Soccer
Montour Girls Win First Soccer Crown in Beating Mars
November 1, 2014
The Montour girls’ soccer team had no playoff victories in school history heading into the 2014 postseason, but the No. 5 seed Lady Spartans now have a WPIAL title trophy, as they knocked off second-seeded Mars 3-1 in the Class AA Championship match on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. Montour jumped out to an early lead less than five minutes into the contest, as senior Lauren Gerstel’s free kick from beyond midfield fooled Mars’ goalkeeper Sammy Papik. Papik got a piece of the ball, but it bounced over her head and into the net to provide the early edge to the Spartans.
GCC Crushes Freedom For 3rd Girls A Soccer Title in 4 Years
The start was at 11:00am, but for the Freedom Bulldogs it may as well been at midnight. Freedom was not able to finish off their Cinderella run when they lost to the top seeded Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 9-1 in WPIAL Class A Soccer Championships. The game started out like the semi-final game for Freedom vs Shady Side Academy and they controlled the ball and played offense most of the first five minutes. The problem was though after that it was all Centurions. Greensburg opened the scoring when senior Cassie Sauder took a shot from twenty yards out and it cleared the Bulldogs keeper Jacklyn Hartle at the 7:58 mark.Peters Township Whips Upper St. Clair 5-1 to Repeat as Boys Soccer AAA Champs
Peters Township turned the same trick they did last season and treated their fans to a ninth WPIAL championship in soccer Friday night at Highmark Stadium.The Indians playing in a constant cold. light rain built a 3-0 against their conference rival Upper Saint Clair and eventually won going away 5-1. The Indians entered the game as the three seed against the top-seeded Panthers. USC, just as they had done last year entering the championship tilt had beaten Peters Township twice during the regular season. Peters though, just as they did last year though proved winning the last game trumps winning the first two.Seneca Valley Blanks Canon-McMillan to Win 2nd Straight WPIAL AAA Girls Soccer Crown
Seneca Valley won their second straight and fourth overall WPIAL girls soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over the Canon-McMillan Big Macs at Highmark Stadium Friday night. The top-seeded Raiders got everything they wanted from the upstart 10th seed as the two teams battled to a scoreless tie at the end of the first forty minutes. In fact Canon-Mac seemed to gain a lot of confidence and had the better of play for the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half. The Big Macs though despite generating several opportunities and three corner kicks in the opening minutes of the second half could not sneak one behind Seneca Valley net keeper Jessica Neil.Scholastic Notebook – 10/31/2014
October 31, 2014
The Southmoreland football team failed to make the WPIAL football postseason again. The Scotties haven’t been to the playoffs since 1979, the longest current drought in the WPIAL. But there are some other playoff droughts that are notable as the WPIAL playoffs get under way Friday with 32 games around the area. Three teams in the postseason have never won a WPIAL playoff game. Never, ever, ever. They are Laurel Highlands, Mapletown and Altoona. Altoona is a little deceiving. The school re-joined the WPIAL for football only a few years ago. But the school played in the WPIAL a long time ago. Altoona has played in only two previous WPIAL playoff games. The last was in 2012. The first was in 1969 when Altoona lost to Gateway in the WPIAL final.WPIAL Soccer Semifinals Monday Recaps
October 28, 2014
In the end, the WPIAL soccer steering committee did a pretty good job as the top seeds have progressed nicely through the district postseason. In fact, five of the six top-seeds will be playing for gold this weekend along with a pair of #2's, two #3's and a #5. The lone exceptions are the surprise runs of the #10 Canon-McMillan Big Macs in girls AAA and the #11 Freedom Bulldogs in girls A. Here are recaps from all twelve boys and girls WPIAL Soccer Semifinals matches on Monday as heard here on MSA Sports. All six title matches this weekend will also be heard here on MSA Sports. A special thanks to Mike Azadian, Brandon Showers, Adam Hoerner, Rob Longo, Mike Sackley, Cory Campano, Lou Rood, Greg Kuntz and Mark Schaas for their help on these recaps!This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/26/2014
October 26, 2014
We are all set to cut the ribbon and take a ride on the 2014 version of the Highway to Heinz starting this week here on the MSA Sports Network. After the WPIAL Football Playoff Pairings Show on Monday, we'll be set for First Round action on Friday with ALL 32 games ONLY here on The Network starting with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL Scoreboard Show.Scholastic Notebook – 10/24/2014
October 24, 2014
Has there ever been a WPIAL football regular season that was so perfect as this one? Probably not. Fourteen teams go into the final night of the regular season with undefeated records. Two of them play (West Allegheny at Central Valley). That means there could be 13 teams that finish the regular season with perfect records. That would be the most in the WPIAL in a long time. Possibly ever. Checking records going back 37 years, there has never been a WPIAL season with 13 undefeated and untied teams (there used to no overtime in WPIAL football).This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/19/2014
October 19, 2014
While the 'Stretch Run' concludes in high school football, we continue the district playoffs and championships of several other fall high school sports this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We wrap up the regular season with Week Nine and 29 WPIAL football games on Friday and Saturday with Friday's action starting with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL Scoreboard Show.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoff Teams – 10/14/2014
October 14, 2014
Here is the FINAL edition of the weekly MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Boys Soccer Rankings. This time we aren't just doing the Top 10, we are ranking ALL Of the playoff bound teams in all three classifications. MSA Sports will have exclusive coverage of the upcoming 2014 WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoffs as well as the Pro Grass Girls Soccer Player of the Month in October and November ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL BOYS SOCCER Class AAA: (18 Teams - 2 Preliminary Rond Games) 1) Upper St. Clair Panthers (15-0-1) 2) Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings (17-0-0) 3) Peters Township Indians (13-2-0)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Girls Soccer Playoff Teams – 10/14/2014
Here is the FINAL edition of the weekly MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Girls Soccer Rankings. This time we aren't just doing the Top 10, we are ranking ALL Of the playoff bound teams in all three classifications. MSA Sports will have exclusive coverage of the upcoming 2014 WPIAL Girls Soccer Playoffs as well as the Pro Grass Girls Soccer Player of the Month in October and November ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL GIRLS SOCCER Class AAA: (17 Teams – 1 Preliminary Round) 1) Seneca Valley Raiders (17-0-0) 2) Peters Township Indians (14-1-1) 3) Upper St. Clair Panthers (11-1-5) 4) Norwin Knights (13-2-1)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/12/2014
October 12, 2014
While the 'Stretch Run' continues in high school football, we begin the district boys and girls soccer playoffs while preparing for the WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move into Week Eight of the 2014 season with 27 WPIAL football games on Friday and Saturday with Friday's action starting with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL Scoreboard Show.WPIAL Soccer Playoff Clinchings
October 10, 2014
It is the final week of the regular season in WPIAL soccer as boys and girls teams battle for section crowns, playoff seeding and postseason berths. Through Thursday, October 9th, here are the WPIAL boys and girls soccer teams that have punched their ticket for the district playoffs. the WPIAL Soccer Playoff Pairings Show is Wednesday, October 15th at 6:00pm here on MSAsports.net, the home for exclusive coverage for the WPIAL Soccer Playoffs. WPIAL BOYS SOCCER Class AAA: Penn-Trafford Warriors Norwin Knights Hempfield Spartans (Connellsville is still alive) Seneca Valley Raiders North Allegheny Tigers North Hills Indians (Butler is still alive)Scholastic Notebook – 10/10/2014
If Braydon Toy isn’t the smallest quarterback in the WPIAL, he ranks down there with the tiny guys. But you will find big statistics in this little Toy. Toy is only 5 feet 6 inches tall, but has been gigantic for the Kittanning Wildcats. He became the starter only last season and has started 16 games. But he went over 4,000 yards offense last week. Toy now has 4,116 yards. This season, he has completed 64 of 106 passes for 1,198 yards and also rushed for 473 yards on 60 carries. He has helped Kittanning to a 4-2 record. A year ago, Toy helped Kittanning to its first undefeated regular season since the 1970s. He finished 102 of 138 for 1,629 yards. He also rushed for 816 yards on 114 carries.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Soccer – 10/08/2014
October 8, 2014
Here are the MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL boys soccer rankings for the week of October 6th. You can check out the new rankings every Wednesday through the regular season with weekly matches heard live and archived, including exclusive coverage of the 2014 WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoffs and the Pro Grass Girls Soccer Player of the Month in September, October and November ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL BOYS SOCCER CLASS AAA: 1) UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS (14-0-1) (Last Week #1) 2) PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (16-0-0) (Last Week #3) 3) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (11-1-0) (Last Week #2)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Girls Soccer – 10/07/2014
October 7, 2014
Here are the MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL girls soccer rankings for the week of October 6th. You can check out the new rankings every Tuesday through the regular season with weekly matches heard live and archived, including exclusive coverage of the 2014 WPIAL Girls Soccer Playoffs and the Pro Grass Girls Soccer Player of the Month in September, October and November ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL GIRLS SOCCER CLASS AAA: 1) SENECA VALLEY RAIDERS (15-0-0) (Last Week #1) 2) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (13-1-1) (Last Week #4) 3) PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (13-1-0) (Last Week #5)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/05/2014
October 5, 2014
We will bend and STRETCH and reach for the postseason stars as we officially kick off the MSA Sports Stretch Run of the 2014 season this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move into Week Seven of the 2014 season with 31 WPIAL football games on Friday and Saturday with Friday's action starting with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL Scoreboard Show.Scholastic Notebook – 10/03/2014
October 3, 2014
Maybe you’ve heard the quote “Down goes Frazier, Down goes Frazier.” It is a line from legendary sports announcer Howard Cosell, describing boxer Joe Frazier after he went down from a George Foreman punch in a famous 1973 bout. In WPIAL football this year, it is “Up goes Frazier, Up goes Frazier.” Things haven’t been this good in Perryopolis (where Frazier is located) since 10 years after that Frazier-Foreman fight. The Frazier Commodores are 5-0 and have a showdown tonight with Beth-Center for first place in the Tri-County South Conference. The winner likely will win the Tri-County South title. Frazier has not started a season 5-0 since 1983, when the school made it all the way to the WPIAL Class A championship game before losing to Western Beaver.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Soccer – 10/01/2014
October 1, 2014
Here are the MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL boys soccer rankings for the week of September 29th. You can check out the new rankings every Wednesday through the regular season with weekly matches heard live and archived, including exclusive coverage of the 2014 WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoffs and the Pro Grass Girls Soccer Player of the Month in September, October and November ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL BOYS SOCCER CLASS AAA: 1) UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS (12-0-1) (Last Week #1) 2) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (11-1-0) (Last Week #2) 3) PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (13-0-0) (Last Week #3)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Girls Soccer – 09/30/2014
September 30, 2014
Here are the MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL girls soccer rankings for the week of September 29th. You can check out the new rankings every Tuesday through the regular season with weekly matches heard live and archived, including exclusive coverage of the 2014 WPIAL Girls Soccer Playoffs and the Pro Grass Girls Soccer Player of the Month in September, October and November ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL GIRLS SOCCER CLASS AAA: 1) SENECA VALLEY RAIDERS (14-0-0) (Last Week #1) 2) UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS (9-0-4) (Last Week #3) 3) MOON TIGERS (12-1-0) (Last Week #6)
