A near miss to qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs might not seem like a big deal, but it was one of many steps in rebuilding the West Allegheny High School boys' soccer program. That miss came in 2008.

Last season came the next step, the first postseason trip for the program since 1994 and the first section title since 1991.

Now the Indians have taken another step without even playing a game.

That next step is all about expectations.

After tasting the postseason for the first time in 15 years in 2009, the playoffs are now an expectation.

"You always have to set milestones," Kevin Amos said. "[The playoffs] are a realistic expectation now."

That is not just coachspeak, those are honest expectations.

That is in stark contrast to Amos' first year as coach in 2003 when he was hoping his team could win one section game. It did but it took until year three to get a second section win.

Then playing .500 soccer was the goal. That finally happened in 2008 when not only did the Indians go 13-4-1 but they came within a tiebreaker of qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs.

"In the earlier years, with only 19 players, we were trying to get to .500 and even earlier we were just trying to win a section game," Amos said.

Last season the Indians broke through, not only reaching the postseason but also winning 20 games and reaching the WPIAL semifinals and the PIAA quarterfinals.

The increasing win totals and elevated expectations can be traced to the reshaping of the youth organization eight years ago when Amos took the varsity job.

The group of seniors who helped end the playoff drought represented the first group to come through the West Allegheny soccer program. They started together when most were 8 years old.

By the time they finished, five of them were all-conference players, four were All-WPIAL players and West Allegheny boys' soccer was back on the map.

"It definitely starts when they are young," Amos said.

The program is at the point where Amos can carry a varsity roster of 30 to 35 players. His first season the team had 19.

Six players who saw significant game time last season return. Still, West Allegheny is one of the younger teams in Class AA with only one senior starter.

"We're really young but we have a pretty good core back," Amos said.

Part of that youth is freshman forward Zach Graziani and part of that "good core" is his older brother Tyler, a junior. The Indians will rely on the siblings for the majority of their goal scoring. Tyler Graziani led the team with 25 regular-season goals last season as a sophomore.

In the first scrimmage both got on the score sheet with Zach scoring a goal and his older brother picking up an assist.

"Tyler has really matured and grown," Amos said. "A lot was expected of him as a sophomore. He had a phenomenal camp and he is in top shape."

Two defensive leaders will be juniors, Joe Mort, a two-year starter, and Tom Forse, who also was a kicker on the football team last season. In the midfield sophomore Eric Jackson steps in for his older brother, Andy, an All-WPIAL player who graduated after last year. Junior Brandon McCracken is a two-year letter-winner who will also start in the midfield.

Junior goalkeeper David Kline has had a great preseason and he is back in net after missing games late last season with a dislocated little finger.

West Allegheny opens its season at 4 p.m. Saturday against Shady Side Academy in the Ambridge tournament.

West Allegheny has improved its record each of the past six seasons under Amos. That is no small feat and after a 20-3-1 season, another improvement would not just be another step but rather a leap for the resurgent program.

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