Seneca Valley boys soccer has not dropped a regular season game to a WPIAL opponent in almost three years.
Butler, which was the last team to knock off the Raiders during the regular season, had an opportunity to end the streak when the two met Thursday in the first of two Class 4A Section 1 matchups.
They gave it their best shot, but like so many before, the Golden Tornado walked off the pitch disappointed. Butler, the No. 4 team in Class 4A, came from behind twice in regulation to send the game to overtime, but Tyler Prex slammed home a penalty kick in the extra period for the golden goal that gave No. 1 Seneca Valley a 3-2 victory.
Seneca Valley has not lost to a WPIAL opponent since Butler defeated it Sept. 24. 2020. It had a 50-game unbeaten streak against WPIAL foes that included the playoffs snapped in the 2022 WPIAL class 4A championship game against Pine-Richland.
Other games
• Jeannette striker Jordan Taylor was coming off a six-goal outing against Greensburg Salem, but it was another matter altogether when the Jayhawks took on Class 2A No. 2 Deer Lakes. The defending WPIAL champions limited Taylor to one goal while Deer Lakes’ Collin Rodgers netted four in a 9-2 Section 2 victory.
• Mohawk goalkeeper Jack Andrews stopped a penalty kick in the second half to help send the game to overtime, but it only delayed the outcome as Isaac Tharp netted the winner in the extra frame and Sean Perez posted the clean sheet as Beaver pulled off a 1-0 victory in a Class 2A Section 4 matchup.
• Sam Caldwell scored four goals and Austin Friedline chipped in two as the Knoch ended a three-game skid to start the year with an 8-0 win against Freeport.
• It may be a bit early to call it a WPIAL Class 1A finals preview, but Tomer Tuti scored the only goal of the game for two-time defending champion and top-ranked Winchester Thurston while Jack Billick had the only goal of the game for No. 5 Seton LaSalle in a 1-1 double-overtime draw.
• Baldwin is still trying to feel its way and pick up its first win of the season. Upper St. Clair didn’t make it easy on the Highlanders as Joe Donnelly had a natural hat trick in a 3-0 Panthers victory against their Class 4A Section 2 rivals.
• Greensburg Central Catholic handed Bentworth a pair of tough losses in 2022, including a seven-goal beating in their second meeting. But with the Centurions rebuilding, the Bearcats poured it on as Ryan Colbert and Ryan Moessner each scored twice in a 6-0 Class 1A Section 1 in their first-ever win against their Class 1A Section 2 rivals.
• Quaker Valley took a couple of tough losses against two of the state’s best in Wilson West Lawn and Fleetwood, but now that the team is back in the WPIAL, it’s once again looking like the team to beat in Class 2A. Kiril Grin, Nick Allan and Bennett Haas each scored goals as the No. 1 Quakers defeated Avonworth, 3-1, in Section 4.
First Published: September 1, 2023, 2:58 a.m.