WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer championship breakdown: Avonworth vs. Shady Side Academy

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, November 3, 2023 | 12:56 AM

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WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer championship

1-Avonworth (17-1-2) vs. 7-Shady Side Academy (15-3-1)

11 a.m. Saturday, Highmark Stadium

Tickets: $10 (general admission)

Coaches: J.C. Mahan, Avonworth; Mary Lynch, Shady Side Academy

Players to watch: Fiona Mahan, Avonworth; Sarah Kushnir, Shady Side Academy

WPIAL titles: Avonworth 2 (2021, ‘22); Shady Side Academy 4 (2010, ‘13, ‘16, ‘19)

Playoff path: Avonworth defeated No. 16 Yough, 11-0, in the first round; No. 9 Quaker Valley, 4-3, in the quarterfinals; and No. 5 South Park, 2-1, in the semifinals. Shady Side Academy beat No. 10 Deer Lakes, 3-0, in the first round; No. 2 North Catholic, 3-1, in the quarterfinals; and No. 6 Burrell, 3-0, in the semifinals.

Corner kicks: Avonworth, the two-time defending WPIAL champion, rolled through the regular season and shared the Section 1 title with North Catholic at 11-1. The Lopes outscored opponents 85-17 and average 4.2 goals per game. Avonworth had four players picked to the All-WPIAL team — senior forward Gianna Babusci, senior midfielders Emma Luther and Minah Syam and junior midfielder Fiona Mahan. Mahan committed to Alabama in September. Babusci had a team-high 23 goals in the regular season, and Mahan added 15. Mahan and Babusci scored in the semifinal win. … Shady Side Academy was second in Section 4 at 8-2 with a pair of losses to South Park. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 93-14 and posted 10 shutouts. Kushnir, a sophomore forward/midfielder, senior midfielder Caroline Liptak, junior midfielder Lucille McCargo and sophomore keeper Maria Ravotti were named to the All-WPIAL team. Kushnir had 27 goals in the regular season, and Liptak added 18. Liptak, Kushnir and Ella Van Norman scored in the semifinals against Burrell. Ravotti earned the shutout.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Avonworth, Shady Side Academy