A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for Wednesday, Oct. 25

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | 4:46 PM

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WPIAL boys soccer playoffs

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

8-South Fayette (11-4-3) at 1-Plum (18-1)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Indiana (6-10-1)/5-Montour (14-4) in semifinals Oct. 30.

Players to watch: Michael Plasko, South Fayette; Tristin Ralph, Plum

Throw-ins: South Fayette was the third-place finisher in Section 2. The Lions lost their last two games of the regular season but rebounded to blank Latrobe, 4-0, in the first round. Senior Michael Plasko had all four goals and has 17 for the season. Senior Adam Thompson was an All-WPIAL selection for the Lions. … Plum won its 18th straight game with a 5-1 win over Chartiers Valley in the first round Saturday. Brady French scored twice. Ralph, who had a goal and an assist, was selected the player of the year for WPIAL Class 3A, and Plum coach Raf Kolankowski was the classification’s coach of the year. Junior Garrett Chandler and senior Tyler Yurisinec were also named to the All-WPIAL team.

Class A

Quarterfinals

4-Seton LaSalle (14-2-1) vs. 5-Springdale (14-3)

8 p.m. Wednesday at Avonworth

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Charleroi(17-0)/9-Eden Christian (13-3-2) in semifinals Oct. 30

Players to watch: Jack Billick, Seton LaSalle; Billy Lawrence, Springdale

Throw-ins: Seton LaSalle shared the Section 4 title with Serra Catholic at 9-1. A loss to Montour on Oct. 16 snapped a nine-game winning streak. Billick had two goals as the Rebels blanked Beth-Center, 6-0, in the first round. … Lawrence had two goals and an assist, and Nate Dubas had a goal and two assists for Springdale in a 3-1 win over Carlynton in the first round. The Dynamos have won seven of their past eight games. They advanced to the semifinals three straight years from 2018-20.

11-Trinity Christian (10-5) at 3-Burrell (13-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Sewickley Academy (13-2-1)/7-Bentworth (15-2) in semifinals Oct. 30

Players to watch: Luke Kost, Trinity Christian; Jayson Ireland, Burrell

Throw-ins: Burrell, the co-Section 3 champ, swept the season series with section rival Trinity Christian, winning 2-1 in overtime Aug. 29 and Oct. 2. The Bucs had an 11-game winning streak snapped by Winchester Thurston on Oct. 12. Cam Wagner and Hadyn Herbulock each scored twice for Burrell in a 5-1 win over Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round. … Trinity Christian finished fourth in Section 3. The Falcons upset No. 6 Serra Catholic, 1-0, in the first round on a goal by Sam Boyer. Kost scored 13 goals to lead the Falcons this season.

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: Burrell, Plum, Seton La Salle, South Fayette, Springdale, Trinity Christian