Charleroi, Elizabeth Forward earn Top 5 seeds

By JOSE NEGRON

jnegron@yourmvi.com

A pair of area boys soccer teams will enter the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs as two of the top five seeds.

Charleroi captured the No. 4 seed and Elizabeth Forward earned the No. 5 seed Wednesday as the brackets were revealed for the postseason tournament, which begins Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Cougars (14-1) will host their first-round game against No. 13 Avonworth (4-6-2) 6:30 p.m. Monday at Myron Pottios Stadium.

Charleroi shared the Section 3 championship with Mt. Pleasant. Avonworth finished as the fourth-place team in Section 1.

“I think it’s a very respectable seed for us,” Charleroi head coach Jon Ducoli said. “The challenge with a playoff tournament is you’re going into the unknown. It’s just going to be about us being able to feel them out and picking up as much intel as we can on them and using that to our advantage.”

In years past, Charleroi has had to travel for playoff games to sites such as Franklin Regional, Plum and Moon.

Playing a first-round game in their home stadium, however, is a luxury the Cougars are glad to have.

“That’s a huge benefit. We don’t have those typical rides that we’ve had in the past,” Ducoli said. “We’re just going to keep doing what we do whether we’re on the road or at home.”

Over the past few years, the Cougars have relied on veteran-heavy teams while making their runs through the postseason.

This year, though, Charleroi’s team is young with just two seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and seven freshmen.

“A lot of heavy freshmen teams don’t get this experience,” Ducoli said. “The younger boys are pumped and they’re following in the footsteps of those who have come before them. They’re ready to put their stamp on this program.”

The fifth-seeded Warriors may meet the Cougars if both teams survive their first-round matchups.

EF (10-2-2) will take on No. 12 Freedom (7-6-1) 6:30 p.m. Monday at Warrior Stadium.

The Warriors are fresh off winning their first section championship since 1998. They shared the Section 1 crown with South Park after defeating the Eagles for the first time since 2008 on Oct. 14.

“I like where we’re at coming in. We’re playing some good soccer right now,” EF head coach Doug Finke said. “Freedom is going to be a tough team, it’s just a matter of us playing up to our capabilities.”

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