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JORDAN GAPCZYNSKI SIGNS WITH YOUNGSTOWN STATE

Jordan Gapczynski, senior girls’ soccer team captain, has signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Youngstown State University.  Jordan was named to the All-Section 1^st team in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and to the WPIAL 1^st team in 2004 and 2005.  Jordan scored thirty-seven (37) career goals with thirty-six (36) assists.

Jordan will be majoring in Business Administration and Graphic Design.  She is the daughter of Chet and Joann Gapczynski

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 File Photos Courtesy of Ann Spence and Dave Campbell

LADY TIGERS PLACE THREE ON PG ALL-SECTION TEAM

Three Lady Tigers were selected to the WPIAL All-Section Team for Section 3 as announced by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Senior forward Jordan Gapczynski and juniors Kelly Langhans and Leigh Cullen received the post-season honors.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JORDAN, KELLY, AND LEIGH!

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
CLASS AAA ALL-SECTION TEAMS
SECTION 3

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NORWIN KNOCKS LADY TIGERS FROM PLAYOFFS, 4-2

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

The Norwin Knights scored three times in the second half to break a 1-1 tie and defeat the Lady Tigers, 4-2, at Norwin on Tuesday night to eliminate NA from the WPIAL Playoffs.  Freshman Molly Antimarino and junior Leigh Cullen scored goals for the Lady Tigers who gave Norwin a tough battle for the entire game.

Early in the game, neither team was able to mount much of an offensive threat in the rain and slick field conditions.  Norwin was able to get on the board first when they stole the ball deep in the NA third.  After NA sophomore goalkeeper Katie Mahoney was unable to handle the wet ball on a hard shot, Norwin senior Noelle Lyons put in the rebound to give the Knights a 1-0 lead just 3:49 into the game.  Halfway through the first half, Norwin had another chance on a 2-on-1 but a pass from sophomore Jamie Warren was just too far for a breaking senior forward Ashley Miller.  Sophomore forward Jessica Sharik got off a strong shot from 30 yards at the 17:46 mark but Mahoney made a good save.  Three minutes later, Norwin had another chance but Mahoney beat the breaking junior forward Jill Miller to the ball.  The Lady Tigers got their first chance with 14:35 remaining when senior forward Jordan Gapczynski tried to find junior defender Kelly Langhans on a corner kick, but Langhans could not control the ball in the box.  NA finally broke through the Knights' defense minutes later when junior forward Jackie Givens sent a through ball to Antimarino.  The Lady Tiger freshman made a good play to beat senior GK Sam Gilarski and tie the game at 1-1 with 13:40 left in the half.  Sharick broke free with 12:28 left, but again Mahoney was quicker to the ball and made a diving save.  Ashley Miller had a chance from 18 yards at the 6:35 mark, but her shot went wide.  Norwin came close in the closing seconds when Warren had a chance from 15 yards, but the NA defense blocked the shot.  The teams went to the intermission tied at 1-1.

Norwin made some changes early in the second half, including the replacement of the starting goalkeeper with junior Jenna Kulik.  The Knights pressured the NA goal and were able to score a pair of goals.  Sharick was able to win the ball in the box and scored from 12 yards away to give Norwin a 2-1 lead at the 4:23 mark of the half.  Givens got a breakaway just 30 seconds later but was robbed by Kulik who made a point blank save to keep Norwin in the lead.  Norwin senior defender Shannon Lyons just missed on a long attempt from 35 yards less than a minute later as the game opened up.  Sharick scored her second goal on a turning shot from 15 yards away after a cross by junior forward Megan Duncan as Norwin took a 3-1 lead with 31:45 remaining in the game.  The Lady Tigers did not give up, however, as junior midfielder Leigh Cullen broke into the box on the right side.  Kulik came out to make another brilliant save, and sophomore forward Jourdan Spence sent the rebound wide of the goal with 29:32 left.  A minute later, Jill Miller hit the right post as Norwin came close to scoring again.  At this point, the Knights turned defensive and neither team was able to get a good chance until later in the game.  With 11:15 remaining, junior MF Kellie Cope was stopped by Kulik who made another great save, but the Knights were called for a foul in the penalty area.  On the penalty kick, Cullen cleanly beat Kulik to put NA right back in the game, 3-2, with time remaining.  Gapczynski had a chance to tie the game with 8:08 left, but her hard shot was stopped again by Kulik.  Norwin finally put the game away when Warren sent a hard shot on a direct kick from 33 yards out that Mahoney could not handle.  The goal came with just 5:45 remaining.  Sharick had another chance from the right side at 3:02 but missed the left corner.  The Knights held off NA for the remainder of the contest and took a 4-2 victory.

It was a good effort by the Lady Tigers on another cold and rainy night.  After holding off Norwin for most of the first half, the goal by Antimarino seemed to energize NA.  After Norwin took the second half lead, the Lady Tigers had three great scoring chances, but the spectacular play by Kulik kept them off the board.  A lot of Lady Tigers deserved credit for the effort, but the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Molly Antimarino as the Player of the Game.  Norwin had given up only seven goals all year and two in a game only once before last night.

The loss gave NA a final season record of 11-6-3.  Congratulations to Coach Chet Gapczynski and the Lady Tigers for fighting back from a slow start to make the playoffs.  NA gave good efforts in both playoff games.  Norwin improved their record to 19-2 on the season.

GAME SUMMARY
NORWIN - 4  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

WPIAL GIRLS' SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
CLASS AAA

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LADY TIGERS DOWN PENN HILLS,
3-1, IN PLAYOFF OPENER

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

Junior midfielder Kellie Cope scored a pair of goals to lead the Lady Tigers to a 3-1 victory over Penn Hills in a WPIAL preliminary round game at Newman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  Senior forward Jordan Gapczynski tallied an insurance goal late in the second half to secure the victory.

The Lady Tigers came out strong early and pressured the Penn Hills goal.  Sophomore forward Jourdan Spence started with a long shot from 35 yards just 48 seconds into the game that senior GK Ashley Schuetz was forced to stop.  Penn Hills countered as leading scoring senior Megan Hill was stopped by NA sophomore goalkeeper Katie Mahoney at the 37:10 mark.  Hill almost scored minutes later, but Mahoney came out to beat her to the ball.  Cope came back to drive a hard shot from ten yards out that forced Schuetz to make a diving stop.  On the ensuing corner kick, Cope was able to head the ball into the net after a good feed from Gapczynski as NA took a 1-0 lead 4:15 seconds into the game.  Penn Hills countered again with sophomore MF Erica Pitacciato trying for the right corner from 20 yards that Mahoney just deflected wide of the goal at the 31:59 mark.  Junior midfielder Leigh Cullen came back to just miss from 25 yards away just a minute later.  Junior forward Jackie Givens had another chance at the 23:30 mark but Schuetz made a good save.  Penn Hills put pressure on for several minutes near the halfway point of the half.  Senior forward Nicole Hollinger headed a ball off the NA crossbar at the 20:50 mark, and Pitacciato sent a hard shot wide to the left of the goal seconds later.  Neither team had a good scoring chance until the 9:00 mark when Cope stole a Penn Hills clearing pass and raced in alone on the left side.  The Tiger junior easily beat Schuetz with a strong shot inside the right post to give NA a 2-0 lead.  After dominating play for most of the final minutes, Penn Hills intercepted a Lady Tiger pass and Hollinger was able to score on a turning shot from 15 yards to cut the margin to 2-1.  The teams went to the intermission with NA on top by the 2-1 margin.

The second half turned into a defensive struggle with few scoring opportunities.  Gapczynski had a chance 8:15 into the half but her shot from 29 yards on a direct kick went wide left.  Sophomore forward Maura Romano came close form 30 yards but her shot also went wide left at the 27:25 mark.  Senior MF Mollie Rosenzweig had a chance from inside the 18 at the 34:47 mark but Schuetz was able to make the save.  Spence got free a minute later but her shot went wide to the right of the PH goal with 23:21 remaining in the game.  Cullen had two good opportunities, the first coming at the 20:15 mark, but Schuetz made a good save.  Cullen came back two minutes later but her try from 10 yards out went over the goal.  The game got physical late in the contest with Hill getting two yellow cards that forced her to leave the game.  Gapczynski finally put the game out of reach with 4:46 left.  The Tiger senior took a long pass and beat the defenders down the field, driving a strong shot off Schuetz from 18 yard away.  The ball bounced over the PH keeper and into the net to give NA a 3-1 advantage.  Cullen had one more chance with 1:51 remaining but she shot wide.  The Tigers defense controlled the remaining time as NA went on to a 3-1 victory.

It was a good win for the Lady Tigers in miserable playing conditions.  With rain falling for the entire game and the temperature in the 40s, the Lady Tigers maintained pressure throughout the contest.  The NA defense, headed up by junior Kelly Langhans, kept Penn Hills under control with just one breakdown.  Senior Sarah Janosik and junior Emily Guzzetti were consistent in the back.  NA had 5 corner kicks to two for Penn Hills.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Kellie Cope as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Lady Tigers advanced to the first round of the tournament.  On Tuesday night, NA will travel to Norwin to meet the Knights in a 6:00 pm contest.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 5:45 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN HILLS - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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HOPEWELL KNOCKS OFF LADY TIGERS, 2-0, AS REGULAR SEASON ENDS

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

The Lady Tigers dropped a 2-0 decision to the Hopewell Vikings in a non-section game at Newman Stadium on Monday night.  The Vikings scored a goal in each half and held off a  late NA rally to preserve the victory.

Hopewell dominated play in the first half and only good play by the NA defense kept it to a one-goal game.  Sophomore Alyssa Cosnak, one of the top scorers in the WPIAL, got free early but was stopped by junior GK Katie Mahoney at the 35:43 mark.  Senior captain Molly Patterson sent a long shot from 30 yards that Mahoney was forced to stop at the 31:37 mark.  With 28:29 left in the half, senior MF Lindsay Steffanini drove a hard shot off a direct kick from 25 yards that Mahoney had to deflect over the goal to keep it out of the net.  Hopewell was able to score at the 27:44 mark when Cosnak broke free on the left side and beat Mahoney from close range.  The Vikings kept up the pressure, and Patterson hit the crossbar at the 26:02 mark.  Steffanini came close from 30 yards wtih 20:25 remaining, and sophomore Annissa Haluklo drove a long shot from 31 yards that was caught on one hop by Mahoney.  The Vikings had two more chances in the last ten minutes, but Cosnek's shot went wide from 25 yards and Mahoney stopped a high shot by sophomore Ashley Murray from 30 yards with just 4:25 remaining.  It was a strong performance by the Vikings as they took a 1-0 advantage to the intermission.

Early in the second half, the Vikings picked up where they left off in the first stanza.  After a shot went wide just 1:33 into the half, Steffanini broke free into the box and beat Mahoney with a hard shot high into the net with 35:30 still remaining in the game.  Sophomore Danielle Mostachetti replaced Mahoney in the NA goal with 32:17 left.  At this point in the game, the Lady Tigers offense began to get their first chances in the offensive end.  Sparked by the play of junior forward Jackie Givens, NA got their first corner kick at the 27:23 mark.  Givens got around two defenders on the left side before her cross was deflected over the goal line.  Less than three minutes later, senior MF Jordan Gapczynski drove a direct kick over the goal from 25 yards away.  Steffanini came back to get off a hard shot from 35 yards that Mostachetti caught at the 19:40 mark.  The Lady Tigers, however, continued to pressure the Viking goal.  Sophomore Jourdan Spence drove a hard shot that forced Hopewell GK Jill Harry to make a good save with 13:43 left.  Less than a minute later, Givens was robbed by Harry from right in front of the goal.  Givens forced Harry to make another tough save at the 8:32 mark as NA tried to get back into the game.  Sophomore Maura Romano forced Harry to stop her attempt with 7:28 left.  With 4:13 on the clock, junior defender Kelly Langhans drove a hard shot on a direct kick from 25 yards away but Harry again was able to make the stop.  The Laldy Tigers ran out of time as Hopewell held on for the 2-0 victory.

After being outplayed in the first half and early in the second half, the Lady Tigers turned the game around and controlled play for the last 25 minutes.  Only a strong defense and the work of Harry in goal kept NA from scoring.  Statistically, Hopewell had three corner kicks to just one for NA.  Credit goes to the Lady Tiger defense in the second half as they stopped the Hopewell attack allowing the Lady Tigers to control the ball in the offensive third.  For her efforts in leading the NA rally, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Jackie Givens as the Player of the Game. 

With the loss, the overall NA record fell to 10-5-3.  The Lady Tigers will play in the WPIAL playoffs for the second consecutive year.  Last year, NA won three games to advance to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion, Moon, 2-1.  The WPIAL Pairings meeting will be held tomorrow night to announce the matchups for the playoffs.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the meeting live on the internet at www.msasportsnetwork.com.

GAME SUMMARY
HOPEWELL - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS NIP KISKI AREA, 1-0, ON SENIOR RECOGNITION DAY

The Lady Tigers defeated the Kiski Area Cavaliers on Senior Recognition Day as part of Soccerfest 2005 at Newman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  Junior Jackie Givens scored the only goal of the game early in the first half on an assist from sophomore Maura Romano. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Mahoney and the NA defense held Kiski off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.  The Lady Tigers outshot Kiski, 13-9.

With the win, the overall NA record improved to 10-4-3 on the year.  The Lady Tigers will host Hopewell tomorrow night in the first game of a girl/boy doubleheader.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will broadcast both games beginning with the pre-game show at 5:45 pm.  Game time for the first game is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  KISKI AREA - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS DOWN NORTH HILLS,
4-1, TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT

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

Sophomore forward Maura Romano tallied a pair of goals to lead the Lady Tigers to a 4-1 victory over rival North Hills at Newman Stadium on Wednesday night.  Senior midfielder Jordan Gapczynski and junior midfielder Leigh Cullen also scored for the Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tigers came out strong, pressuring the North Hills goal from the outset.  Gapczynski had a good chance just 1:58 into the contest, but her shot went wide.  Five minutes later, sophomore forward Jourdan Spence blasted a shot from 30 yards out, but it went wide of the NH goal.  The Indians came back to threaten during a two-minute span ten minutes into the game but could not score although they did force two corner kicks.  After the NH flurry, it was all NA again.  Romano drove a shot over the goal at the 21:53 mark, junior outside midfielder Kellie Cope drove a hard shot that NH goalkeeper Katie Muller caught after one bounce.  After senior defender Sarah Janosik deflected a NH pass in front of the NA goal, the Lady Tigers forced a corner kick at the other end of the field.  Gapczynski drove a high ball toward the far post that Romano headed into the net for the first goal of the game with 13:13 remaining in the half.  Just over a minute later, junior defender Kelly Langhans just missed off another corner as Muller made a good save.  With 7:42 left, Cullen launched a rocket from 25 yards out that deflected off the right post to keep the score at 1-0.  With 5:49 remaining, Cullen was able to turn in the box and find the left corner of the net to give NA a 2-0 lead.  The teams went to the intermission with the Lady Tigers holding a two-goal advantage.

Early in the second half, NA struck again when Gapczynski took control of the ball ten yards into NH territory.  The Tigers senior dribbled around several defenders and broke in alone on Muller.  The Indian GK came out to try to take the ball away, but Gapczynski pulled the ball around her and drove it into the net to give NA a 3-0 advantage just 2:43 into the second half.  North Hills came back quickly as sophomore forward Casey Arena was able to turn and score from 15 yards away to cut the lead to 3-1 just 13 seconds later.  The Tiger defense, led by Langhans, Janosik and junior Emily Guzzetti, took control of the game at this point.  North Hills had few scoring chances in the remaining time although Lady Tiger GK Katie Mahoney had to make good play to beat a breaking Arena to the ball at the 24:02 mark.  Earlier, Spence just missed with a strong shot that went over the goal, and Cope narrowly missed the left corner with a hard shot from the right side.  With 18:47 left, Gapczynski sailed a shot just wide of the right post from 26 yards.  The Lady Tigers finally put the game away on a good play by junior forward Jackie Givens.  Taking the ball on the left side, Givens got past two defenders and drove along the goal line toward the net.  The Tiger junior then gave Romano a perfect pass in front of the net where the NA sophomore was able to drive home her second goal of the game.  The Tiger defense maintained control for the rest of the contest as NA took a 4-1 victory.

It was a good team effort by the Lady Tigers who knew what they had to do to get into the playoffs.  The win marked the conclusion of a great stretch run in section play that saw NA go 7-1-1 after losing their first three section games.  For her offensive efforts in the game, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Maura Romano as the Player of the Game.

With the victory, the Lady Tigers clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year.  NA finished section play with a record of 7-4-1, good for third place.  The overall mark improved to 9-4-3 on the year.  The Lady Tigers will host Kiski Area on Saturday afternoon as part of Soccerfest '05.  It will also be Senior Night.  Game time is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  NORTH HILLS - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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GIVENS' GOAL IN OT LIFTS LADY TIGERS OVER FOX CHAPEL, 1-0

Playing in her first game of the season, junior forward Jackie Givens scored at 3:42 of the first overtime period to give the Lady Tigers a 1-0 victory at Fox Chapel on Monday night.  Neither team was able to score during regulation time, but NA broke the scoreless tie in OT.

In a defensive first half, neither team provided much offense as the Lady Tigers posted two shots and Fox Chapel only one.  The offense picked up in the second half as both teams recorded four shots.  In the overtime period, Givens was able to beat FC goalkeeper Alicia Miksic on an assist from sophomore MF Lanie Smith.  Sophomore GK Katie Mahoney was strong in goal for the Lady Tigers in posting the shutout.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their section record to 6-4-1, the overall mark to 8-4-3.  NA will host rival North Hills tomorrow night at Newman Stadium and a win will put them in the WPIAL Class AAA Playoffs for the second consecutive year.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.

(Special thanks to Debbie Hnat for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  FOX CHAPEL - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS BLANK BUTLER, 3-0

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

Coach Chet Gapczynski's Lady Tigers needed a win on Wednesday night at Newman Stadium to jump back into the section playoff race.  NA came through with a 3-0 shutout over Butler to tie the Tornado for third place in the Section 2 standings.  Goals by senior MF Jordan Gapczynski, sophomore forward Maura Romano, and junior midfielder Leigh Cullen gave the Lady Tigers their second victory against Butler this season.

The Lady Tigers started strong in the first half, putting pressure on the Butler goal from the outset.  Cullen had a chance just 2:19 into the game but her shot went wide.  Gapczynski was open at the 18 but the Butler defense was able to block her shot with 30:30 remaining.  Less than a minute later, Gapczynski got open again and buried a strong shot into the right corner of the net to give NA a 1-0 lead.  NA continued the pressure and it paid off with a second goal.  Romano broke through the Butler defenders and hooked a shot past Butler GK Lisa Rodgers as the Tigers took a 2-0 lead at the 21:18 mark.  Butler ralllied in the second half of the stanza.  With 16:52 remaining, sophomore GK Katie Mahoney made a diving stop to rob senior forward Kelly Hilderbrand.  Five minutes later, freshman MF Molly Antimarino came free to the right of Rodgers but lost control and did not get off a shot.  Hilderbrand came back to get two more chances in the next several minutes.  A shot went wide with 11:01 remaining, and Mahoney had to make another good save with 9:50 on the first half clock.  Sophomore MF Jourdan Spence had an opportunity late in the half but shot wide right from inside the 18.  With seconds left, senior MF Jamie Albert was open in front of the goal but Mahoney and junior defender Kelly Langhans combined to block her attempt.  The Lady Tigers took a 2-0 advantage to the intermission.

Butler opened the second half with good offensive pressure.  Mahoney was forced to again make a good save just 2:27 into the half.  Four minutes later, Albert had a great chance to cut the margin in half when she drove a shot that Mahoney blocked.  As the ball rolled near the line, senior defender Sarah Janosik was able to clear the ball and keep the NA 2-0 lead.  NA came back to threaten in the eighth minute when both junior MF Emily Guzzetti and junior MF Kellie Cope were stopped by the Butler defense.  Just past the midway point, Hilderbrand was sent in by Albert but her shot went wide right.  Cope forced Rodgers to make a diving save with 19:32 remaining.  Five minutes later, senior midfielder Lindsay Hohn blasted a long shot from 30 yards, but Mahoney again made the stop.  Cullen finally put the game out of reach with a great individual effort.  After collecting the ball about 40 yards away, Cullen dribbled through several Butler defenders and drove a hard shot that bounced off Rodgers and rolled into the net to give NA a commanding 3-0 lead.  Albert had a final chance with 22 seconds left, but her shot went wide.  The Lady Tigers had won a crucial 3-0 victory.

It was a good effort by the Lady Tigers from the beginning of the game.  In addition to the three goals, the NA defense was able to stop every Butler attack.  Led by Langhans in the middle and Mahoney in goal, Butler was unable to finish.  For her efforts both offensively and defensively, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Leigh Cullen as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the NA section record improved to 5-4-1 good for a third place tie with Butler.  More importantly, the Lady Tigers hold the tiebreaker with two wins against the Tornado.  The overall NA record is now 7-4-3.  NA will complete section play with games at Fox Chapel on Monday and at home on Wednesday against North Hills.  Two wins will guarantee a playoff spot.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there on Wednesday night to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:30 pm.  The kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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PINE-RICHLAND ENDS LADY TIGER STREAK, 3-1

The Pine-Richland Rams defeated the Lady Tigers, 3-1, at Pine-Richland on Monday night.  The loss ended a seven-game unbeaten streak compiled by NA.  Freshman Dawn Murphy scored the only Lady Tiger goal in the second half.

In the first half, Pine-Richland took the lead on a goal by Katie Wise who scored on a throw in at the 27:15 mark.  The Rams outshot NA, 4-3, in the half that ended on a controversial delay as Pine-Richland send in a substitute on an NA throw in.

In the second half, the Rams made it 2-0 early in the half as Michelle Calabrese scored just 6:15 into the stanza.  Murphy came back to cut the lead in half with 17:11 remaining in the game.  Jordan Baranowski put the game away when she tallied on a direct kick with 4:54 remaining.  The Rams held on for a 3-1 victory.

The loss dropped NA into fourth place in Section 2 with a section mark of 4-4-1.  The overall Lady Tiger record fell to 6-4-3.  NA will host Butler tomorrow night in a girl/boy soccer doubleheader at Newman Stadium.  Game time is scheduled for 6:15 pm.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will broadcast both games beginning with the pre-game show at 6:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
PINE-RICHLAND - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS TIE HAMPTON, 0-0

The Lady Tigers held top-ranked Hampton to a 0-0 tie on Saturday night in the Buzz Miller Tournament at Hampton.  Sophomore goalkeepers Danielle Mostachetti and Katie Mahoney shared the shutout as NA played their second consecutive scoreless tie.

In the first half, the Lady Tigers outshot the Talbots, 6-1, but could not score.  In the second half, the teams played on even terms with Hampton recording seven shots to NA's six.  The total shots favored NA by a 12-8 margin.

The Lady Tigers will be back in action again tomorrow night when they travel to Pine-Richland for a 7:30 pm section contest.  The Rams defeated the Lady Tigers, 1-0, at Newman Stadium earlier in the season.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0  HAMPTON - 0

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LADY TIGERS HOLD SENECA
VALLEY TO 0-0 TIE

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

The Lady Tigers and Seneca Valley battled for 100 minutes at Newman Stadium on Wednesday night, but neither team could score.  Both teams had opportunities in the defensive struggle but good work in goal by sophomore Danielle Mostachetti for NA and senior Ali Intihar for Seneca, along with strong defense, kept the ball out of the net.

The Raiders came out strong and controlled play for the first thirteen minutes.  Just 4:37 into the game, junior forward Courtney Leon hit the crossbar but the ball was cleared by the NA defenders.  At the 31:16 mark, junior MF Jessica Meurer had a chance from the left side, but her shot went wide.  Three minutes later, Meurer again had aan opportunity, but her attempt was caught by Mostachetti.  The Lady Tigers came back at the 23:35 mark when sophomore forward Maura Romano was free just to the right of the SV goal, but her shot went wide.  After freshman MF Barbara Rohm hit the football crossbar at the 19:18 mark, NA freshman MF Dawn Murphy had a good chance from in front of the goal, but her attempt was blocked by the Raider defense.  Less than a minute later, junior MF Leigh Cullen had her strong kick stopped by Intihar.  Sophomore forward Jourdan Spence put the ball over the goal moments later as the Lady Tigers continued to pressure the SV goal.  The Raiders regrouped and attacked the NA net in the final moments of the half.  Senior forward and leading scorer Cassie Berlin was free in the box but her shot was blocked by the NA defense.  As time was running out, Leon raced down the left side but her attempt again hit the football crossbar.  The teams went to the intermission scoreless.

It was Seneca with the first opportunity of the second half when Berlin shot wide just 1:35 into the period.  The Lady Tigers came back with two chances.  Cullen's attempt from 40 yards went high and wide, and Spence had her shot blocked in the penalty area.  After Mostachetti made a good save on a long attempt by the Raiders, Meurer once again blasted a shot off the football goal post with 21:26 remaining.  Cullen had a great chance to give NA the lead at the 17:02 mark but Intihar made a good save.  The Seneca netminder followed with a diving save on a cross by junior MF Emily Guzzetti with 14:34 remaining.  The Raiders put on pressure down the stretch.  Meurer's long attempt from 30 yards was caught by Mostachetti, and Berlin's strong kick from 17 yards out was stopped by the NA goalkeeper and kept out of the net.  Regulation time ended with the game still scoreless.

Neither team had great scoring opportunities in the overtime periods.  Seneca Valley had a territorial edge, particularly after senior MF Ashley Rees went out with an injury with 6:20 remaining in the first OT.  Berlin created three opportunities, but the NA defense and GK Mostachetti were able to end the chances with a score.   The game ended in a 0-0 tie with both teams earning a point in the section standings.

Both teams played with a key player.  Senior MF Jordan Gapczynski did not play for NA while four-year starter senior defender Tara Dohn was out for SV.  The NA defense played well throughout the match, led by junior Kelly Langhans, senior Sarah Janosik, and senior Elise Strickler.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Sarah Janosik as the Player of the Match.  Statistically, the match was even with both sides recording four corner kicks.

The tie brought the NA section record to 4-3-1, the overall mark to 6-3-2.  The Lady Tigers will be back in action again at the Hampton Invitational on Saturday night with game time scheduled for 6:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0  SENECA VALLEY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS EDGE SHALER, 2-1, FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT SECTION WIN

Sophomore Maura Romano and junior Leigh Cullen scored first-half goals, and the Lady Tigers held off Shaler to earn a 2-1 victory at Shaler on Monday night.  The win avenged an earlier 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Titans at Newman Stadium.

After neither team could score for most of the first half, the Lady Tigers struck for two quick goals.  Romano opened the scoring on an assist from sophomore Jourdan Spence at the 6:38 mark to give NA a 1-0 advantage.  Just 1:23 later, junior Leigh Cullen found the net with Romano picking up the assist.  The Lady Tigers took a 2-0 lead to the intermission.

The NA defense held off Shaler for most of the second half in protecting the two-goal advantage.  Elysse Dluhos finally broke through on an assist from Kristin Lange to cut the margin to 2-1 with 7:25 remaining.  The Lady Tigers were able to keep Shaler from scoring again as they picked up the all-important victory.  The Lady Tigers outshot Shaler 8-3 on the evening.  Sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Mostachetti earned the victory as the NA unbeaten streak went to five games. 

With the win, the NA section record improved to 4-3, the overall mark for the season to 6-3-1.  The Lady Tigers will host section leader Seneca Valley tomorrow night at Newman Stadium.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:30 pm.  The opening kickoff is set for 7:45 pm.

(Thanks to Debbie Hnat for the info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  SHALER - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS TIE HOWLAND, 1-1

The Lady Tigers traveled to Howland, Ohio, on Saturday night to meet the Howland Tigers in a non-section contest.  Both teams scored once as the teams tied at 1-1.

The Lady Tigers will travel to Shaler tonight for an important section contest against the Titans.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

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LADY TIGERS SHUT OUT NORTH HILLS, 5-0, FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN

Senior Jordan Gapczynski scored twice to lead the Lady Tigers to a 5-0 win over rival North Hills at Martorelli Stadium on Wednesday night.  Sophomore Maura Romano, senior Morgan Campbell, and junior Leigh Cullen also scored for the winning Lady Tigers.  NA built a 3-0 halftime lead and never let up as they won their third straight section contest.

The Lady Tigers wasted little time in taking the lead against their archrivals.  Gapczynski scored on a direct kick just 6:22 into the game to put NA on top, 1-0.  Later in the half, Romano tallied the second NA goal as the Tigers took a 2-0 lead with 10:57 remaining in the half.  Gapczynski scored her second goal of the game, and tenth of the season, just one second before time expired in the first half.  The teams went to the intermission with the Lady Tigers holding a commanding 3-0 advantage.

In the second half, it was more of the same.  Campbell scored on an assist from Gapczynski to make it 4-0 at the 15:26 mark.  Cullen put the finishing touches on the victory with a goal at the 3:32 mark.  The Lady Tigers came home with an impressive 5-0 victory.  Sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Mostachetti earned the shutout for NA.  The Lady Tigers posted 8 shots while the Indians had five.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their record to 3-3 in section play, 5-3 overall.  NA will travel to Howland, Ohio, on Saturday for a non-section game.  The scheduled starting time is set for 7:00 pm.

(Special thanks to Debbie Hnat for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  NORTH HILLS -  0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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WPIAL GIRLS' SOCCER 2005

The Tigers will compete again in Class AAA along with 32 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 numerical record among the tied teams 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 be 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 semifinalists and two quarter final teams determined on a follow the leader 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.

CLASS AAA - 55 TEAMS

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