WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoff Preview and Five Keys on the Road to F.N.B.: Class 4A

WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer represents the absolute pinnacle of high school competition in Western Pennsylvania.

With only 13 teams in the classification this cycle, every single night in Section 1 and Section 2 felt like an early postseason match.

Top-seeded Norwin (15-0-1), No. 2 Seneca Valley (14-1-0), and No. 3 Peters Township (12-4-1) earned prized first-round byes, while five high-octane opening-round clashes take center stage on Monday before the top three enter the tournament on Thursday in the Quarterfinal Round.

🔑 Five Keys to the Road to F.N.B. Stadium

1. Top-Seeded Norwin’s Unbeaten Firepower Have Target on their Backs

Under first-year coach Carter Breen (alum, former Duquesne player and an assistant on the 2023 WPIAL title team who stepped in to coach wins in semifinal and final), top-seeded Norwin tore through the regular season, finishing unbeaten for the first time since 2020. As the highest-scoring team in 4A (62 goals), the Knights earned a well-deserved first-round bye. The script is flipped for this Norwin team — unlike the 2023 champs — they will have the target on their backs. However, holding a bye in a 13-team tournament creates a delicate rest-versus-rust balance as they await Thursday’s quarterfinal winner. Tanner Johnson & Ryan Schoemer are the heartbeat of a high-scoring Knights attack that outscored opponents 62-12.

2. Seneca Valley & Peters Township: The Right-Side Gauntlet

While Norwin boasts one of the youngest head coaches in the WPIAL, the next couple teams in the bracket include some of the longest tenured coaches — Seneca Valley’s George William and Peters Township’s Bobby Dyer.  Both programs have been at or near the top of the standings year-in and year-out during the 2020’s.  Perennial powerhouse Seneca Valley (#2 seed) is seeking its first WPIAL crown since going back-to-back in 2021, backed by a defense that conceded a microscopic five goals all fall and an impressive resume that includes non-WPIAL wins at JRK Memorial Classic vs The Kiski School. An early season loss to Section foe North Allegheny likely cost them the top seed.  Seniors leading the way for the Raiders this season include: Owen Ali & Jacob Prex.

Meanwhile, Section 2 winner Peters Township (#3 seed) won six of its final seven regular-season games and is hungry to return to the district semifinals. Both powers sit comfortably on first-round byes, watching the left side of the bracket sort itself out.

3. In Top Form Mt. Lebanon Faces the North Hills Test; North Allegheny

Under the lights tonight, No. 4 seed Mt. Lebanon (11-3-3) hosts No. 13 North Hills (9-6-3). Lebo went 9-1-2 in their last 12 games—including a 1-0 win over Fox Chapel and a tie with Norwin—making them a dangerous title contender, led by Ignatios Darakos & James Havas.

North Hills enters looking to disrupt the bracket as a team that the rest of Section 3 teams would attest won’t be an easy out, as head coach Kyle Boggs told Pittsburgh Soccer Now last week there’s one thing that stands out why his team has been tough to break down: “Work rate,” Boggs said. “For us, it’s it’s I don’t think anyone can match our work rate as soon as when we’re when we’re putting everything in there, we’re leaving it all out on the field. I think that’s where that’s why we’ve been in so many close matches.”

 The winner earning a quarterfinal date against the winner of North Allegheny or Gateway.

North Allegheny is always in contention, but still looking for its first WPIAL title under Head Coach Manuel Montero, who boasts an experienced roster including goalkeepers Jaxon Cowger and Jacob Elias, alongside senior leaders and captains such as Francis Randiga, Harper Boles, and Connor Heliger.  Though they struggled a bit down the stretch, the Tigers did take down Seneca Valley earlier in the season and should be ready for a run in this tournament.  

4. Fox Chapel vs. Moon: A Clash of Recent Champions

Two seasons ago, Moon and Fox Chapel were crowned district champions (Moon in 3A, Fox Chapel in 4A in their first of back-to-back). Now, the two recent champs, coached respectively by Tyler Blake (Moon) and Erik Ingram (who recently passed the impressive milestone of 300 wins!) collide at Fox Chapel tonight at 6:00 PM. No. 6 Fox Chapel (10-4-0) finished second in Section 1 behind Plum, outscoring opponents 14-1 over their last four games. No. 11 Moon (7-8-2) enters on a two-game win streak, with the winner advancing to face Peters Township on Thursday.

5. Section 2 Heavyweights Collide: USC vs. Central Catholic

No. 8 seed Upper St. Clair (6-5-5) hosts No. 9 seed Central Catholic (7-8-2) at 7:00 PM in a classic South Hills vs. City/East heavyweight clash. In fact, this is also a match that features Central Catholic’s former coach, Brian Fegley, taking on his former school with a USC squad that has shown a lot of fight this season in a very strong section — pulling out a pair of remarkable late finishes to equalize and a game-winner late — both times on corner kicks right before the buzzer.

The victor earns the tall task of visiting top-seeded Norwin in the quarterfinals.

📋 Mini Team Capsules & Round of 16 Matchups

The top three seeds (#1 Norwin, #2 Seneca Valley, #3 Peters Township) hold First-Round Byes.

• No. 1 Norwin Knights (15-0-1)

  • Coach: Carter Breen | Top Players: Tanner Johnson, Ryan Schoemer

  • The Scoop: Unbeaten Section 1 champions holding a bye to Thursday’s quarterfinals. (Bye — Hosts USC/Central Catholic winner on Thursday, Oct. 29)

• No. 2 Seneca Valley Raiders (14-1-0)

  • Top Players: Owen Ali, Jacob Prex

  • The Scoop: Elite defense allowing only 5 goals all season. (Bye — Hosts Pine-Richland/Canon-McMillan winner on Thursday, Oct. 29)

• No. 3 Peters Township Indians (12-4-1)

  • The Scoop: Section 2 winner riding a hot finish. (Bye — Hosts Fox Chapel/Moon winner on Thursday, Oct. 29)

• No. 4 Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils (11-3-3)

  • Top Players: Ignatios Darakos, James Havas

  • The Scoop: Hot 9-1-2 finish hosting North Hills. (Hosts #13 North Hills, Mon. 7:00 PM)

• No. 5 North Allegheny Tigers (9-3-3)

  • The Scoop: Grinding defensive side with 9 shutouts. Head Coach Manuel Montero boasts an experienced roster including goalkeepers Jaxon Cowger and Jacob Elias, alongside senior leaders and captains such as Francis Randiga, Harper Boles, and Connor Heliger. (Hosts #12 Gateway, Mon. 8:00 PM)

• No. 6 Fox Chapel Foxes (10-4-0)

  • The Scoop: Defending 4A champions riding a 4-game win streak. (Hosts #11 Moon, Mon. 6:00 PM)

• No. 7 Pine-Richland Rams (8-5-3)

  • The Scoop: Section 1 battle-tested group hosting Canon-Mac. (Hosts #10 Canon-McMillan, Mon. 7:00 PM)

• No. 8 Upper St. Clair Panthers (6-5-5)

  • The Scoop: Classic South Hills venue hosting Central Catholic. (Hosts #9 Central Catholic, Mon. 7:00 PM)

• No. 9 Central Catholic Vikings (7-8-2)

  • The Scoop: Gritty side traveling to Upper St. Clair. (Travels to #8 Upper St. Clair, Mon. 7:00 PM)

• No. 10 Canon-McMillan Big Macs (6-7-3)

  • The Scoop: Dangerous lower seed visiting Pine-Richland. (Travels to #7 Pine-Richland, Mon. 7:00 PM)

• No. 11 Moon Tigers (7-8-2)

  • The Scoop: Former champs seeking a road upset at Fox Chapel. (Travels to #6 Fox Chapel, Mon. 6:00 PM)

• No. 12 Gateway Gators (6-8-2)

  • The Scoop: Counter-attacking threat visiting North Allegheny. (Travels to #5 North Allegheny, Mon. 8:00 PM)

• No. 13 North Hills Indians (9-6-3)

  • The Scoop: Underdog visiting Mt. Lebanon in the opening round. (Travels to #4 Mt. Lebanon, Mon. 7:00 PM)

🗺️ Official Tournament Bracket & Schedule Roadmap

First Round (Monday, October 26 — Chronological Order):

• • #11 Moon at #6 Fox Chapel — 6:00 PM @ Fox Chapel HS

  • #13 North Hills at #4 Mt. Lebanon — 7:00 PM @ Mt. Lebanon HS

  • #10 Canon-McMillan at #7 Pine-Richland — 7:00 PM @ Pine-Richland HS

  • #9 Central Catholic at #8 Upper St. Clair — 7:00 PM @ Upper St. Clair HS

  • #12 Gateway at #5 North Allegheny — 8:00 PM @ North Allegheny HS

Quarterfinals: Thursday, October 29 (Higher seeds host)

• • #9 Central Catholic / #8 Upper St Clair Winner vs #1 Norwin
  • #10 Canon-McMillan vs #7 Pine-Richland Winner vs #2 Seneca Valley
  • #11 Moon at #6 Fox Chapel Winner vs #3 Peters Township
  • #13 North Hills vs #4 Mt. Lebanon winner vs #12 Gateway vs #5 North Allegheny winner

Semifinals: Tuesday, November 3 (Neutral sites)

WPIAL Championship Game: Date & Time TBA @ F.N.B. Stadium (South Shore, Pittsburgh)

Pittsburgh Soccer Now