score line. South Fayette’s Alex Delaney scored the match’s lone goal, with Julianna Rossi picking up the assist, while goalkeeper Caitlyn Thompson picked up the clean sheet.
“It was a well-played game on both sides. The game could have gone either way,” South Fayette’s Head Coach, Nick Rosser told Pittsburgh Soccer Now.
“I was very happy with the win, and so proud of the girls.”
— Pittsburgh Soccer Now (@pghsoccernow) September 14, 2023
Moon’s last loss came when they competed in Class 4A, losing 1-0, to Mt. Lebanon.
With this week’s result, the standings in Girls 3A have shifted considerably, as Montour (3-0-1 in section) stands in first place, while Moon (3-1-0 in section) drops to second. South Fayette improve to 2-2 in section and 3-4-1 overall.
Meanwhile, the other traditional powerhouse program in Girls 3A, Mars remains unbeaten with a 6-0 record, as the Planets biggest test came earlier in the week when neighboring Class 2A North Catholic battled them in a 1-0 contest. North Catholic will likely be a contender in Class 2A once again this season, as they’re only other loss this season came to section rival and two-time defending WPIAL Class 2A champs, Avonworth, 3-2 in Extra Time.
On Thursday night, the attention shifts to the boys side, with a full schedule on tap.
We have the full schedule below.
WPIAL BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE (9/14/2023)
Class 4A |
||
Section 1 (4A) | ||
7:00pm | Central Catholic at North Allegheny | |
8:00pm | Fox Chapel at Butler | |
7:30pm | North Hills at Pine-Richland | |
7:30pm | Shaler at Seneca Valley | |
Section 2 (4A) | ||
3:30pm | Canon-McMillan at Allderdice | |
7:30pm | Hempfield at Baldwin | |
7:30pm | Mt. Lebanon at Norwin | |
7:45pm | Upper St. Clair at Peters Township | |
Class 3A |
||
Section 1 (3A) | ||
7:00pm | Armstrong at Hampton | |
7:00pm | Mars at Kiski Area | |
3:30pm | North Catholic at Highlands | |
Section 2 (3A) | ||
7:30pm | Central Valley at Blackhawk | |
7:30pm | Chartiers Valley at Ambridge | |
7:30pm | Montour at Moon | |
Section 3 (3A) | ||
7:30pm | Connellsville at Bethel Park | |
7:30pm | Laurel Highlands at Albert Gallatin | |
7:30pm | Ringgold at Thomas Jefferson | |
7:30pm | Uniontown at Trinity | |
Section 4 (3A) | ||
7:30pm | Latrobe at Gateway | |
7:30pm | McKeesport at Franklin Regional | |
7:30pm | Obama Academy at Penn Hills | |
7:30pm | Plum at Penn-Trafford | |
Class 2A |
||
Section 1 (2A) | ||
7:30pm | Keystone Oaks at East Allegheny | |
7:00pm | South Allegheny at South Park | |
6:00pm | West Mifflin at Steel Valley | |
7:30pm | Woodland Hills at Elizabeth Forward | |
Section 2 (2A) | ||
6:00pm | Freeport at Derry Area | |
7:30pm | Greensburg Salem at Deer Lakes | |
6:30pm | Jeannette at Shady Side Academy | |
7:00pm | Knoch at Leechburg | |
Section 3 (2A) | ||
7:00pm | McGuffey at Brownsville | |
7:30pm | Mount Pleasant at Belle Vernon | |
7:00pm | Southmoreland at Washington | |
7:30pm | Yough at Waynesburg Central | |
Section 4 (2A) | ||
7:30pm | Avonworth at Beaver Area | |
7:30pm | Hopewell at Quaker Valley | |
6:30pm | Riverside at Ellwood City | |
Class 1A |
||
Section 1 (1A) | ||
4:00pm | Beaver County Christian at Eden Christian | |
4:00pm | Sewickley Academy at Neshannock | |
7:00pm | South Side Beaver at Freedom | |
Section 2 (1A) | ||
7:00pm | Bentworth at Beth-Center | |
7:00pm | Greensburg Central Catholic at Charleroi | |
6:00pm | Ligonier Valley at California | |
Section 3 (1A) | ||
7:00pm | Aquinas Academy at Burrell | |
4:00pm | Trinity Christian at St. Joseph | |
4:00pm | Winchester Thurston at Riverview | |
Section 4 (1A) | ||
4:00pm | Brentwood at Bishop Canevin | |
7:00pm | Serra Catholic at Chartiers-Houston | |
7:00pm | Seton LaSalle at Carlynton | |
Non Section | ||
7:30pm | Springdale (1A) at Indiana (2A) |
