Mars and Norwin Head to WPIAL Quarterfinals Wednesday Night

Two Westmoreland County soccer teams travel Wednesday for WPIAL quarterfinal matchups against higher-seeded opponents. Mars heads to Murrysville to face Franklin Regional, while Norwin visits McCandless to play North Allegheny. Both games tip off against squads ranked above them in the bracket.

In the boys Class 3A bracket, No. 7 Mars (8-5-4) visits No. 2 Franklin Regional (15-1-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Panther Stadium. The Fightin' Planets advanced with a 2-0 shutout of No. 10 South Fayette, with goals from Abram Knezovich and Luca Martorelli. Franklin Regional reached the quarterfinals by beating Shaler 2-1, with Aiden Alexander and Ian Johns scoring. The Panthers carry a 17-game unbeaten streak and have allowed one goal in their last seven games. This marks their fourth straight quarterfinal appearance. Franklin Regional won a 2024 semifinal against Mars 2-1 at Dormont Stadium and beat the Planets 4-0 in the 2023 first round.

The winner advances to Monday's semifinal against the victor of Wednesday's No. 6 Central Valley (12-3-2) versus No. 3 West Allegheny (15-2-1) match. Time and site for that semifinal remain to be determined.

In the girls Class 4A bracket, No. 6 Norwin (12-3-4) visits No. 3 North Allegheny (15-2-1) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Newman Stadium in McCandless. The teams met early this season, with North Allegheny winning 3-1. North Allegheny, the defending WPIAL champion, enters on a 10-game winning streak after a first-round bye. The Tigers claimed the 2022 title, finished second in 2023, and reached the semifinals in 2024. Kieran Shannon, a Middle Tennessee State commit, is among seven all-section players for North Allegheny, along with Jordan Beemer, Mia Barsotti, Rosalia Varlotta, Sahara Catlos, Samantha Carman and Meghan Dutkovich.

Norwin reached the quarterfinals by shutting out Butler. McKenzie Carpenter and Allie Carpenter each scored, and freshman Josie Raible made five saves. Allie Carpenter and Raible are freshmen. The winner faces Monday's No. 7 Canon-McMillan (8-4-4) or No. 2 Peters Township (12-1-2) survivor in the semifinals, with time and site to be announced.

Mars finished second in Section 3 behind top-seeded Plum. Mars was also seeded No. 7 last year, when it beat Penn-Trafford before falling to No. 2 Bethel Park in the quarterfinals. Norwin is chasing consecutive semifinal appearances.