Moon showed it would be competitive in Class 3A this year when it opened with a tie against a solid Class 4A North Allegheny squad.
As the season has progressed, the Tigers have solidified their reputation.
Junior midfielder Davi Jansson scored two goals, while Ryan Kopay, Christopher Brancato and Aedan Costa netted one each as Class 3A No. 3-ranked Moon (6-0-1, 5-0-0) extended its lead in Section 2 with a 5-2 win over Ambridge (4-2-0, 3-2-0).
The Bridgers, who nearly defeated Quaker Valley in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals in 2021, are in their first season playing in the higher classification.
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• Nick Allan scored four goals and added two assists while Matteo Castellini chipped in a pair as Class 2A No. 1 Quaker Valley (5-2-0, 4-0-0) rolled over Mohawk (3-4-0, 2-3-0), 8-1, in a Section 4 clash.
• Serra Catholic (2-3-0, 2-1-0) gave Class 1A No. 4 Seton LaSalle (4-1-0, 3-0-0) all it could handle before Sal Pasquale scored the only goal of the match in overtime to give the Rebels a 1-0 Section 4 win over the Eagles.
• Thomas Ruffcorn netted a hat trick, which was all Brownsville (4-3-0, 3-2-0) needed to roll over Class 2A Section 3 rival Yough in a 9-0 victory.
• Jake Ozimek scored the only goal of the game and Cooper Hondeneocher notched the shutout as Class 2A No. 2 South Park (7-0-0, 5-0-0) remained undefeated with a 1-0 victory over East Allegheny (4-2-0, 3-2-0) in their Section 1 battle. It was the Wildcats’ second consecutive one-goal loss in the section.
• Isaac Wetzel hit the back of the net twice and goalkeeper Ethan Rapp made eight saves to help Freeport (3-3-0, 3-2-0) win its third consecutive match with a 3-0 shutout of Greensburg Salem (2-4-0, 1-4-0) in a Class 2A Section 2 matchup.
• Ryan Hanes scored two goals and Nate Litrun and Michael Butler chipped in one apiece as Class 2A Section 2-leading Deer Lakes (7-1-0, 5-0-0) reeled off its sixth consecutive victory with a 4-1 win over Leechburg (2-3-0, 2-3-0).
• Senior Robbie Labuda chalked up two goals and an assist and Derrick Donitzen posted the shutout as Mount Pleasant (5-2-0, 5-0-0) upset Class 2A No. 4 McGuffey (6-2-0, 4-1-0), 3-0, in the first of two Section 3 matches.
• Will Bruno scored three goals for two-time defending WPIAL champion and Class 4A No. 1 Seneca Valley (7-0-0, 5-0-0) as the Raiders romped to a 10-0 victory against North Hills (0-6-0, 0-5-0) in a Section 1 matchup. They are now 23-0-1 in their past 24 section matches.
• Nate Yahas scored the game-winning goal to help Steel Valley (1-6-0, 1-4-0) to a 2-1 overtime win over Class 2A Section 1 rival South Allegheny (2-7-0, 0-5-0) for the first victory of the season for the Ironmen.
• Fox Chapel scored the only goal of the match with 16 seconds remaining in regulation as the Class 4A No. 2 Foxes (4-1-1, 3-1-1) pulled out a 1-0 road victory at North Allegheny (5-2-1, 3-2-0) to keep pace with Pine-Richland for second place in Section 1. The Tigers now are 3-2 in one-goal games.
• Nick Kosuda scored the only goal of the match with less than three minutes remaining in the first overtime as West Mifflin (6-2-0, 4-1-0) moved into sole possession of second place in Section 1 with a 1-0 victory against Class 2A No. 5 Elizabeth Forward (2-3-0, 2-3-0).
First Published: September 14, 2022, 3:15 a.m.
