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SENIOR MAURA ROMANO SIGNS
WITH UMASS

On the National Letter of Intent signing day, NA senior Maura Romano signed to play soccer at Division I University of Massachusetts next year.  Romano was injured in the first game of the 2007 season and missed the entire season, but led the Lady Tigers in scoring during her junior year.  Romano will major in either sports nutrition or psychology at UMass.

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File Photos Courtesy of Steph Anderson and Maria Boada

SPENCE, MIDDLEMAN SELECTED TO PG ALL-SECTION TEAM

Senior midfielder Jourdan Spence and sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Middleman were chosen as members of the WPIAL Class AAA Section 2 All-Section team as named by the coaches and published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Spence and Middleman led NA to a playoff berth and victory in the first round.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOURDAN AND RACHEL!!!

WPIAL CLASS AAA
SECTION 2 ALL-SECTION TEAM

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LADY TIGERS FALL TO #2 SEED MT. LEBANON, 3-0,
IN FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS

After holding #2 seed Mt. Lebanon to just one goal in the first, the Lady Tigers saw Lebo add two more in the second half and go on to a 3-0 victory in the rain at Mt. Lebanon Stadium in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.  NA played tough against a very good opponent but could not score.

Mt. Lebanon controlled play for most of the first half but strong defensive pressure by the Lady Tigers held the Blue Devils to a single goal.  Lebo started with three straight shots with Jillian Kochanek shooting wide of the goal at the 1:58 mark.  Sami Kovarik drove an attempt wide less than a minute later while Sarah Sharbaugh's header went wide right of the goal at the 6:27 mark.  Lebo had two corner kicks that were sent over the NA goal.  At the 9:40 mark, NA sophomore Rachel Middleman had to go high to grab a shot by Sharbaugh.  Minutes later, Middleman had to cover a rebound to keep the game scoreless.  At the 13:15 mark, Kochanek shot wide of the NA goal.  The Lady Tigers countered with a cross going into the box where it was caught by Mt. Lebanon GK Lori Banky.  Sharbaugh came back with an attempt that went wide of the NA goal at the 17:26 mark.  Junior forward Alexis Smith had an opportunity thirty seconds later, but she slipped on the wet turf and the shot went wide left.  NA had another chance when junior forward Mollie Antimarino crossed the ball to senior Melanie Versaw who headed the ball toward the goal where it was caught by the Lebo keeper.  Lebo answered with two corner kicks but could not convert.  The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead when Julie Dumbaugh scored with 11:08 remaining.  Kovarik came back less than a minute later but shot over the net.  Jackie Molinda had her first shot with 5:53 left, but it went wide right of the net.  A little over a minute later, Middleman had to dive to cover a rolling ball before Kovarik could reach it.  With 3:32 left, senior Jourdan Spence drove a shot right to the Lebo keeper.  The Lady Tigers kept the ball in the box to the right of the Lebo goal but could not get a good scoring opportunity in the last minute of play.  The Blue Devils took a 1-0 advantage to the intermission.

Trailing by just one goal, the Lady Tigers came out strong and had a good offensive attack for the first ten minutes of the second half in an attempt to get the equalizer.  Sophomore Taylor Gapczynski had a chance early but sent a shot wide right of the goal.  At the 8:16 mark, sophomore defender Larissa Steeb sent a long indirect kick to Smith who was stopped by the Lebo defense.  Lebo came back with a chance at the 13:54 mark, but  Middleman and the NA defense were able to clear the ball and send it upfield.  Less than a minute later, Spence had another chance but shot wide to the right of the Lebo goal.  At the 18:20 mark, Molinda broke in from the left side and scored to give Lebo a 2-0 lead.  Less than a minute later, Kovarik hit the post with the NA defense clearing the rebound out of danger.  Five minutes later, NA broke out of the defensive zone with Antimarino sending a cross to freshman Halie Carter who could not catch up to the pass.  Thirty seconds later, Molinda broke through and scored again, her second of the half, to increase the Lebo lead to 3-0 with 15:21 remaining.  Down by three goals, Coach Chet Gapczynski pulled a defender and added a forward to try to get back into the game.  With 7:00 minutes remaining, Spence broke free toward the Mt. Lebanon goal but was called for offside.  With 4:15 left, Middleman was forced to make a diving save on Kovarik.  In the remaining time, neither team had a good scoring chance as Mt. Lebanon went on to the 3-0 victory.

It was a good effort by the Lady Tigers against a good Mt. Lebanon team.  With the loss, the Lady Tigers were eliminated from the playoffs and finished with an overall record of 9-10-2.  Congratulations to Coach Gapczynski and the Lady Tigers as they advanced to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

(Thanks to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report and for her reports throughout the season!)

GAME SUMMARY
MT. LEBANON - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

WPIAL CLASS AAA TOURNAMENT

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SECOND HALF GOALS LEAD LADY TIGERS OVER
KNOCH, 3-1, IN PLAYOFF OPENER

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Sophomore forward Kylie Fuller and senior midfielder Jourdan Spence scored in the second half to break a 1-1 tie and give NA a 3-1 victory over Knoch at Newman Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the WPIAL playoff opener.  Junior Dawn Murphy had given NA an early 1-0 lead in the first half before having to leave the game because of an injury.

Early in the first half, Knoch's leading scorer Amanda Sharbaugh had the first chance just 2:07 into the game but her shot from 15 yards was block by senior defender Kelsey Donegan.  A shot by the Knights Jillian Vogus from along the baseline a minute later was stopped by NA sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Middleman.  Less than two minutes later, the Lady Tigers earned a corner kick by the pass by Spence was caught by Knoch GK Storm Hajek.  The Tigers took the lead when junior Alexis Smith sent a cross to Murphy who drove it into the net at the 8:01 mark.  With the Tigers leading 1-0, the Knights had several opportunities to score the equalizer.  At the 9:23 mark, Vogus found Sharbaugh open but she missed the goal.  Four minutes later, Sharbaugh set up Vogus, but Middleman made an outstanding save to keep NA on top.  Two minutes later, sophomore forward Taylor Gapczynski sent junior forward Mollie Antimarino in on the Knoch goal but she was called offside.  A pass from Spence into the box was collected by the Knoch keeper at the 17:52 mark.  Sophomore defender Larissa Steeb made a good defensive play on Sharbaugh to prevent another scoring chance less than a minute later.  At the 19:14 mark, Murphy tried to go to senior Mel Versaw in the box but the pass was cleared.  In the next two minutes, the Lady Tigers were called for two offsides on possible scoring chances.  With 13:37 remaining, the Knights earned a corner kick but the NA defense cleared the attempt.  The Knights finally broke through when Sharbaugh came in all alone on a breakaway and beat Middleman with a low shot to the left corner.  The Knights had tied the game at 1-1 with 11:26 left in the half.  With 7:04 left, Sharbaugh had a direct kick from 19 yards but it went right to Middleman.  Sharbaugh sent a cross through the box with 2:17 left but the Knights could not make a play on the ball.  The half ended with the score tied at 1-1.

Early in the scond half, the Knights had several chances but could not score.  Junior Audrey Scott sent an attempt on one hop from long range that Middleman caught at the 4:;56 mark.  Less than a minute later, Vogus had a chance from the right side but Middleman again made the save.  At the 6:30 mark, Sharbaugh had another direct kick from 30 yards but it went right to the NA keeper.  The Lady Tigers took a 2-1 lead when Fuller drove a high ball from 35 yards on the right side, and the ball took a bounce over the Knoch keeper who could not play it and it bounced into the goal with 9:16 played in the half.  Knoch then made a furious effort to tie the game.  Vogus sent a shot in on one hope from 25 yards at the 10:28 mark.  Defender Casey Paul drove a shot from the right side that Middleman saved.  At the 18:30 mark, Brea Thrower drove a hard shot that Middleman stopped but could not cover with the ball hitting the left post.  The Lady Tigers cleared the rebound after Sharbaugh collided with Middleman after the initial save.  Less that three minutes later, Sharbaugh had a chance from 25 yards, but Middleman made a diving save to keep the ball out of the right corner.  Less than a minute later, Middleman was able to come out of the box and clear the ball away from a breaking Sharbaugh to keep NA in the lead.  With 13:59 remaining, the Tigers got an insurance tally when Spence headed in a rebound of a shot by Steeb.  The lead went to 3-1 with the goal seeming to slow the effort by Knoch.  The Lady Tigers turned up the defensive pressure with freshman Christina Boada, Donegan and Steeb continually turning away Knoch passing attempts.  With 3:11 left, Thrower sent a long shot from 35 yards that Middleman caught.  With 2:25 remaining, Thrower took a direct kick from 25 yards that was captured by the NA keeper.  A final attempt by Sharbaugh from 30 yards went wide right of the Tiger goal with 50 seconds remaining.  As time ran out, the Lady Tigers had defeated Knoch for the second consecutive year in the playoff opener as they won by a 3-1 count.

It was a good effort by the Lady Tiger in a physical contest.  Murphy was injured in the first half and did not return.  The NA defense and GK Middleman consistently denied the Knoch attack and never gave up the lead.   For her aggressive efforts offensively and her work in giving NA the early lead, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Alexis Smith as the Player of the Game.

With the win in the preliminary round, the Lady Tigers will travel to Mt. Lebanon on Tuesday night to meet the #2 seed Blue Devils.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  KNOCH - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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NA, SPRINGDALE BATTLE TO 0-0 TIE

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Lady Tigers and Springdale battled to a non-section scoreless tie at Newman Stadium on Tuesday night.  Both teams had scoring chances but could not finish as the regular season ended.  Both teams have qualified for the playoffs in their respective divisions and will begin play later in the week or early next week.  Sprindale entered the game as the #3 ranked team in Class AA by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Springdale started quickly and had the first two scoring chances.  Ally Overly sent a hard shot from 35 yards that NA sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Middleman caught on the fly just 1:20 into the game.  The Tiger defense was able to clear a Dynamo corner kick less than aminute later.  At the 4:12 mark, Middleman had to come out to play a ball in front of a breaking Brittany Loveland.  NA came back two minutes later but a pass to junior forward Mollie Antimarino was too long.  At the 11:38 mark, sophomore forward Kylie Fuller set up Antimarino from the right side, but her attempt went high and wide to the right of the Dynamo goal.  After a collision with Alexa Sarsfield, Middleman was able to clear the ball at the 15:15 mark.  Less than two minutes later, Antimarino sent a short pass to senior Melanie Versaw but her shot went right to Springdale GK Kim Bentley.  A little over a minute later, a good defensive play by freshman Christina Boada cleared the ball out of the box.  NA came back at the 19:54 mark and almost scored but Bentley made a diving stop on a Versaw shot.  Five minutes later, Brittany Loveland had a series of three chances to try to give the Dynamos the lead.  An shot from 15 yards went right to Middleman with 16:20 remaining.  Loveland had a better chance with 11:34 left, but Middleman made a diving save to keep the game scoreless.  A third shot came from the left side when Loveland broke free, but Middleman again made the save with 9:23 left.  Versaw came back for NA less than a minute later, but her attempt went high and wide.  With 8:16 left, Antimarino broke in on the right side, but a good defensive effort forced her to shoot wide.    Loveland had two more chances but was unable to score.  The Dynamos did put the ball in the goal with 15 seconds remaining but were called for offsides.  The teams went to the intermission with a scoreless tie.

With rain falling early in the second half, sophomore defender Larissa Steeb rolled a shot in from the left side that was stopped by Bentley.  A direct kick by Mara Gilmartin of the Dynamos was cleared at the 8:24 mark.  Neither team had good scoring chances in the first fourteen minutes.  Springdale almost broke through at the 14:46 mark when Loveland crossed the ball to a breaking Julie Bentley.  After Middleman made a good save on the initial shot, sophomore Chelsea Henderson cleared the rebound.  Gilmartin had another chance two minutes later but shot wide from 30 yards away.  Just past the midway point, Cayley Perrett broke free on the right side, but her shot went over the net from 20 yards out.  A cross by junior Alexis Smith was cleared with 17:36 on the second half clock.  The physical play picked up with NA getting a yellow card with fifteen minutes left.  With 12:25 remaining, a pass by junior Dawn Murphy to Smith resulted in another NA attempt that was caught by Kim Bentley.  With 3:05 remaining, Ally Overly drove a long shot that bounced to Middleman.  The Dynamos had one last chance, but a shot by Loveland went over the goal with 42 seconds left.  The teams went to overtime still scoreless.

In the first overtime period, Middleman had to come out to beat Loveland to the ball early in the period at the 1:53 mark.  Less than a minute later, Smith shot along the goal line but hit the side of the net.  NA earned a corner kick with 5:07 remaining but the Dynamos were able to clear the attempt.  With 4:25 left, Fuller sent a shot wide of the Springdale goal.  NA had one last chance when senior Jourdan Spence set up Versaw for a one-timer that was caught by Bentley.  The first OT ended with the game still scoreless.

Neither team had good scoring chances in the second overtime period.  Antimarino set a cross into the box with 6:54 left, but Bentley was able to make the catch.  Later in the period, Ally Overly had a direct kick from 41 yards that was blocked by the NA defense and cleared by Boada.  Time ran out as both teams settled for the scoreless tie.

It was another good defensive effort by the Lady Tigers against a good Class AA team.  Corner kicks ended up 2-1 in favor of the Dynamos.  For her efforts on the defensive end, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior defender Kelsey Donegan as the Player of the Game.

With the tie, the final overall NA record finished at 8-9-3.  With their third place finish, the Lady Tigers have qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.  The WPIAL pairings meeting will be held tonight and may be heard LIVE on the internet on the MSA Sports Network beginning at 6:30 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0  SPRINGDALE - 0

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LADY TIGERS EDGE PENN HILLS, 2-1

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Lady Tigers prepared for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs with a 2-1 victory over Penn Hills at Newman Stadium on Monday night.  On Senior night, seniors Melanie Versaw and Jourdan Spence scored the NA goals as Penn Hills scored a late goal to make it close.

After Penn Hills got off the initial shot just 52 seconds into the contest, the Lady Tigers came back with offensive pressure early.  Spence drove a long attempt that was caught by PH goalkeeper Jackie Gribben at the 3:03 mark.  The pressure paid off when Versaw took a pass from senior Katie Mahoney and drove it into the net from eight yards away at the 4:32 mark to give NA a 1-0 advantage.  Senior defender Kelsey Donegan sent a long attempt that Gribben captured on one hop less than a minute later.  Sophomore forward Taylor Gapczynski followed with a drive over the goal at the 10:22 mark.  Penn Hills came back, however, with some good scoring chances by Amanda Bunton.  The Penn Hills junior sent a hard shot from 30 yards that sophomore GK Rachel Middleman had to bat away at the 11:11 mark.  Less than two minutes later, Bunton drove a  hard shot that Middleman caught on a hop.  Midway through the half, it was Bunton again.  After her initial attempt was blocked by the NA defense, Bunton followed with a shot that hit the side of the NA net.  With 16:53 remaining, Mahoney took a pass from Spence, but her shot from the right side went high and wide of the goal.  A minute later, Gapczynski sent a high ball off a direct kick that was headed just wide of the net.  At the 14:17 mark, Rachel Loya drove a shot over the NA goal.  Bunton then broke in on the right side, but her shot was partially blocked by senior defender Brittany Antonucci and caught by Middleman with 13:23 remaining.  Sarah Brown had a good chance from 20 yards, but Middleman was able to tip the ball over the crossbar.  With 4:30 remaining, Spence sent a rebound toward the PH goal that Gribben was able to catch.  Neither team had a good scoring chance in the remaining time as NA took a 1-0 lead at halftime.  Each team had two corner kicks in the half.

Early in the second half, the Lady Tiger came close when Mahoney sent a pass from Versaw just wide from 15 yards away just 2:58 into the half.  Less than two minutes later, Middleman had to make another good save on a shot by Brown.  At the six minute mark, Spence lifted a high shot from just outside the box on the right side that sailed over the head of the Penn Hills keeper into the goal as NA took a 2-0 lead.  The goal seemed to energize Penn Hills as they controlled play over the next ten minutes of play.  Bunton crossed the ball to Carly Restano at the 7:28 mark, but her shot went high and to the right of the NA goal.  Less than a minute later, Brown's header from 15 yards was stopped by Middleman.  After a Penn Hills corner kick at the 9:45 mark, Restano put the rebound over the goal.  At the 11:35 mark, it was Brown again shooting high and to the left of the NA net.  Bunton stole the ball and got off a good shot a little over a minute later, but Middleman was able to make the save.  The Tigers countered, however, at the 17:22 mark with a corner kick that was cleared by the PH defense.  With 18:55 remaining, a through ball from Spence was just too far for a breaking Mahoney.  Restano came back with 14:00 remaining to sent a shot wide from the 18.  With 10:05 left, Middleman had to make a diving save on a shot by Chloe Weiss after the ball bounced around in the box.  Rachel Loya had a chance from 25 yards out with 6:30 left, but once again Middleman was there to make the save.  Less than a minute later, Eric Pitacciato sent a corner kick toward the NA goal, but Middleman came out to catch the attempt.  With 2:04 left, Bunton was able to send a long attempt from 30 yards over the head of Middleman and into the goal to cut the NA lead to 2-1.  In the remaining time, the Lady Tigers were able to control the ball with junior Dawn Murphy breaking up several Penn Hills attempts and run out the clock as NA finished the 2-1 victory.

It was a good win for the Lady Tigers on Senior Night.  Coach Chet Gapczynski was able to play a number of players as NA began preparations for the playoffs.  For her efforts at midfield and for scoring what proved to be the game winner, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior Jourdan Spence as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 8-9-1.  NA advanced to the WPIAL playoffs after finishing in a three-way tie for third place in Section 2.  After each team earned 16 points (3 for a win, one for a tie), the tiebreaker went to head-to-head competition among the tied teams.  NA had a 2-1-1 record, Fox Chapel a 1-1-2 record and Shaler an 0-1-3 mark giving the Lady Tigers the third place spot.  NA will host Springdale tonight in the regular season finale.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.  NATV will also tape the game for showing at a later date.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  PENN HILLS - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS TOP NORTH HILLS, 2-0,
AS SECTION PLAY ENDS

The Lady Tigers downed rival North Hills, 2-0, at Newman Stadium on Thursday night in the regular season finale.  Junior Mollie Antimarino and senior Mel Versaw scored the NA goals.

The Lady Tigers started the game with a new formation with three defenders in the back - sophomore Larissa Steeb, freshman Christina Boada and senior Kelsey Donegan.  NA started strong with some good scoring chances early.  Antimarino had an opportunity at the 2:10 mark that resulted in a corner kick by sophomore Taylor Gapczynski that was cleared by the NH defenders.  Two minutes later, Steeb send an indirect kick to junior Dawn Murphy who sent it over the Indian goal.  Twenty seconds later, senior Jourdan Spence drove a shot from 25 yards out that was bobbled by NH goalkeeper Katie Muller, but she was able to cover it.  At the 9:42 mark, Murphy set up Antimarino who slid on the wet turf with both the ball and Mollie going over the goal line.  Less than a minute later, NH's Kasey Arena had a chance but shot wide of the net.  After NA had the ball in the box without a shot at the 12:00 minute mark, the Indians had the next three shots, including a corner.  After two attempts were cleared by the NA defense, sophomore GK Rachel Middleman stopped the third.  Four minutes later, Steeb drove a long shot that went over the NH defenders and almost over the head of Muller who made the save.  Thirty seconds later, junior forward Alexis Smith shot just wide left of the NH goal.  At the midway point of the half, a passing play from Smith to Antimarino who set up Versaw failed when the shot went wide of the net.  After Middleman caught an NH shot in the air, the Tigers had another scoring chance.  Antimarino crossed the ball to sophomore Kylie Fuller in front of the NH goal, but her attempt went wide right.  With 11:47 remaining in the half, Antimarino sent another cross to Murphy who could not score.  The NA pressure finally paid off with 10:25 remaining in the half when Versaw set up Antimarino who buried the ball into the Indian net as the Lady Tigers took a 1-0 lead.  With nine minutes remaining, Murphy drove a hard shot off the post with the rebound going to Antimarino who was unable to score.  Three minutes later, Spence had a pair of chances but missed the net on both attempts.  With 2:30 left in the half, Fuller took a pass from senior Brittany Antonucci but the attempt went over the goal.  With 40 seconds remaining, the Lady Tigers had one last attempt when Spence's corner kick was kicked high in the air and over the goal by Steeb.  The Lady Tigers took the 1-0 advantage to the intermission.

Early in the second half, the Lady Tigers were at it again.  At the 5:00 minute mark, Steeb sent a long ball down the sideline to Smith who drove it straight to the NH keeper.  Three minutes later, a cross by Smith went past the NH goal where Antimarino just missed catching up to it.  Just over two minutes later, Antimarino sent a cross to senior Chrissie Marshall, but Muller was able to grab the bouncing ball out of the air.  North Hills came back at the 13:29 mark when a shot by Elyssa Bowen went into the side of the NA net.  Just over a minute later, Gapczynski took advantage of a slip by a NH defender on the wet turf to drive a shot that was stopped by the NH keeper.  Fifteen seconds later, Muller had to make a diving save on Antimarino to keep the deficit to just one.  North Hills came back to register three shots midway through the half as they tried for the equalizer.  At the 19:35 mark, Middleman punched out an Indian attempt with the rebound going over the goal.  Less than a minute later, the NA keeper had to go high to pull another Indian shot out of the air.  At the 22:03 mark, Versaw was able to drive through several NH defenders and beat Muller for the second NA goal.  After a NH shot was stopped by Middleman, the Lady Tigers had another chance at with 9:30 remaining.  Fuller stole the ball and sent a through ball to Versaw who was called offside on the play.  With 7:13 left in the game, Versaw had another chance but her shot went wide right.  Minutes later, North Hills had several chances to cut into the 2-0 NA lead.  Bowen sent in a corner kick that was cleared by the NA defense with the rebound stopped by Middleman.  With 55 seconds remaining, Steeb sent a corner kick that was headed toward the NH goal and cleared over the goal line giving NA another corner.  The second corner kick was cleared by the North Hills defense as  the game ended.  The Lady Tigers successfully completed the section season with a 2-0 victory.

With the win, the Lady Tigers finished the section with a record of 5-6-1.  NA can still make the playoffs if the Saturday game between Fox Chapel and Shaler ends in a tie.  The Lady Tigers will host Penn Hills on Monday night on Senior Recognition night.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

JV UPDATE:  The Junior Varsity defeated North Hills, 1-0, with Brienne Schuliger scoring the game's only goal.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  NORTH HILLS - 0

  INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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FOX CHAPEL DOWNS LADY TIGERS,
 2-0, IN KEY SECTION CONTEST

The Fox Chapel Foxes scored twice in the first half and went on to a 2-0 victory over the Lady Tigers at Fox Chapel on Wednesday night.  NA had opportunities but could not score against the FC defense and freshman GK Rebekah Schoenecker.

With the Lady Tigers going with some lineup changes by Coach Chet Gapczynski, both teams had early chances.  Just 2:30 into the game, NA sophomore GK Rachel Middleman stopped a shot by Morgan Masci.  Senior MF Jourdan Spence came back to send a hot over the FC goal.  The Foxes then pressured the Tigers and recorded the next five shots.  At the 12:37 mark, Kelsey Russo drove a shot over the NA net.  After another FC shot went right to Middleman, junior Dawn Murphy, playing defense, headed away a Fox Chapel corner at the 14:49 mark.  The Foxes took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Russo with 18:24 remaining in the half.  Less than a minute later, Russo had a breakaway down the right side but her shot missed the net.  The Lady Tigers came back to threaten two minutes later, but junior Kelly Gilmour's attempt went right to Schoenecker.  With 12:07 remaining in the half, the Foxes scored again.  Jenny Turnbull sent a direct kick to Masci who drove the ball into the net as Fox Chapel took a 2-0 lead.  NA came back with the final three attempts of the half.  Sophomore Kylie Fuller sent a shot wide right of the net at the 28:44 mark.  Junior forward Alexis Smith had two opportunities, the first with 10:41 left when her cross went right to the Fox Chapel goalkeeper.  Smith had another chance when her attempt at the end of the half rolled to Schoenecker.  The Foxes took a 2-0 advantage to the intermission.

The early part of the second half belonged to the Foxes.  Russo's shot at the 2:30 mark was stopped by Middleman.  Later in the half at the 11:40 mark, Russo sent a cross to Jourdan Gottlieb but her attempt was grabbed by the NA keeper.  Midway through the half, Kate Roberts sent a shot across the box that missed the goal.  The Lady Tigers came back with some offensive pressure that resulted in a pair of corner kicks.  Spence took the first corner but sent the ball over the FC net.  On a short corner, sophomore Taylor Gapczynski was unable to score with 12:02 remaining in the game.  Less than two minutes later, Gapczynski sent a direct kick over the Fox Chapel goal.  The Foxes came back with a good scoring opportunity with 9:30 remaining.  After Middleman stopped a shot by Amanda Jacobson, junior captain Lily Feldman drove the rebound over the NA goal.  The Foxes kept up the pressure missing on another shot that went wide of the net with 8:54 left.  Two corner kicks by Turnbull in the next two minutes were cleared by the NA defense.  With 4:31 remaining, Roberts had a breakaway but missed the net.  Another corner with 3:40 remaining was cleared by the Tiger defense.  With 2:18 left, the Lady Tigers broke in on the FC goal but were called for offside.  Gapczynski had one last opportunity with just 1:20 remaining but her direct kick went over the FC net.  The Foxes held on for the 2-0 victory.  Fox Chapel finished with 16 shots while NA had nine.

The loss dropped the NA section record to 4-6-1 and into fifth place in the section standings.  NA still has a chance at a playoff spot but need help.  NA needs a tie in the Fox Chapel/Shaler game on Saturday night plus an NA win against North Hills.  The Lady Tigers will host North Hills tonight in the section finale with the game time set for 7:30 pm.

JV UPDATE:  The JV game between NA and Fox Chapel ended in a 1-1 tie.

(Thanks to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
FOX CHAPEL - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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FIRST HALF GOAL GIVES BUTLER A
1-0 VICTORY OVER LADY TIGERS

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Butler's Alex DiMartino scored with 8:06 remaining in the first half and the Tornado held off the Lady Tigers for the remainder of the game to take a 1-0 victory at Newman Stadium on Monday night.  NA had opportunities but could not score as the Lady Tiger defense kept the game close.

The Lady Tigers had an early chance when junior forward Alexis Smith sent a shot wide of the goal just 57 seconds into the game.  Butler then began to apply pressure and had several scoring opportunities.  Di Matteo missed on a header at the 4:29 mark.  Ashley Oluschak drove a hard shot wide left from 30 yards out at the 8:04 mark.  Less than a minute later, NA sophomore Taylor Gapczynski sent a hard shot from 25 yards away wide of the goal.  The Tornado earned a corner kick three minutes later, but the NA defense was able to clear the ball.  NA sophomore GK Rachel Middleman had to grab a high shot out of the air just 14 seconds later.  Butler's Becca Crissman missed on a long attempt from 30 yards at the 15:15 mark.  The Lady Tigers had a chance when senior MF Mel Versaw had a chance to catch up with a long through ball, but Butler GK Chelsea Rice was able to fall on the ball first.  Butler had several more chances in the next five minutes.  Crissman sent a shot wide left from the right side, a cross to DiMartino was headed wide, and a long attempt by Oluschak also went wide with 14:11 remaining in the half.  NA rallied in the later stages of the half.  On a corner kick, Gapczynski had a chance, but the Lady Tigers were offside.  Sophomore Kylie Fuller sent a hard shot from 20 yards that Rice had to stop with 10:40 left in the half.  Junior MF Dawn Murphy then lifted a high shot from the right side that hit the left post with Butler able to clear the rebound.  Less than a minute later, senior MF Jourdan Spence drove a shot from 20 yards that Rice caught in the air.  With 8:06 left in the half, DiMartino was able to lift a hard shot over Middleman into the upper right hand corner of the net to give Butler a 1-0 lead.  Butler followed with a shot by Samantha Rossi from 20 yards that Middleman caught.  With 6:10 remaining, Middleman made a diving save of a shot by Chelsea Rock to keep the deficit at one.  With 1:48 remaining, Crissman's attempt was again caught by Middleman.  With 17 seconds remaining, Smith sent a shot wide as the half ended with Butler holding a 1-0 advantage.

After Smith had an early chance that was blocked in the box by the Butler defenders, the Tornado again turned up the defensive pressure.  Middleman had to bat away a shot just 2:30 into the half.  Butler freshman forward Christina Maticic followed with two attempts from the left side, both wide of the NA goal.  The Lady Tigers came back when Smith sent a pass through to a breaking Mollie Antimarino who shot over the goal at the 11:30 mark.  Less than a minute later, Middleman was forced to make another diving stop of a Maticic shot to keep NA within one.  After a Butler corner kick was cleared by the NA defense, Fuller came back with an attempt that was stopped by Rice at the 15:15 mark.  Just past the midway point of the half, Fuller had another chance and sent it wide left from 15 yards.  After Maticic left with an injury with 18:53 remaining, Butler had two good chances.  Oluschuk set up Rock but her shot went wide from ten yards away.  With 16:48 left, Chrisman drove a hard attempt wide left of the NA goal.  With 13:01 remaining, Fuller intercepted a clearing pass but her shot went wide left from 20 yards away.  Less than two minutes later, Fuller had another chance but sent it over the Butler goal.  With 6:55 remaining, Gapczynski drove a hard shot from the left side but missed the goal.  The Lady Tigers continued to pressure the Tornado to try for the equalizer and had two more chances.  With 3:28 remaining, Smith sent a shot in from the left side from 15 yards but Rice made the save.  Finally, a pass from Gapczynski set up Murphy for a header but it also went wide.  Butler was able to hold on for a 1-0 victory.

It was a good effort by the Lady Tigers but they were unable to finish on some good chances.  The NA defense again played tough led by sophomore Larissa Steeb, freshman Christina Boada, and senior Kelsey Donegan.  For her efforts in the NA goal, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Rachel Middleman as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 4-5-1 as the Lady Tigers remained in a third place tie with Shaler and Fox Chapel.  NA will travel to Fox Chapel tomorrow night for a key Section 2 contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
BUTLER - 1  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LADY TIGERS DOWN DEER LAKES, 4-1

Photo Gallery

Sophomore forward Kylie Fuller scored a pair of goals and added an assist as the Lady Tigers defeated Deer Lakes, 4-1, in a non-section contest at Deer Lakes on Thursday night.  The Lancers are coached by former NA assistant coach Rich Stover.  Senior Melanie Versaw and junior Alexis Smith also scored for NA with junior Mollie Antimarino recording two assists.

The Lady Tigers got on the board first at the 4:58 mark on a nice passing play.  Antimarino passed to junior MF Dawn Murphy who sent it to Versaw who drilled the ball into the net to give NA a 1-0 advantage.  Sophomore GK Rachel Middleman was forced to make a save on a high attempt 10:00 into the game.  Six minutes later, sophomore Larissa Steeb drove a hard shot from 45 yards that just went over the Lancer net.  Deer Lakes answered with an attempt that went right to Middleman at the 18:00 minute mark.  Fuller had a chance two minutes later, but her shot went wide to the right of the goal.  After Middleman made another save with 17:49 remaining, sophomore Chelsea Henderson had an opportunity but missed the net.  The Lancers came back with another chance two minutes later, but Middleman again made the stop.  With 10:45 left in the half, Antimarino sent a shot in from the right corner but it was caught by the DL keeper.  The Lady Tigers finally scored again when Fuller took a pass from Antimarino and drove it into the net to make it a 2-0 game with seven minutes remaining until halftime.  Freshman Danielle Dorazio had another chance two minutes later, but her shot went right to the keeper.  Middleman made the final save of the half with seven seconds left as the Lady Tigers took a 2-0 advantage to the intermission.

Coach Chet Gapczynski started the second half with many seniors and JV players on the field for NA.  Just 32 seconds into the half, the Lancers had a chance but Middleman was there again.  After another save by the NA keeper at the 2:40 mark, Sarah Katich put the Lancers on the board at the 8:21 mark to cut the NA lead to 2-1.  The Lancers had the next three shots but could not score.  Four minutes later, Dorazio sent a header toward the net but it was caught by the DL keeper.  At the 14:10 mark, sophomore Annie McCarthy drove a shot wide of the Lancer net.  A little over two minutes later, the NA defense headed the ball away from the goal to maintain the one-goal lead.  Midway through the half, the NA starters returned to the field.  With 15:01 left, Fuller took the ball through several DL defenders to score her second of the game and increase the NA lead to 3-1.  The Lady Tigers added another goal when Fuller crossed the ball to Smith who scored with 8:03 left to extend the margin to 4-1.  A final shot by the Lancers with six minutes remaining was stopped by freshman GK Leanna Noel.  Time ran out as the Lady Tigers picked up a 4-1 victory.

With the win, NA improved their non-section record to 6-7-2.  The Lady Tigers will host Butler on Monday night in a key section contest.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

(Thanks to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  DEER LAKES - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

PINE-RICHLAND EDGES LADY TIGERS WITH LATE GOAL

The Pine-Richland Rams scored early and late as they defeated the Lady Tigers, 2-1, at Pine-Richland Stadium on Wednesday night.  Junior Mollie Antimarino scored for NA to tie the game early in the first half.  The Lady Tigers played another tough defensive game against the defending WPIAL and PIAA champions but came up just a goal short.

Both teams came out ready to play and scored in the early part of the first half.  The Rams were able to take a 1-0 lead on a header just 1:10 into the contest.  The Lady Tigers came back when junior Alexis Smith shot just wide of the Ram goal at the 4:45 mark.  A little over two minutes later, NA got the equalizer when Smith sent a cross to Antimarino who put it into the net to tie the game at 1-1.  The Rams tried to retake the lead with a pair of shots over the next several minutes, but the attempts went wide.  At the 19:35 mark, a Ram shot hit the post twice along with a Ram player before the NA defense could clear the ball.  With 14:55 remaining, another P-R shot went wide of the NA goal.  Less than a minute later, NA sophomore GK Rachel Middleman made a tough save to keep the game tied.  The Lady Tigers had a chance with 13:26 on the first half clock, but sophomore forward Taylor Gapczynski's shot went over the goal.  Middleman was forced to make two more saves over the next several minutes.  Gapczynksi came back again with another opportunity with 7:05 remaining in the half, but her attempt rolled right to Pine-Richland GK Christie Kimball.  After Middleman made another save, the Lady Tigers had one last chance, but Antimarino's shot was stopped by Kimball.  The teams went to the intermission tied at 1-1. 

Early in the second, NA junior midfielder Dawn Murphy had a chance but the shot again went right to the Ram keeper.  The NA defense was able to keep the ball in the center of the field for the next ten minutes.  At the 10:46 mark, the Rams sent another shot in that Middleman was forced to stop.  Less than a minute later, Antimarino had a great chance, but her hard shot was batted away by Kimball.  At the 15:40 mark, Smith sent a high shot toward the Ram goal that Kimball had to pull out of the air.  Pine-Richland had the next four shots, but the NA defense and Middleman were able to keep the game tied..  With 13:20 remaining, sophomore Savanna Kelly set up senior Chrissie Marshall with a good scoring chance, but Kimball made the save.  The ball rolled over the goal line, however, for an NA corner kick.  On the corner, Murphy headed the ball toward the goal, but the Ram defense was there to clear the attempt.  With 11:21 left in the game, the Rams were given an indirect kick inside the NA penalty area.  On the attempt, Middleman was able to clear the ball.  The Rams finally broke through with 9:47 left when Mallory Miller scored to put Pine-Richland ahead, 2-1.  The Rams followed with two more attempts but shot wide of the net.  At this point, NA Coach Chet Gapczynski pulled a defender and added a forward to try to tie the score.  The Lady Tigers put pressure on the Ram goal for the remainder of the game but could not score.  Antimarino had an opportunity with 7:18 remaining, but Kimball was there to make the save.  With 3:17 remaining, following a flurry of activity in front of the Ram goal, senior Jourdan Spence drove a hard shot that went over the goal.  The Tigers had another scoring attempt as time ran out, but the Rams held on for the 2-1 victory.

With the loss, the NA section record dropped to 4-4-1.  The Lady Tigers are still in a third place tie with Shaler as the Titans were defeated by Seneca Valley on Wednesday night.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Deer Lakes to meet the Lancers in a 6:00 pm non-section contest tonight.  There will be no JV game.

JV UPDATE:  The Junior Varsity team defeated Pine-Richland, 1-0.  Gina Donch scored the NA goal.

(Thanks again to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
PINE-RICHLAND - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LADY  TIGERS UPSET SECTION LEADER
SENECA VALLEY, 2-1

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Avenging an earlier 5-0 loss, the Lady Tigers defeated Seneca Valley, 2-1, at Newman Stadium on Monday night.  Juniors Alexis Smith and Dawn Murphy scored for NA with the Tiger defense and sophomore GK Rachel Middleman keeping the Raiders off the board until the final minute.  The win was the fourth straight section victory for NA.

The Lady Tigers showed signs from the outset of the game that they were ready to play.  NA dominated play in the early going and got the first real scoring opportunity.  Just 2:05 into the contest, junior forward Molly Antimarino beat the SV defender and sent a hard cross that was stopped by freshman GK Keara Lydon on a diving catch.  The Raiders answered with a long attempt by Aleisha Rees that went wide at the 4:20 mark.  Rees sent another shot wide from 35 yards out and Kate Kelly also drove an attempt wide from long range.  Middleman was forced to make a diving save on Brianna Meurer to keep the game scoreless at the 8:50 mark.  After Lauren Royal sent another long shot to Middleman on a hop, the Lady Tigers answered.  Antimarino set up Murphy in front of the goal but her shot went right to Lydon.  Kelly came back to bounce an attempt to Middleman who made an easy save with 22:40 remaining.  Sophomore defender Larissa Steeb stopped another Raider scoring attempt when she was able to catch up and block and 2-on-1 SV breakaway.  Barbie Rohm gave Seneca another chance when she crossed the ball to Karisa Fernandez but her attempt when over the goal midway through the half.  The Raiders continued to pressure the NA goal and earned a pair of corner kicks that were cleared by the Tiger defense.  Kelly had a great chance with 15:10 remaining in the half but her shot just went wide of the NA goal.  Freshman defender Christina Boada broke up another long passing play just a minute later.  With 12:43 left in the first half, Middleman came out and fell on a loose ball in the box.   A minute later, NA freshman Halie Carter broke in from the right side after taking a pass from senior MF Mel Versaw, but Lydon made a tough save to keep the game scoreless.  With 2:24 remaining, the Raiders hit the crossbar and Middleman came down with the rebound.  The Raiders bumped the NA goalie knocking the ball loose where Mandy Cerminara put it in the goal.  The goal was disallowed because of the interference with the goalkeeper.  Time ran out with no further scoring opportunities as the teams went to the intermission with a scoreless tie.

Early in the second half, the Raiders forced a corner kick just 30 seconds into the period.  Steeb was able to clear the cross, and then made three good defensive plays against the Raiders over the next several minutes.  The Lady Tigers answered with their own scoring chances.  Antimarino again forced Lydon to make a diving stop of a cross at the 3:37 mark, and Murphy's attempt from 25 yards was blocked by Lydon with another diving save.  Rohm countered for the Raiders with an attempt from 25 yards but her shot was wide.  Two minutes later, Boada was forced to make another defensive play when she took the ball away in the box and cleared it for the Tigers.  With 9:51 left, Smith won the ball on the left side in the Seneca end and sent a high shot into the upper right hand corner to give NA a 1-0 advantage.  It was Smith's second goal in three games.  Kelly came back a minute later with a good attempt from 15 yards away but sent it over the goal.  Rohm continued to send balls in from long range but Middleman made the save at the 12:10 mark to keep NA in the lead.  Senior Jourdan Spence had a chance a minute later from 35 yards but Lydon made the save.  With 21:41 remaining, the Raiders had a great opportunity with a direct kick just outside the box, but the Tiger wall blocked the initial shot and the rebound was sent over the goal.  Less than a minute later, Middleman had to make a diving save on Royal to keep the one-goal advantage.  With 14:52 left, the Tigers increased the lead to 2-0.  Spence sent a perfect pass to Murphy who was open on the right side, and the NA junior made no mistake as she blasted it into the open left hand corner of the goal.  The Raiders kept coming and had three good scoring chances in the last ten minutes.  Corissa Culichia drove a rebound wide right around the 10:00 mark, Royal sent a header wide a minute later, and Fernadez lifted a shot high and wide to the right with 2:15 on the clock.  Kelly finally broke through the NA defense and scored with 35 seconds left, but the NA defense held off the Raiders in the remaining time to take home the hard-earned 2-1 victory.

It was a good victory for the Lady Tigers who played a determined defensive game throughout the evening.  Strong play in the back by Boada, Steeb and senior Kelsey Donegan kept the Raiders off balance for most of the game.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Dawn Murphy as the Player of the Game.

With the win, NA improved their section record to 4-3-1 and moved them into third place with Shaler for the third and final playoff spot.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Pine-Richland tomorrow night to meet the Rams in a 7:30 pm section contest. 

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  SENECA VALLEY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LADY TIGERS PLAY #7 BETHEL PARK TOUGH BUT
LOSE IN OVERTIME, 1-0

The Lady Tigers gave the #7 ranked Bethel Park Blackhawks all they could handle on Saturday night, but lost a 1-0 decision in overtime.  NA had chances but could not finish against Bethel who improved their overall record to 10-2-1 with the win.

In the first half, NA came out strong with three shots in the first five minutes.  At 0:40, a corner kick by sophomore Taylor Gapczynski was caught by Bethel GK Krista Pantages.  Less than a minute later, Gapczynski's attempt went wide to the right of the goal.  At the 2:52 mark, junior Molly Antimarino sent another shot just wide right of the net.  Bethel Park answered with the next six shots sending attempts over the net, wide of the goal or to NA sophomore keeper Rachel Middleman.  Thanks to the NA defense and GK, the Blackhawks were unable to take the lead.  At 24:24, Gapcyznski again had an opportunity but shot wide.  The NA defense slowed a breakaway attempt by the Blackhawks allowing just a weak shot that Middleman stopped.  With 10:05 remaining in the half, Middleman made a great save to keep the game scoreless.  Senior Mel Versaw gave that Tigers another chance when she took a pass from senior Jourdan Spence and sent toward the goal where Pantages made the save.  Bethel had two additional first half shots that missed the net.  The teams went to the intermission with a scoreless tie.

In the second half, the Lady Tigers got an early chance on a corner kick by Spence at the 2:20 mark that was finally cleared by BP.  A little over a minute later, a shot by Bethel went right to Middleman who made the save.  At the 8:00 mark, the Blackhawks hit the crossbar resulting in a corner kick that was cleared by the NA defense.  Sophomore Kylie Fuller had a chance at the 11:48 mark but her shot was stopped by the BP keeper.  Two minutes later, junior forward Alexis Smith sent a hard shot wide of the net.  At the 14:00 minute mark, the Lady Tigers scored an apparent goal on a corner kick, but NA was called for offsides.  Bethel answered with three straight shots, all stopped by Middleman.  With 12:24 remaining, Gapczynski again sent a shot wide.  With 9:30 remaining, Spence sent an attempt toward the BP goal that Pantages stopped.  The Blackhawks mounted pressure in the waning minutes getting off three shots with Middleman having to make a  good save with 1:24 left.  After Spence sent an attempt over the BP goal with 38 seconds remaining, neither team threatened and the game went to extra time.

In the overtime, Fuller had the first chance but shot wide right of the net.  After the Blackhawks drove an attempt that Middleman stopped, senior Chrissie Marshall came close to ending the game but her shot was stopped.  At the 5:48 mark, the Blackhawks were able to find the net and end the contest with a 1-0 victory.  It was a tough loss by the Lady Tigers against a good Bethel Park team.

With the loss, the overall NA record fell to 4-6-2.  The Lady Tigers will host Seneca Valley tonight at Newman Stadium in a section contest.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

(Thanks to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
BETHEL PARK - 1  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SMITH'S GOAL GIVES LADY TIGERS BIG SECTION VICTORY OVER SHALER, 1-0

Photo Gallery

An early goal by junior Alexis Smith was all the Lady Tigers needed to defeat Shaler, 1-0, on Thursday night at the Shaler soccer field.  The NA defense and sophomore GK Rachel Middleman held off the Titans for the remainder of the contest as the Lady Tigers moved back into playoff contention.

The Lady Tigers struck quickly to take the 1-0 lead.  Junior Molly Antimarino took the ball down the sideline to the corner and crossed it to Smith who was able to beat Shaler GK Alicia Tutino just 5:14 into the game.  At the 14:42 mark, NA put together another scoring attempt when sophomore Taylor Gapczynski sent a pass to sophomore Kylie Fuller who set up sophomore Savanna Kelly for a shot that was stopped by Tutino.  Less than a minute later, the Antimarino/Smith combo almost scored again, but Smith hit the crossbar with Gapczynski's rebound attempt going right to the Shaler keeper.  Senior Jourdan Spence had a chance at the 25:57 mark but her shot was stopped by Tutino.  Shaler had an opportunity to equalize with ten minutes remaining in the half when Stephanie Miller crossed a ball to Erin Fitzpatrick with Middleman having to make a tough save to keep the NA lead at 1-0.  Another NA combination came close to scoring again with 5:45 left in the half.  Senior Kelsey Donegan took the ball up the right side, passed it to Antimarino who bounced it off a Shaler defender back to Donegan for a shot that Tutino was able to stop.  With less than three minutes remaining, Spence made a nice run through the middle but her attempt was also stopped by the Shaler keeper.  The Lady Tigers took a 1-0 advantage to the intermission.

Neither team could mount much offense in the early going of the second half.  Shaler did get off a shot at the 9:50 mark, but Middleman made the save.  Four minutes later, senior Mel Versaw took a cross from Smith, but again Tutino was able to make the stop.  Shaler's Bridget Smalstig had a chance at the 17:10 mark, but sophomore defender Larissa Steeb forced her shot to go wide of the NA net.  Five minutes later, it was freshman defender Christina Boada that pressured Smalstig to shoot high over the Tiger goal.  Later in the half, Gapczynski had an opportunity but her shot went right to Tutino.  With 5:27 remaining, Gapcyznski's attempt went over the Shaler net.  Shaler put pressure on the NA goal late in the half, but a save by Middleman and a clear by  the NA defense kept the one-goal advantage.  A final shot by the Titans with 1:36 remaining was stopped by Middleman as NA went on to the 1-0 victory.

It was a key win for the Lady Tigers as they improved to 3-3-1 on the season.  Shaler is just ahead in third place with a record of 3-2-3.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Bethel Park tomorrow to meet the Blackhawks in a 6:00 pm non-section contest.

JV UPDATE:  In a game that was completed on Wednesday, the NA junior varsity squad defeated Shaler, 3-1.  Scoring for the Lady Tigers were Maria Snyder, Brienne Schuliger, and Ava Makal.

(Thanks again to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  SHALER - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NA, SOUTH FAYETTE BATTLE TO 2-2 TIE IN
HAMPTON INVITATIONAL

Seniors Mel Versaw and Chrissie Marshall scored for the Lady Tigers as NA and South Fayette played to a 2-2 tie in the Hampton Invitational on Saturday afternoon.  Coach Chet Gapczynski used his entire compliment of players throughout the match starting all non-injured seniors in the non-section game.

The Lady Tigers pressured the South Fayette goal early with junior Dawn Murphy getting off the first shot of the game that was stopped by the SF goalkeeper.  A minute later, senior Jourdan Spence sent a corner into the middle where sophomore defender Larissa Steeb took the shot but again the keeper made the save.  NA broke through at the 7:00 minute mark when Steeb set up Versaw who scored the game's first goal.  Neither team had an opportunity for the next six minutes.  The Lions were able to equalize at the 13:00 minute mark when junior Leah Panich finished on a corner kick.  Midway through the half, junior Alexis Smith had two scoring chances.  Spence sent a pass to Smith who shot wide right of the net followed by another shot that was stopped by the Lions' GK.  Spence drove a shot that was stopped again at the 26:57 mark of the half.  Later, sophomore GK Rachel Middleman stopped a chance by junior Brittany Trover to keep the game tied at 1-1.  Spence had another opportunity with 6:24 remaining but her attempt went right to the keeper.  With less than 3:00 remaining, SF failed to clear with the ball going off Marshall and into the Lion net as the Lady Tigers took a 2-1 lead.  Neither team had a chance in the remaining time as NA took a took a one-goal lead to the intermission.

Early in the second half,  the Lady Tigers had a number of scoring opportunities but could not finish.  Sophomore MF Taylor Gapczynski lifted a corner through the box that was cleared by the SF defense.  Less than a minute later, Gapczynski sent a shot over the goal.  At the 5:31 mark, Smith took a pass from Spence but her attempt went right to the keeper.  At the 9:33 mark, Gapczynski's shot was stopped by the keeper but went over the goal line for an NA corner.  Smith's attempt off the corner went over the net.  Two minutes later, junior Molly Antimarino sent a shot that was stopped by the keeper.  With 25 minutes remaining, Coach Gapczynski sent the JV team into to finish the game including junior Ava Makal in goal.  With ten minutes to play, freshman Leanna Noel went in as the NA goalkeeper.  Neither team had a good scoring opportunity in the remaining time  but NA was called for a foul in the box with 36 seconds left.  Tracey Sharrow took the kick for the Lions and tied the score.  With 14 seconds left, NA sophomore Chelsea Henderson was injured and left the field via ambulance.  The game was stopped at this point with a 2-2 tie.  Henderson was released later in the evening diagnosed with a severe neck sprain.

With the tie, the NA overall record went to 3-5-2.  The Lady Tigers will be back in action again on Wednesday night when they travel to Shaler for a 7:30 pm section contest.

(Thanks again to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  SOUTH FAYETTE - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LADY TIGERS EDGE NORTH HILLS, 2-1, FOR
SECOND STRAIGHT SECTION WIN

Photo Gallery

(Thanks to Claudia Steeb for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  NORTH HILLS - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2007 WPIAL GIRLS' SOCCER

The Lady Tigers will again compete in the WPIAL Class AAA this season along with 53 other teams.  The top three teams and ties will enter the WPIAL tournament.  All playoff entries will be determined by section record only and will be determined by the best section win/lost record.  Ties will be broken by the following method: three points for a win, one point for a tie.  Please note the change in the tiebreaker (minus points for losses will not be applied.)  Teams that tie for first place will not have the tie broken and both will be declared co-champions and each will receive a section winner's plaque.  Those two teams will enter the tournament and the second place team will enter as the third section representative.  In the event of a tie for second or third place, the tie breaker system will be employed.  If a tie persists, head to head competition will determine the qualifier.  In the event of a multiple tie the following tie breaker will be employed:

1.  Section records of the tied teams will be compiled
2.  The team that has the best won/loss record in head to head competition among the tied teams only will be the qualifier.
3.  If the tie cannot clearly be broken, all tied teams will enter the tournament.

Teams that qualify for the tournament should be aware that they may be placed in a preliminary round and may e assigned to play the weekend prior to the first round of the tournament.

Each game will consist of two equal halves of 40 minutes each.  Regular season game overtimes shall be resolved by playing no more than two "sudden victory" overtime periods not to exceed ten minutes each.  If a tie persists at that point, the game is over and is recorded as a tie.  In post-season play, the procedure to determine a game winner will be the state adopted method of the National Federation soccer rules book.

PIAA qualifiers - six teams will advance - the four semi finalists and two quarterfinal teams determined on a follow the winner basis.

Players and coaches who receive hard red cards and are disqualified from any game by the game official will not be permitted to participate in the next scheduled game played by their team at the same level of competition.  Repeated red card offenders will be subjected to more severe penalties.

2007-08 ALIGNMENT - CLASS AAA (54 TEAMS)

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org