Westmoreland County soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 19, 2024

By: Bill Beckner Jr.

Friday, October 18, 2024 | 11:01 AM

WPIAL soccer playoffs

Boys

Class 3A

First round

13-Ringgold (10-7-1) at 4-Latrobe (12-4-1)

2 p.m. Saturday, Rossi Field, Latrobe

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Montour (9-8)/5-Bethel Park (11-5) Wednesday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Ringgold finished fourth in a strong Section 2 that also includes No. 2 seed Thomas Jefferson, No. 5 Bethel Park and No. 10 Trinity. Isaiah Wilson is key player in the Rams’ attack. Ringgold is coached by Rob Fabean, the former head coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. … Latrobe won its first section title; now the Wildcats want their first playoff win. They are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Roman Agostoni is one of the top players in the WPIAL. He has 31 goals this season and 61 for his career.

10-Trinity (9-5-3) at 7-Franklin Regional (11-3-1)

1 p.m. Saturday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville

Winner plays: Winner of 15-Armstrong (9-8)/2-Thomas Jefferson (12-1-3) Wednesday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Trinity came in third in a competitive Section 2, allowing only five goals in 14 section games. The Hillers have nine shutouts. They tied 4A No. 2 seed Peters Township, 1-1, and Thomas Jefferson, 0-0. … Franklin Regional finished second to Latrobe in Section 3. The Panthers allowed only nine goals across 15 games. They are 6-1-1 at home this season. Joey Bayne and Danny Christafano are key scorers for the Panthers, who have reached the semifinals five times in the last six seasons.

11-Penn-Trafford at 6-Mars

2 p.m. Saturday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Chartiers-Houston (8-8)/3-Indiana (15-2) Wednesday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Penn-Trafford finished third in Section 3 behind Latrobe and Franklin Regional. The Warriors have won four in a row, all via shutout, and five of their last six. They had the most goals in the section with 71. J.J. Porter leads with 19, and Yuriy Bidochko has 12. Ryan Hankey is in his first season as coach of the Warriors. … Mars was the runner-up in Section 1 behind Indiana. The Fightin’ Planets have only scored 44 goals, but they have only allowed nine. They have posted 11 shutouts and start the postseason on an 11-game unbeaten streak.

16-Belle Vernon (8-9) at 1-Moon (18-0)

6 p.m. Saturday, Moon Stadium, Moon

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Hampton (11-3-3)/8-West Allegheny (10-6) Wednesday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Belle Vernon is playing a scrunched stretch of games. After playing Tuesday, the Leopards took on West Mifflin on Thursday in the preliminary round and posted a 2-1 win in double-overtime to earn their third game in five days. Anthony Sawa scored the game-winner in the 104th minute on an assist from Trevor Kovatch. Jackson Pressel also had a goal. … Moon is one of three undefeated teams in the WPIAL and the Tigers have been dominant. They have outscored teams 100-8 and have collected 13 shutouts, including four in a row. The Tigers reached the quarterfinals last year but were upset by No. 11 seed Franklin Regional, 2-1 in overtime.

Class A

First round

12-Greensburg Central Catholic (6-7-1) vs. 5-Aquinas Academy (12-3)

4 p.m. Saturday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Riverview (10-6)/4-Beaver County Christian (13-3) Wednesday in quarterfinals

Corner kicks: Greensburg Central Catholic tied Beth-Center for second in Section 2, led by standouts Jackson Vacanti, Grant Brewer and Isaac House. The Centurions take a three-game winning streak into the tournament. … Aquinas Academy was the runner-up to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Section 3. It has won six straight games. The Crusaders did not make the WPIAL playoffs last season. They qualified in 2021 but lost to Sewickley Academy in the first round.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at [email protected].

Tags: Aquinas Academy, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Latrobe, Ringgold, Trinity