WPIAL soccer playoffs breakdown: Mars’ Chris Knauff enjoying last run, Freeport’s focus, SV’s leadership
Mars boys soccer coach Chris Knauff earned his 300th win with Tuesday’s victory against Shaler. He admitted the occasion brought with it different emotions from when he reached 200 seven years ago.
“It was bitter sweet this time,” he said. “I knew coming into the season that this would be my last year. My wife and I have a 9-year-old daughter, and there are family commitments I want to be a part of. It’s time to move on to other things.”
Knauff, who played at Mars before graduating in 1999, has guided the Planets for 19 seasons, winning three WPIAL titles and a state championship in 2020. His last postseason will begin Saturday when Mars (11-5-2) hosts Penn-Trafford in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round meeting.
The Planets have played four overtime games this year, all Section 1-3A affairs. Their record in those contests is 1-1-2, with all teams involved scoring a combined eight goals. Two meetings against Hampton yielded 0-0 and 1-1 ties. They were the only two section games the Talbots did not win.
“There’s a lot of parody in our section,” Knauff said. “Hampton, Shaler, Indiana and Knoch are all good teams. They’re coached well and they’ve made it a tough day at the office when we’ve faced them.
“You expect a lot of playoff games to come down to overtime or shootouts. Our players are used to being involved in tight games and our goalie, Eli Stasiowski, has played very well. He gives us a lot of confidence.”
Senior forward Frank Knezovich leads the team in goals while Max Davis and Logan Coone top the lineup in assists.
Knauff hopes senior midfielder Sean Scanlon, who has been out with a dislocated knee cap, will soon return to the field.
A team with lofty goals may find it difficult to remain on task during the regular season, but that hasn’t been the case for Freeport’s girls.
A 15-1 record, including a perfect 10-0 in Section 2-2A, has earned the Yellowjackets the No. 2 seed. They host Ringgold in a first-round playoff Tuesday.
“The players’ attitude from Day 1 has been wonderful,” Freeport coach Steve Kukic said. “The girls are on a mission, and you can see it with the way they practice and play.”
The ’Jackets are averaging nearly five goals per game, and several players are leading the way. Camryn Woods, Nia DiSanti, Elena Jenkins, Peyton Los and CeCe Schlegel have combined for 49 goals. Schlegel paces the team with 10 assists, while Woods and Los have both contributed seven.
Freeport has allowed just five goals all season.
“Our center backs, Brinley Sullivan and Alyssa Cooper, have been key to that,” Kukic said. ”And Tess Hanak is a defensive midfielder, just a sophomore, but she has made a huge jump since last year. We put her on an island out there. She’s very smart and skilled.“
And if the opposition does get a shot on goal, senior goalie Alyssa Alcorn is a very seasoned last line of defense.
Freeport also won a section title the last two years but was stopped by South Park in the WPIAL quarterfinals both times. South Park is the top seed in this year’s tournament.
A 15th straight trip to the playoffs was paved by a strong core for Seneca Valley girls.
“Our four captains — Karly Majeski, Maddie Marcotte, Cassie Leonard and Bella Gianfrancesco — have led us to a (second straight) section title,” SV coach Mark Perry said. “Karly has scored 18 of our 48 goals. She’s a great leader on and off the field. I hate to think where we’d be without her.”
Goalie Sydney Postler has posted nine shutouts in the last 12 games.
The Raiders (10-3-2) earned the No. 2 seed and received a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals where they will face the winner of a first-round game between Upper St. Clair and Penn-Trafford.
“We’ve won a lot of close games, especially in section play,” Perry said. “We had to replace our entire defense from a year ago and they’ve improved a lot since the start of the season.”
