O'HARA TWP — At halftime, Freeport girls soccer coach Brittni Grenninger was out on the field at Fox Chapel High School, running through some plays with her team.

The Yellowjackets' WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal match with Yough Thursday night was deadlocked at 0-0 and a boost was needed.

The impromptu strategy session worked as Freeport's offense came alive in the second half and its defense didn't allow a shot from Yough in the final 40 minutes in a 3-0 win.

“We did go over some offensive schemes, but it was more of a morale booster,” said senior Cameron Lindsay. “(Coach Grenninger) was giving us tips on how to break down their defense.”

It was the first playoff win for the Yellowjackets since 2008 and handed them their first trip to the WPIAL semifinals since 2006.

“They are over the moon right now,” Grenninger said. “But they realize they still have two games to go to get where they want to be. I told them to enjoy this tonight because it was what they have worked for.”

Freshman Sidney Shemanski got Freeport (14-3-1) on the board in the 51st minute.

“I think the nerves got the best of us during the first half,” Lindsay said. “But we picked up our game when we realized what was at risk.”

Hannah Stokes added another goal on a shot from 30 yards out and Olivia Comperatore put the finishing touches on the win by finding the net late.

Cassie Suran got the shutout in goal, the Yellowjackets' fifth straight.

“(When we got the first goal) it was almost like a weight lifting off our shoulders,” Grenninger said. “We had three different goal scorers, which we really like.”

Freeport will play Waynesburg Central (16-2), a 1-0 winner over Charleroi, Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

“This means absolutely everything to us,” Lindsay said. “We've been working for this since we started. We have coaches that put in a lot of work, dedication, and sacrifices to get us this far. Our team has meshed together and the only thing on our mind is winning WPIALs. The 2008 and 2006 dates only serve as motivation to us.”

Canon-McMillan 3, Seneca Valley 1 — Morgan Hoffman scored a goal off an assist by Jessica Frank in the second half to tie the score at 1-1, but two late goals by the Big Macs ended the Raiders' season.

Seneca Valley, which had gone 7-0-1 heading into the WPIAL Quad-A quarterfinal against Canon-McMillan, finished 13-6-1.

Ambridge 1, Mars 0 — The Lady Planets couldn't find the net in this tense WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal.

The match was a scoreless tie at the half before Ambridge scored the winning goal midway through the second half. Mars finished the season 12-3-2.

Volleyball

Sarah Armahizer was at it again.

The junior hitter recorded 11 kills as Knoch rolled past Laurel Highlands 25-14, 25-9, 25-14 in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs at Knoch High School.

“She can hit hard and she also has a very good tip,” said Knoch volleyball coach Diane Geist. “She keeps the other team off guard.”

Bethany Nulph and Kennedy Christy each added nine kills and Jessie Jack had nine service points for the Knights (15-2), who will play Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

“We set a few goals tonight and we reached most of those,” Geist said. “We had a great student section. It was nice.”

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 3, Waynesburg 1 — The Trojanettes used several long scoring runs to win this first-round WPIAL Class AA match 25-16, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23.

North Catholic will play either Avonworth or Beth Center Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.