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WPIAL Boys Class 4A Quarterfinal Round Scoreboard: Norwin knocks out No. 1 Seneca Valley, North Allegheny, Fox Chapel and Butler advance

File photo courtesy Ed Thompson
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The WPIAL Boys soccer Class 4A playoffs are the last classification to kick off — as they got going on Saturday.

No. 1 Seneca Valley lost for the first time all season — as No. 8 Norwin pulled out the victory after the match went the distance with each side scoring twice, then the Knights won the penalty kick shootout to advance.

Other than Seneca Valley’s loss, all of the other Section 1 teams advanced, including Fox Chapel, North Allegheny and Butler.

Boys Class 4A Quarterfinal Round Match Day Updates / Scores

FINAL:  North Allegheny 6, Canon-McMillan 1 

FINAL: Fox Chapel 2, Upper St. Clair 1 

FINAL: Butler 3, Peters Twp 0 

FINAL: Norwin 2, Seneca Valley 2 – AET – Norwin advances in Penalty Kick Shootout

WPIAL Boys Class 4A Quarterfinal Round Schedule/Match Capsules

Saturday, October 28, 2023 — All matches kick off at 1 p.m.

*5 Peters Township (12-3-1) at #4 Butler (13-2-3) 

Rosters:  Butler | Peters Township

How they got here:  Peters Township head into the playoffs without a loss in its last seven matches.  Bobby Dyer’s teams will play hard and fast, and may have a bit of a chip on its shoulders with their seeding, and having to play their first match on the road, at Butler. The Golden Tornadoes are in great form though, earning the home playoff on the merit of an impressive 13 match unbeaten streak since losing back-to-back matches at Section 1 front runners Seneca Valley and North Allegheny.

Key Players/Match-ups to Watch:  Butler’s leading goal scorer during the regular season, Cody Lubinsky (12 goals) is the only double-digit scorer in this match, while Andrew Lucas provides leadership on the back line. Both were All-WPIAL selections this season.  Peters Twp boasts three All-WPIAL honorees, which include captain Nathan Froelich, Caden Hensler and Blake Gabelhart.

#8 Norwin (12-5-1) at #1 Seneca Valley (13-0-3) 

Rosters:  Seneca Valley | Norwin

How they got here: The defending PIAA champs, Seneca Valley has been tested and pushed to the brink a few times this season against all the playoff-bound teams in their section, but they’ve still yet to break, and lose a match.  Can George Williams’ squad sweep the WPIAL playoffs this year, or will they finally get beaten in the district playoffs as they did a year ago, when Pine-Richland stunned the Raiders in the WPIAL Final.  In its five match winning streak to close the regular season, Seneca Valley has outscored the opposition, by three touchdown margin — 21-0.  Norwin played Section 1 champs, Upper St Clair to a hard-fought, 1-1 draw to close section play, and own wins against the other playoff-bound teams in their section, and finished with one more win in section competition than Canon-McMillan, but they were pushed them down to a No. 8 overall seed in this classification.

Key Players/Match-ups to Watch: These two teams met way back earlier in the season, with Seneca Valley coming out firing on all cylinders, winning 5-1. They have met before in the playoffs — namely the 2018 WPIAL Final — in what was a wide open affair that got a bit too out of hand for Norwin — as Seneca finally won its first district title after years of knocking on the door. Seneca Valley will look to push the pace, bringing numbers forward, and lots of subs off the bench.  This season, the Raiders have four players who were honored as All-WPIAL selections, including Tyler Prex, Cole Kamerac, Ben Keefer and Daniel Leech.  Norwin’s

#5 Fox Chapel (11-4-2) at #4 Upper St. Clair (14-1-2) 

Rosters: Upper St. Clair | Fox Chapel 

How they got here:  It’s never much of a surprise to see these two program in this position, in the middle of the pack in Boys Class 4A playoffs.  Erik Ingram’s Fox Chapel side is eager to get into the playoffs with a fully healthy squad. They survived the gauntlet of Section 1, still finishing behind Seneca Valley, North Allegheny and Butler, despite posting results (pair of draws) against NA and Seneca Valley, but two losses to Butler pushed them down to fourth place.  It was a very solid regular season for Upper St. Clair, who captured the Section 2 title for the first time since 2018, but always remain a threat with Uwe Schneider at the helm, where he’s won more than 300 matches. Still, the WPIAL Soccer Committee wasn’t handing out direct passes to the top two seeds for section champs in this classification, sticking USC with a No. 4 seeding.

Key Players/Match-ups to Watch: Joe Donnelly had 15 goals to lead the USC attack this season.  Carson Krushansky (11 goals) and Pablo Linzoain (10 goals) have led the FC attack.

#7 Canon-McMillan (10-6-1) at #2 North Allegheny (14-1-3) 

Rosters:  Canon-McMillan | North Allegheny

 How they got here:  Prior to his first match at North Allegheny Head Boys Soccer coach, PSN interviewed Manuel Montero prior to Pine-Richland tournament, and it was clear, that he was working through implementing a new system, after the program had been under the direction of long-time coach, Bobby Vosmaer, a former Pittsburgh Spirit player.  Although the first season brought some learning curves, that included being left out of the WPIAL playoffs, Montero has the Tigers back in the fold as a legitimate title contender this season.   NA’s only loss came in the regular season section finale, to Seneca Valley.  Canon-Mac is led by former Duquesne/Shady Side Academy standout Tom Sochacki, who guided the Big Macs to a solid campaign, with a relatively young squad (six sophomores start), they’ve been tough to score against (just 14 goals allowed all season), so they’ll look to slow down the dangerous North Allegheny attack, which can come in waves.

Key Players/Match-ups to Watch: Ryan Galicic, an All-WPIAL selection, leads Canon-Mac with 15 goals this season. North Allegheny has Dante Accamando, a standout goalkeeper, who certainly impressed PSN coverage team in his appearances at the Pine-Richland tournament in recent seasons, but also leading the way on the scoresheet, Zach Nash  (12 goals) and Arnav Patel (8 goals) are also All-WPIAL selections.

WPIAL Boys Class 4A Quarterfinal Round

 

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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).

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