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Final PIAA Girls Soccer Quarterfinal Round: Mars, Quaker Valley, Springdale and Seton LaSalle advance

The WPIAL will be well-represented, with eight schools four classifications, as the PIAA Girls Soccer playoffs reach the Quarterfinal Round with matches being played on Saturday from Noon until night.

PIAA Tournament History – All Classes – (1973 – present)

Here our look at each match featuring remaining WPIAL schools below in our Quarterfinal Round Match Capsules and be sure to follow along as we’ll post Match Day Updates here throughout the day.

Class 4A

Final — Conestoga 2, Seneca Valley 0

Class 3A

FINAL — Mars 1, South Fayette 0

Meredith Ashbaugh wasted no time, nodding in Maeve O’Leary’s corner kick minutes into the game.

FINAL — Lower Dauphin 2, Fox Chapel 1

Mars will face Lower Dauphin in semifinal round on Tuesday. 

Class 2A

FINAL — Cathedral Prep 2, North Catholic 1

FINAL — Quaker Valley 3, Trinity 0

Quaker Valley advances — will take on Cathedral Prep in the PIAA Semifinal Round on Tuesday.

Class 1A

FINAL — Springdale 2, Bishop Guilfoyle 1

Hailey Marchlewski’s brace lifted the Dynamos to the quarterfinal round victory. 

FINAL — Seton LaSalle 2, Karns City 0

Seton LaSalle will now face Springdale in an all-WPIAL state semifinal match on Tuesday.

Match Day Updates

PIAA Girls Soccer Quarterfinal Round Match Capsules

Class 4A

3 pm — Seneca Valley (14-3-2) vs Conestoga (20-3-0) at Chambersburg

Finishing as runner-up in the WPIAL tournament, losing to the Peters Township in a Penalty Kick shootout, Seneca Valley is also coached by another longtime WPIAL soccer coaching icon, Mark Perry, who was recently inducted into the A-K Valley Hall of Fame.

Seneca Valley is the lone team remaining from WPIAL Girls Class 4A bracket following Peters’ exit in the First Round, as they cruised to an impressive 6-1 win at Altoona on Tuesday.

This is a classification has seen different results for WPIAL teams in recent years — with Moon’s 2021 squad being the last out of District 7 to win the State title as a Class 4A school.  In 2023, North Allegheny reached the semifinal round, while NA and Peters each could only get to the Quarterfinal Round in 2022.  NA were PIAA runner-up in 2020, while in 2018 and 2019 the best that WPIAL teams could do was reach the quarterfinal.  The most impressive run for WPIAL schools in the top classification came from 2015-17, when Upper St. Clair, Canon-McMillan and Norwin each won a state title in a three-year stretch.

Seneca Valley will be facing another perennial PIAA contending school that has eliminated its share of WPIAL schools, Conestoga.  As the fifth place team representing District 1, Conestoga defeated District 3 champs, Manheim Twp, 1-0, on Tuesday.  Six minutes into the second half of a scoreless battle of PIAA heavyweights in the first round, Conestoga’s Payton McCall made a long run from the 50, a run that delivered her to the far — left — post just as Lauren Grimes’ cross arrived from the right wing. The Pioneers were no ordinary fifth-place team. They entered the District One tournament as the No. 1 seed but were upset in the quarterfinals by Lower Merion 1-0.

In the WPIAL playoffs, the Raiders showed plenty of grit, fending off a challenge from an Upper St Clair in a 1-0 win, as junior midfielder Maddie Marcotte found Karly Majeski, just on the edge of the box.  Majeski’s perfectly placed strike was the difference in a very tight contest.  In the WPIAL semifinal, the Raiders took control early in its win against Canon-McMillan with an early brace from Marcotte, then cruised to a 4-1 win.
Two of three losses for Seneca Valley came against Peters Township, one in extra time and another in PK shootout.  The other came to Cumberland Valley, who didn’t even qualify for the PIAA tournament.
Ashlee Libby and Majeski received All-WPIAL honors. Libby tied for the team led with 13 goals in the regular season, along with Cassie Leonard.  Libby missed the first third of the season with a strained MCL, but has been a key attacking option,  including a hat trick in Tuesday’s state playoff win over Altoona.

Class 3A

11 am — Fox Chapel  (18-3-1) vs Lower Dauphin (20-2-0) at Chambersburg

Fox Chapel’s two biggest hiccups this season came against the irresistible force that is South Fayette and to Peters Township, a 4A school.

Otherwise, they’ve been a well-oiled machine, with its latest win coming in PIAA first round 5-1 win against Holidaysburg.  Emily McKee, Paige Solomon, Taylor Wilkinson, Maddie Grimsley and Alyssa Quackenbush each scored for the Foxes balanced attack.  Fox Chapel were really thrown off their tracks in their WPIAL Finals loss to South Fayette, a 4-0 stunner to many.  Heading into that contest, they enjoyed an 8-0 win over Indiana, then a 7-1 rout of Montour.

If there’s a key to stopping the Foxes, it will be to neutralize McKee and  Quackenbush, Fox Chapel’s two All-WPIAL honorees, who have led the way through an impressive season. McKee scored five goals and assisted on five others, while Quackenbush owns six playoff goals.

Before the South Fayette loss, the Foxes allowed just 11 goals in 19 games. Now, nine goals have come in the three losses.

The Foxes are now rewarded by its first round win as they’ll join their boys team in taking the three-hour trek to Chambersburg, where they will take on a Lower Dauphin team that is making a rare start to the PIAA tournament in the quarterfinal round due to advancing on a forfeit.

In its last match, winning the District 3 title, Lower Dauphin rolled to 3-0 win vs Cocalico, and will be plenty rested.

What team will have the advantage on Saturday in a match that features a team that picked up a much needed bounce back win on Tuesday to start their PIAA tournament quest or a rare well-rested side that hasn’t played in over a week?

12 Noon — Mars (19-3-0) vs South Fayette (19-3-0) at North Allegheny

This will be the third time in a two years that Mars and South Fayette will meet in the postseason.

If you recall, there was this classic that went to PKs last year, in the WPIAL semifinals:

Again, in the 2024 WPIAL Semifinal, South Fayette and Mars went the distance — as 110 minutes couldn’t settle things — with the match going to a penalty kick shootout. The defending 3A champs (South Fayette) showed plenty of mettle in PKs, yet again, winning the shootout 4-2.

That’s right if you’re scoring at home — 220 minutes of play between two of Class 3A powerhouse programs — and no goals in the run of play.

Will the third match in two seasons also be a scoreless affair that goes to a shootout?

Judging by how strong Mars is defensively, that’s very much a possibility.  The Fighting Planets have conceded seven goals in the run of play this season, three of those to Fox Chapel, two in the first round WPIAL tournament win vs Oakland Catholic.

The Lions showed how special this run that they’re on has been though by defeating a very talented Fox Chapel side in WPIAL final in a 4-0 throbbing.  That’s the same Fox Chapel side that Mars couldn’t get over the hump against, in its only two losses in the run of play this season.

Kicking off the PIAA tournament, South Fayette freshman standout Gabby Beinecke scored a hat trick against Dubois at home. Emma Ferrari and Mia Patel added goals, as Mia Deramo recorded two assists. Beinecke also tallied an assist, along with Emily Sinton for the reigning WPIAL Class 3A champions.

Four South Fayette players,  earned All-WPIAL honors: Deramo, who scored the game winner in WPIAL title game last year vs Moon, Abbey Spalla and goalkeeper Caitlyn Thompson. Remarkably, Deramo is the veteran of the group, as a junior.

All three WPIAL teams opened the PIAA tournament with five-goal outbursts — as Mars got into their own scoring barrage by thrashing Harbor Creek, 5-0.

Mars saw five different players find the back of the net. Sadie Stewart opened up scoring after just eight minutes, with Meredith Ashbaugh and Julia Lishia adding first-half goals. In the second half, Alivia Halliday and Alexa Werner earned goals.

The names may change, but the talent and toughness remains for Mars, who’ve won numerous WPIAL and PIAA titles under the direction of Head Coach Blair Gerlach. The two All-Section standouts leading the way for the Planets are defender Julia Lishia and midfielder Brynn Ramsey.

With both sides breaking into a scoring groove in recent matches, maybe, just maybe we’ll finally see some balls cross the goal line this time around.

Class 2A

11:30 am — North Catholic (17-4-0) vs Cathedral Prep (18-2-1) at Franklin

The WPIAL showed its strength in Girls Class 2A as third place North Catholic enjoyed a first round win at Bedford, 2-1. Sophomore forward Julia Siket scored both goals for the Trojans. Siket’s golden goal occurred with just five seconds left in the first overtime period.

Now facing Erie Cathedral Prep in the PIAA quarterfinals, the Trojans will take on a Cathedral Prep side that saw Jordyn DiRaimo score for the Ramblers and goalkeeper Jordan Senz made a last-minute save against WPIAL’s Burrell Buccaneers in the first round on Tuesday.

The Trojans enjoyed a strong run in the WPIAL playoffs, beating Beaver Area in the quarterfinal round and earning a 3-0 victory against Yough.

Simone Sharpless (junior attacking threat) and Lauren Mealie are two All-WPIAL standouts who’ve led North Catholic to four postseason victories this year.  Sharpless finished the regular season campaign with 25 goals, and will be a key player that its semifinal opponents, Quaker Valley, will look to neutralize.

2 pm — Quaker Valley vs Trinity at Price Field, Westmont Elementary Johnstown

It’s been a remarkable season for the Quakers, who capped the District campaign by winning its first title in 32 years last week, beating Burrell, 2-1, at Highmark Stadium, with one of the heroes being a freshman, Lily Baker, who scored the game-winning goal.  Annabel Miko scored the first goal of the match, early in the second half. Senior, and captain, Mia Modrovich recorded the assist.

Quaker Valley also have another freshman playing a key role, as Ava Hajok has come up big in goal, making six saves in the WPIAL final, then earning a clean sheet in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs.

The Quakers’ leading scorers, during the regular season were Miko (26 goals) and Ari Bosh (14) have combined for 40 goals during the regular season.  Again, they came through in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, thanks to a strong second-half performance that lifted the Quakers to a 2-0 victory against Fort LeBouef.

Maddie Gatehouse scored the opening goal and Miko added the second tally. Mia Duckstein and Mia Modrovich earned the assists.

Next up, the Quakers will face District 3 runner-up, Trinity, who knocked out District 6 champs, Cambria Heights, 3-0, on Tuesday.  Ashley Berkheimer made three saves, while Mia Scherr and Avery Walker also had goals for the Shamrocks (16-6), who advanced to the state quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive year. Dupes also assisted on Scherr’s goal that doubled the Shamrocks’ lead in the 42nd minute. Abby Stair and Savannah Ratke also had assists for Trinity.

Class 1A

Noon — Springdale (18-1-0) vs Bishop Guilfoyle (16-3-1) at Indiana

Led by the Husband-Wife coaching duo, Mark Bentley and Makenna Krebs, Springdale Dynamos have not had any shortage of goals of late — scoring five times in the WPIAL final, beating Winchester Thurston, 5-3 to earn the school’s first Girls WPIAL title .

In the opening round of the PIAA playoffs, in beating Conemaugh Township in a match that ended 2-2 (winning in a penalty kick shootout), Springdale’s two primary attacking threats, Bri Ross and Molly Hurley scored in regulation, while also converting their penalties. Lacey Shondeck also scored on her penalty attempt. Goalkeeper Baileigh Haas made two saves in the shootout.

In a classification that doesn’t seem to have a shortage of scoring, Springdale will now face Bishop Guilfoyle — who defeated a team that hadn’t lost all season long, District 10 champs, Seneca, in a very high scoring contest, 5-4.

The Marauders never quit, eventually winning a wild, back-and-forth contest which they trailed early, with a Hailey DeGol goal with 11:18 left in the first overtime.

Bishop Guilfoyle have seen plenty of WPIAL teams standing in their way in the PIAA tournament the past couple years, as they knocked off last year’s WPIAL champs, Freedom, in the Quarterfinal, but lost to Riverview in the State semifinal in 2023.

Up until Tuesday’s PIAA match, Springdale have been in control in each postseason match, outscoring the opposition (Sewickley Academy, defending WPIAL champs Freedom, Greensburg Central Catholic and Burrell) by a 19-3 margin.  This impressive goal differential was pretty much the same in the regular season, as the Dynamo posted a +92 GD.

The Dynamos have shown they can respond to adversity, as early in the second half in its semifinal round match with Sewickley, the match was tied, 1-1, but then exploded for four goals to roll to a 5-1 victory, then winning Tuesday’s shootout took plenty of nerve.

Led by Bri Ross, who continues to provide both clinical finishing touch, with 38 goals (best in Class 1A), Springdale have dominated the opposition to the point where they’ve had a handful of scorers in double digits this season, including Carissa Walsh (12),  Tessa Derringer  and Molley Hurley (10 each).

Springdale’s lone loss in all competition this season came to Class 2A finalist, Burrell, by a 3-0 margin.

2 pm — Seton LaSalle (16-3-2) vs Karns City at North Allegheny

Seton LaSalle’s journey through the 2024 campaign has provided for some exciting program highs, with the latest being an exhilarating 2-1 overtime win in the opening round of the PIAA tournament at left McConnellsburg.

Sydney Morgan scored the game-winning goal, and provided the assist on the equalizing goal from Angelina McGrath. Never giving up, the Rebels found the equalizer with seven minutes left in regulation.

Seton LaSalle have been in excellent form at the close of the season, winning 11 of 12 matches in the homestretch including their first round playoff, 2-0, over Ellis School, then another convincing win against last year’s runner-up, Riverview, 4-0 before a narrow 1-0 loss to Winchester Thurston in the WPIAL semifinal.  They responded since the loss with a 2-0 PIAA Play-In win against Sewickey Academy, then earning the exciting result on Tuesday.

The Rebels are led by Angelina McGrath (20 goals in regular season) and Sydney Morgan (11)

 

PIAA GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (2024)

Quarterfinals

WPIAL teams in bold

Full bracket for each classification can be found by clicking link

Saturday, November 9

Class 4A

3 pm — Seneca Valley vs Conestoga at Chambersburg

Class 3A

11 am — Fox Chapel vs Lower Dauphin at Chambersburg

12 Noon — Mars vs South Fayette at North Allegheny

Class 2A

11:30 am — North Catholic vs Cathedral Prep at Franklin

2 pm — Quaker Valley vs Trinity at Price Field, Westmont Elementary Johnstown

Class 1A

Noon — Springdale vs Bishop Guilfoyle at Indiana

2 pm — Seton LaSalle vs Karns City at North Allegheny

Semi-Finals

Tuesday, November 12

4A

Seneca Valley / Conestoga winner vs Lower Merion / Central Dauphin winner

3A

Mars / South Fayette winner vs Fox Chapel / Lower Dauphin winner

2A

Cathedral Prep winner vs Quaker Valley / Trinity winner

1A

Seton LaSalle / Karns City winner vs Springdale / Bishop Guilfoyle winner

Finals

Mechanicsburg, PA 

Friday November 15

Boys and Girls Class 1A / 3A Finals

Saturday November 16

Boys and Girls Class 2A / 4A Finals

 

________________________________________________________________

First Round  (WPIAL) Scoreboard

Tuesday, November 5

Class 4A

FINAL   Central Dauphin 2, Peters Township 2 (CD wins PK shootout)

FINAL   Seneca Valley 6, Altoona 0

Class 1A

FINAL   Springdale 2, Conemaugh Township 2 (Springdale wins PK shootout)

FINAL   Karns City 2, Winchester Thurston 1  (ET)

FINAL   Seton LaSalle 2, at McConnellsburg 1  (ET)

Class 2A

FINAL  Quaker Valley 2, Fort LeBoeuf 0

FINAL  Cathedral Prep 1, Burrell 0 

FINAL  North Catholic 2, Bedford 1

Class 3A

FINAL Fox Chapel 5 , Holidaysburg 1

FINAL Mars 5. Harbor Creek 0

FINAL South Fayette 5, Dubois 0

Related Topics

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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