Pitt men’s soccer lands WPIAL standout Luke Peperak

Pitt men’s soccer coach Jay Vidovich and his staff landed a talented WPIAL recruit on Wednesday, as Luke Peperak, a forward out of Connellsville High School, which is situated about 50 miles from Pitt’s campus, announced his commitment to the program.

“Blessed to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at the University of Pittsburgh,” Peperak wrote in a message posted on Twitter. "Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.”

Peperak was part of a strong Connellsville team that went 12-7 overall and 9-5 in the Big 56 Conference in 2019. The year before that, Connellsville posted an even better 14-5 record and went 10-4 in the Big 56. However, in each of Peperak’s final three seasons with the Falcons, the team was knocked out of the WPIAL playoffs in the first round, and each game was decided by a single goal.

Despite his team’s playoff struggles, Peperak was an asset to Connellsville throughout his career, as he was a consistent scorer who presented opposing teams a challenge week in and week out. As such, he finished his high school career as Connellsville’s all-time leading scorer with 87 goals, 33 of which came in his senior season. Peperak also earned two all-state selections for his efforts.

In committing to Pitt, the 2020 recruit is following the path of Alex Peperak, who also played at Connellsville before heading to Oakland. The elder Peperak played for the Panthers between 2016 and 2019, appearing in 41 games over those four seasons. He made 20 starts as a midfielder and contributed one goal during his collegiate career.