Bentworth boys earn top seed in WPIAL boys soccer
Bearcats girls seeded 5th
The Bentworth boys and girls soccer teams had a night to remember at F.N.B. Stadium last year, with each winning a WPIAL championship on the same night.
Their title defenses will start from much different places next week.
The Bearcats boys’ four-peat bid begins as the top seed in the Class A bracket, while the girls were seeded fifth.
Bentworth’s boys earned a bye and will play the winner of Saturday’s first-round game between Bishop Canevin and Freedom on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
“Any team will gladly take the No. 1 seed,” Bentworth boys coach Nick Malarbi said. “This year it’s a little different being that the top seeds get a bye. You don’t really have an easier game to work into the playoffs.”
The Bentworth boys, who are also the defending state champs, went 14-0 in Class A Section 2 and could face a section opponent in the first round if Bishop Canevin wins. They beat the Crusaders 8-0 and 6-0 in their two meetings. With top players Adam Moessner and Billy Moyer back up front, the Bearcats outscored their section opponents 117-2.
“We made it through section play healthy and I know the kids want to compete to see what they can do,” Malarbi said. “This group of seniors has been through a lot over the years both in this No.1 position and against it.”
The Bentworth girls also won a section title, but there was a split with Brownsville and the WPIAL seeded Brownsville ahead of the Bearcats.
Brownsville is seeded third.
“I think the five seed shocked people on the visual,” Bearcats girls coach Tyler Hamstra said about their seeding. “But at the end of the day the committee put the two teams that won their section outright (Sewickley Academy and Winchester Thurston) at one and two and put the co-champs on opposite sides of the bracket.”
Bentworth returns the majority of its starters from last year’s WPIAL championship, including attackers/midfielders Bella Moyer, Megan Keturakis, Brielle Dillon, Joa Johns and Madelyn Johns.
Regardless of seeding, Hamstra expects the Class A playoffs to be a battle.
“This might be one of those years where the path is more important than the seed,” Hamstra said. “The path is not easy for anyone. I think we’ve improved as the season went on and started hitting more of a stride later on.”
Boys
Peters Township is the No. 3 seed in the Class 4A playoffs and received a bye. The Indians will play the winner of Monday’s first round game between Fox Chapel and Moon in the quarterfinals Thursday Oct. 29.
Canon-McMillan was seeded 10th and will seek a second consecutive first round win when it travels to play at No. 7 Pine-Richland, 7 p.m. Monday.
Fresh off its first section crown since 2020, Trinity was seeded fourth in the Class 3A bracket and hosts No. 13 Latrobe at 1 p.m. Saturday for a first round game.
South Fayette is the No. 10 seed and plays at No. 7 Mars, 1 p.m. Saturday. Ringgold did not lose a section match this year, but its 5-0-5 record was only good enough for third place. The Rams were seeded 11th and play at Central Valley, 3 p.m. Saturday.
In Class 2A, Charleroi has a play-in game, 7 p.m. Tonight at Ambridge. The winner advances to play No. 4 Elizabeth Forward at 8 p.m. Monday.
No. 10 Belle Vernon travels to No. 7 Beaver, 7 p.m. Monday.
Chartiers-Houston is seeded 11th in Class A and plays No. 6 Riverview at Springdale 3 p.m. Saturday in the first round.
Girls
Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township and Canon-McMillan were tri-champions of Class 4A Section 2, each finishing with a 7-1-2 record. Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township got the top two seeds in the bracket and a bye, while Canon-McMillan was seeded seventh.
The Big Macs host No. 10 Armstrong, 3 p.m. Saturday. If they win that game, then they’ll play No. 2 Peters Township in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. It would be the second year in a row the two would meet in the playoffs.
Defending Class 3A state champ South Fayette was seeded fifth and hosts No. 12 Franklin Regional, 7 p.m. Monday in the first round.
No. 11 Belle Vernon plays at Plum at 7 p.m. Monday.
Last year Waynesburg made a run to the Class A semifinals as a double-digit seed and will look to do the same this year in Class 2A.
The Raiders are seeded 12th and play at No. 5 Central Valley, 1 p.m. Saturday.
In Class A, No. 16 Beth-Center plays No. 1 Sewickley Academy, 6 p.m. Monday at Peters Township and No. 10 Chartiers-Houston faces No. 7 Eden Christian at 6 p.m. at North Allegheny.