WPIAL Soccer Watch (9/30/2023): Cross-classification, non-section matches could help determine playoff seeding

WPIAL SOCCER WATCH

Saturday, September 30, 2023 

If you have any updates to provide, please share on Twitter using #WPIALSoccer and/or include Pittsburgh Soccer Now’s Twitter handle @pghsoccernow.

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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.

It’s Saturday, so that means the high school soccer schedules will lighten up a bit and shift mostly from intense section competition, to non-Section and in some cases, cross-classification match-ups.

Among the most interesting matches on the Girls side, pits Class 4A Fox Chapel against Class 3A Moon in a 9 a.m. kickoff.   The Tigers (8-1-1, 5-1-1)  have bounced back nicely with three straight wins after seeing its 48-match unbeaten streak snapped.  Fox Chapel (7-3-1, 5-3-1 in section) is unbeaten in its last three, including 1-1 draw vs front-running Seneca Valley.

On the boys side, there is a very important match in Class 3A, Section 1, as North Catholic will face Kiski Area in a battle of teams fighting for potentially the last spot out of their section for a playoff berth.  Note: This was a match that was originally scheduled for 9/12, but postponed.  

The schools will face each other twice in less than a week, as the return match is schedule for Thursday.

Saturday Gameday! An early bus ride takes us on the road to visit @KiskiAreaSoccer for an important Section match. @NCForeverTrue @NCTrojanArmy @pghsoccernow pic.twitter.com/UO9GKu6Ryz

— NC Boys Soccer (@NCHSBoysSoccer) September 30, 2023

Other cross-classification boys matches include Moon (3A) vs Central Catholic (4A), Ringgold (3A) vs South Park (2A), neighboring rivalry Norwin (4A) vs Penn-Trafford (3A), and Quaker Valley (2A) vs Thomas Jefferson (3A).

These are the types of matches the WPIAL Playoff Seeding committee may be paying attention to when they sit down in a few weeks to finalize the playoff seedings across all four classifications for boys and girls.

A few good examples of this include South Park boys, who are 13-0-0 overall (10-0-0 in section) and likely have the inside track to a number one overall seed in Class 2A, step up to face Ringgold (10-2-0, 8-2-0 section), who are a team that would love nothing better than to improve its seeding potential in a very competitive Class 3A (Section 3).  The same can be said for Quaker Valley, who are likely going to be one of the teams in contention with South Park for the top seed in Class 2A, as they’ll face another team in Class 3A, Section 3, Thomas Jefferson.  Quaker Valley (9-3-0, 8-1-0 in section) were defeated by section rival Avonworth in a return match earlier this week, so they’ll have less room for error if they want to secure the top seed.

Of course,  defending champion Deer Lakes and section rival Shady Side Academy (both idle on Saturday), over in Section 2, in Class 2A, have split their season series as well as SSA took the return match, 6-2 on Thursday, so the door is open for South Park to secure the top seed again this year.

GIRLS SCHEDULE (9/30/2023)

Class 3A
Section 4 (3A)
6:30pm	Blackhawk at Chartiers Valley
Non Section
9:00am	Moon at Fox Chapel
10:00am	Carrick at Aquinas Academy
10:00am	Ambridge at Knoch
10:00am	West Allegheny at Brashear
12:00pm	Woodland Hills at Gateway
12:00pm	Deer Lakes at South Allegheny
1:30pm	Norwin at Penn-Trafford

BOYS SCHEDULE (9/30/2023)

Class 3A
Section 2 (3A)
5:30pm	Blackhawk at Chartiers Valley
Section 1 (3A) 10:00am  North Catholic vs Kiski Area Non Section
10:00am	Armstrong at Freeport
3:15pm	Bethel Park at Brashear
11:00am	Carrick at Aquinas Academy
2:30pm	Central Catholic at Moon
3:30pm	Norwin at Penn-Trafford
10:00am	Obama Academy at Jeannette
12:00pm	Quaker Valley at Thomas Jefferson
12:30pm	Ringgold at South Park
4:00pm	Riverview at Leechburg