WPIAL Soccer Boys Class 2A Quarterfinal Round Match Capsules
October 26, 2023

File photo courtesy Ed Thompson

It is down to the final eight teams in WPIAL Soccer Boys Class 2A tournament.

All matches on Thursday will kick off at 7 p.m.

WPIAL Soccer Boys Class 3A Quarterfinal Round Schedule

Kickoff:

7:00pm

at South Park

#8 Keystone Oaks at #1 South Park   

ROSTERS:    Keystone Oaks  |  South Park

How they got here: Top seeded South Park defeated Yough, 2-0, while section rival Keystone Oaks defeated Mt. Pleasant, 2-1.

In two previous section matches, South Park won 2-0, and 3-1.

Key Players: Kaiden Fischer — a non-stop, speedy winger/forward, is South Park’s leading scorer, with 17 goals in the regular season. Keystone Oaks senior midfielder Cy Garcia was named to the 2023 Class 3A All-WPIAL team.

Kickoff:

7:00pm

at Avonworth

#5 Belle Vernon at #4 Avonworth   

ROSTERS: Belle Vernon  |  Avonworth

How they got here: Belle Vernon was pushed to a penalty kick shootout, but escaped with a win vs East Allegheny, while Avonworth, c0-champs of Section 4, beat McGuffey, 4-0.

Key Players: BVA’s Trevor Kovatch is the second leading goal scorer in the WPIAL, with 47 goals this season. Avonworth has a balanced attack, led by Calder Mahan, who scored 10 times this season.

Kickoff:

7:00pm

at Quaker Valley

#10 Elizabeth Forward at #2 Quaker Valley   

ROSTERS:  Quaker Valley  |  Elizabeth Forward 

How they got here: Elizabeth Forward knocked off Knoch, 3-1 to advance, while 10-time WPIAL champions Quaker Valley got off to a good start to the tournament, posting a 9-1 win against Jeanette on Monday. 

Key Players: Quaker Valley has a balanced attack led by Kiril Grin (14 goals), Nick Allen (13) and Bennett Haas (11).  Will Sinay leads the Warriors attack with 14 goals.

Kickoff:

7:00pm

at Shady Side Academy

#14 Hopewell at #6 Shady Side Academy

ROSTERS: Hopewell | Shady Side 

How they got here: Shady Side shut out Beaver Area, 3-0, on Monday, while Hopewell pulled off the upset of the Boys 3A bracket so far, stunning defending Champions Deer Lakes, with a stunning 4-0 result.

Key Players: Amir Awais leads SSA in goals, with an impressive 34 tallies — good for third in the WPIAL — while Hopewell’s Chris Colonna has put it in the back of the net 16 times this season.


Boys Class 2A First Round Results (Monday, October 23) 

FINAL  South Park 2, Yough 0

FINAL Keystone Oaks 2, Mt. Pleasant 1

FINAL  Avonworth 4, McGuffey 0

FINAL  Quaker Valley 9, Jeannette 1

FINAL Hopewell 4, Deer Lakes 0

FINAL Elizabeth Forward 3, Knoch 1

FINAL   Belle Vernon 2, East Allegheny 2 (AET2 – Belle Vernon advances in PK shootout) 

FINAL Shady Side Academy 3, Beaver Area 0

Boys Class 2A Semifinal Round (Monday, October 30) 

Keystone Oaks/South Park winner vs Avonworth/Belle Vernon

Quaker Valley/Elizabeth Forward winner vs Hopewell/Shady Side Academy winner

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Source: https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2023/10/26/wpial-soccer-boys-class-2a-quarterfinal-round-match-capsules/

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