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WPIAL Soccer championships: Alive 'n kickin'
Five WPIAL soccer championships will be decided tomorrow
Friday, November 06, 2009

They are two teams that have combined for only one loss and an aggregate 38-1-3 record this season, but the only defeat that will matter for either the Seneca Valley or Peters Township girls' soccer teams will be the one that one of them will have to deal with tomorrow.

The Raiders (20-0-1) will play the Indians (18-1-2) for the WPIAL Class AAA championship 4:45 p.m. tomorrow at Elizabeth Forward's Warrior Stadium.

Seneca Valley has allowed more than one goal only once all season and features senior Mandy Cerminara with a team-high 17 goals.

"We're playing the best we have all year," Seneca Valley coach Dave Sylvester said. "[My players] love to play soccer. They're totally oblivious [to anything else going on]. They're having too much fun."

Peters Township's forte has been defense. Led by St. Bonaventure recruit Megan Junker, the Indians have allowed only eight goals this season and have 12 shutouts. Junker, a senior goalkeeper, has 11 to give her 54 for her career.

Shelli Spamer leads Peters with 20 goals.

Seneca Valley won the championship two years ago. Peters Township lost in the final to Mt. Lebanon last year and is looking for its first girls' soccer title.

The Raiders-Indians matchup will be the fourth of a quintuple-header of WPIAL championship soccer games tomorrow at Elizabeth Forward (see accompanying box for starting times).

Class AA girls

Stop me if you've heard this one before: South Park will play Springdale with a WPIAL championship on the line.

This is the third consecutive season the Eagles (18-1-2) and Dynamos (17-1-2) will play for the Class AA title. Springdale is hoping for a different ending to this second sequel.

South Park defeated Springdale during each of the past two seasons and they also eliminated the Dynamos in the PIAA semifinals to end both campaigns.

The Dynamos have shut out all but two of the 15 Class AA opponents they've faced this season. The Eagles have not allowed a goal in 13 of their 16 contests against foes in the same classification.

"We're a confident group right now," said South Park coach Shelly Thropp, whose team will go for its fourth consecutive title.

Class AAA boys

It's big-time scorers versus balance when Mt. Lebanon meets Upper St. Clair in a rematch of an Oct. 10 game, which Upper St. Clair won, 1-0. That was Mt. Lebanon's only loss this season.

The Blue Devils feature Zach Batteer, who has 22 goals and ranked fourth among WPIAL Class AAA scorers during the regular season. Teammate Brian Luchini ranked seventh with 16 goals.

The Panthers have amazing scoring balance. During the regular season, Upper St. Clair scored 41 goals (a respectable 2.3 goals per game), but did not have any player score more than five. Six different players have scored during the playoffs.

The Panthers could lay claim to the title of Class AAA Team of the Decade with a victory. It would be their third WPIAL title of the 2000s, but a Mt. Lebanon championship -- its first since 2002 -- would allow it to match Upper St. Clair, Peters Township and Bethel Park as two-time Class AAA winners over the past 10 years.

Class AA boys

Section 2 rivals Hampton (16-3) and Mars (20-1) will play for the third time this season with the stakes significantly higher this time.

Their first meeting Sept. 8 was an aberration. It was a 5-3 Planets victory, and the goals each team allowed was a season-high. In fact, Mars has allowed only 11 more goals in 20 other games all season, including only one in the past 10 games.

The Talbots' five goals against in that contest represent half of the goals scored against them in their other 18 games. Two of Hampton's three losses have come to Mars, the defending champion that hasn't won a game by less than three goals since September, a 2-1 overtime victory in its most recent meeting with the Talbots.

The Planets' attack features Ryan McKenzie (32 goals) and Yulian Lutsiv (19).

Class A boys

It could be a very good afternoon for Springdale High School by mid-afternoon tomorrow.

The first two championship games feature the Dynamos. The boys look for their 10th WPIAL title, but first since 1973, when they play Greensburg Central Catholic (17-4).

Springdale (15-1-3) lost its season opener but is unbeaten in 18 games since. The Dynamos are led by Bryan Weimerskirch (28 goals) and Ryan Francis (25).

The Centurions' top three scorers are Tim Wood with 24 goals, including 22 in his past nine games. Ethan Shula with 19 and Daniel Szekely with 16.

Greensburg Central Catholic won consecutive titles in 2003-04.

Springdale won the WPIAL title nine of 13 years from 1961-73, when there was only one classification.

Tomorrow's Games

What: WPIAL soccer championships.

Where: Elizabeth Forward High School, Elzabeth, Pa.

Girls' Class AA: South Park (18-1-2) vs. Springdale (16-1-2) 10 a.m.

Girls' Class AAA: Peters Township (18-1-2) vs. Seneca Valley (20-0-1), 4:45 p.m.

Boys' Class A: Greensburg Central Catholic (17-4) vs. Springdale (15-1-3), 12:15 p.m.

Boys' Class AA: Mars (20-1) vs. Hampton (16-3), 2:30 p.m.

Boys' Class AAA: Mt. Lebanon (18-1-1) vs. Upper St. Clair (18-2-1), 7 p.m.

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First published on November 6, 2009 at 12:00 am