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BUYSEE NAMED TO ALL-SECTION TEAM

Senior defender Evan Buysee was selected to the WPIAL Class AAA Section 2 All-Section team as released by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

CONGRATULATIONS, EVAN!!!

WPIAL CLASS AAA
SECTION 2 ALL-SECTION TEAM

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NORWIN STOPS TIGERS, 2-1, IN OVERTIME
IN SEASON FINALE

by Curt Soergel

A difficult season came to a disappointing conclusion last evening as the Tigers fell to the Section 1 champion Norwin Knights in the second overtime period, 2-1.  It was a familiar story for the NA squad, who played a difficult opponent evenly throughout the entire game, only to come up short at the end.

The Tigers had the early momentum in the game.  Seniors Danny Veres, Dylan Flaherty and Shawn McCrorey put together a crisp passing sequence that gave the Tigers a solid chance in just the second minute of play, but McCrorey’s one-timer sailed just outside the left post.  Veres had another chance at the 28 minute mark, taking an excellent feed from Israel Echeverria along the right sideline. Veres made a nice one-on-one move to get behind the Norwin defender, but his sharp angle shot was punched aside by the Knights’ GK Shane Lee.  It wasn’t until the 21^st minute that Norwin mounted a serious threat, but precision timing by the Tiger backline trapped the Norwin forwards offside, and the opportunity was nullified.  Three minutes later, the Knights’ Cody Peddicord found an opening in the Tiger defense and ripped a shot at Tiger keeper Mike Severyn.  Severyn, playing the angle perfectly, made the sliding stop.  That save seemed to turn the momentum back in the Tigers’ favor.  With 8:20 left in the half, Dane Bralich sent a solid cross that Flaherty deflected just over the net.  A minute later, the Tigers’ hard work in the first half finally paid dividends. Echeverria was tackled on a hard foul just outside the 25.  Zach Jergan took the direct kick, placing it on the foot of midfielder Matt Baird.  Baird’s shot bounced off a Norwin defender, but the carom went right to Dylan Flaherty who pounded it into the back of the net to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 7:21 remaining in the half.  The boost from the Flaherty goal helped carry the Tigers through the rest of the period, as Norwin failed to generate any real opportunities, and the first half ended with NA leading by one.

The Knights came out with an increased energy level at the start of the second half.  They controlled the majority of the play through the first twenty minutes or so, pushing hard for the tying goal.  Time and time again, the NA defenders came up big.  Severyn and defenders Andy Soergel, Evan Buysse, Alex Greenblatt and Jake Spence thwarted numerous Norwin opportunities.  But eventually, the Knights’ persistence produced results.  Knight forward Eric Vunovic took a long feed from a teammate and was able to get behind the NA defense, ripping a shot over the left shoulder of a defenseless Severyn to knot the score at 1-1 with 15:54 left in regulation.

The Tigers had two excellent opportunities as the second half clock wound down.  With about four minutes to play, Buysse’s well placed header off a direct kick was deflected by the Norwin keeper and a Knight defender cleared the ball a split second before a charging Tommy Richter could bury the rebound.  Finally, with 30 seconds remaining Diego Febres-Cordero took a short pass from Phil Fives and found a seam in the middle of the Norwin defense.  Unfortunately, his rising shot sailed just outside the upper right hand corner of the net, and the Tigers and the Knights were headed for overtime.

The first overtime period saw most of the action in the middle half of the field.  The Tigers best chance came 4 minutes into the period when Jamie Lucchini set up Febres-Cordero just outside the 18.  His hard shot was on-line, but Norwin GK Lee made a diving grab of it.  At the end of the first overtime period, the score remained 1-1.

During the second overtime, the play was back-and-forth throughout with neither side able to mount any serious momentum.  Then suddenly, the Knight defense intercepted a Tiger centering attempt and quickly lobbed an over-the-top to Vunovic who made several strong moves to break clear of the NA defense and lifted a shot past Severyn to end the game – and the NA season – on a very downbeat note.  Norwin heads to the playoffs riding the momentum of a narrow victory over a tough NA squad.  This game was a microcosm of the Tigers’ season – playing close, hard fought games against quality opponents, but the final result on the scoreboard too often went the other way.

With the tough loss, the Tigers finished the season with a final record of 5-11-2.

GAME SUMMARY
NORWIN - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

 INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS, NORTH HILLS BATTLE TO 0-0 TIE

by Gene Cuomo

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

On a miserable Fall evening featuring rain and cold at Newman Stadium, neither the Tigers nor rival North Hills could manage to score with the game ending in a 0-0 tie as section play concluded.  The North Allegheny Sports Network named junior forward Tommy Richter as the Player of the Game.

Neither team could score despite 80 minutes of regulation time followed by two ten minute overtime periods.  The cold, wet and windy field conditions made play difficult for both teams as the ball skipped and skidded about the field.  North Hills had a number of scoring opportunities during the contest but could not capitalize.  NH forward Derek Meister got past the Tiger defense several times but couldn't put it in the Tiger net.

The Tigers had scoring opportunities, too, but were unsuccessful in getting on the scoreboard.  At the 20:05 mark senior midfielder Danny Veres took a shot from 25 yards out and put it off the crossbar.  At the 16:00 minute mark, senior forward Shawn McCrory sent a corner kick to junior Jake Spence who headed it toward and open net, but NH defender Curt Hoover came out of nowhere to block the shot.  At 13:20 junior midfielder Patrick Cuomo took a shot forcing NH GK Dave Gianella to make a diving save.  In the final two minutes of the first half, Richter sent a header right at the NH goalkeeper.  The first half ended in a scoreless tie.

Four minute into the 2nd half, Meister quickly came up the left side and narrowly missed the far right hand corner of the Tiger net.  NA followed with a CK that bounced off the head of NH defender Andy Ondek and hit the crossbar.  At 15:32, McCrorey and junior Matt Baird crafted a nice shooting opportunity but McCrorey's shot went wide of the net.  With 2:40 left in regulation time, Meister got loose again and was closing in to shoot at NA senior goalkeeper Mike Severyn.  NA defender Spence quickly closed on Meister and broke things up.  With less than 2 minutes left in regulation, the Tigers were awarded a corner kick.  The CK sailed over the heads of all Tiger attackers.  With 25 seconds left, senior midfielder Zach Jergan bounced a shot of the NH keeper and senior Diego Febres-Cordero's follow up shot went wide.  At the end of regulation, the Tigers and Indians were deadlocked at 0-0 and headed for overtime.

The Tigers and Indians played two scoreless ten minute overtime periods.  In the first OT, Meister nearly scored as he sent his shot wide of the net.  In the second overtime period, it appeared that NH scored and won the game on a shot by Meister.  The referees convened and agreed that a NH player interfered with Tiger GK Severyn and ruled "no goal".  The period ended with no scoring as the teams finished with the scoreless tie.

With the tie, the Tigers finished with a final section record of 1-7-2.  The overall mark now stands at 5-10-2.  NA will travel to Norwin on Tuesday night for the season finale with game time set for 7:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0  NORTH HILLS - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS FALL TO BUTLER, 3-2, IN OVERTIME

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

Senior forward Dylan Flaherty scored two goals in the first half to give NA a  2-0 lead, but Butler rallied to tie the game in regulation time and won it in overtime, 3-2, at Newman Stadium on Tuesday night.  Both teams had chances to win it in the latter stages of the second half but could not score.

Butler came out strong in the first half with several scoring chances.  The Tornado's Luke Klutinoty forced NA senior goalkeeper Mike Severyn to make a tough early save just 2:20 into the game.  Senior defender Evan Buysse sent a long attempt toward the goal that Butler GK Aaron Voelker caught in the air.  Off a Butler corner at the 8:16 mark, Cory Werth hit the side of the net with a hard shot.  Butler continued the pressure with Severyn stopping consecutive attempts by Ian Eckstein and Adam Suter at the 7:50 mark.  Wirth had another chance from just inside the 18 that Severyn had to stop.  The Tornado kept coming with Alessandro Scarlatti forcing Severyn to make a diving save to keep the game scoreless.  Off another Butler corner, the NA defense finally cleared the ball out of the box.  The Tigers then came back to threaten with Flaherty sending a header in that was caught by the Butler keeper at the 14:52 mark.  Four minutes later, Butler's Matt Slamecka drove a direct kick right to Severyn.  Senior midfielder Zach Jergen answered with a direct kick for NA from 30 yards but the attempt went wide left.  After the Tigers failed to convert on a corner kick with 14:43 remaining, the Tornado raced downfield with a 2-on-1 that the Tiger defense slowed enough for Severyn to cover up in the box.  After another NA corner failed to score, senior forward Diego Febres-Cordero drilled a hard shot over the goal.  With just under ten minutes left in the half, Severyn made a diving save on Werth.  The Tigers counter-attacked sending the ball deep down the middle where Flaherty was able to take it in and score to give NA a 1-0 advantage with 9:32 left.  Jergan followed the goal with a strong attempt from 25 yards that Voelker collected on one hop.  With 5:57 left, Werth tested Severyn again with a hard shot from close range, but the Tiger keeper was there to make the save.  Two minutes later, Severyn had to dive to stop a rolling shot sent in by Butler's Scarlatti.  The Tigers again counter-attacked with junior Tommy Richter making a nice move down the left side where he was able to send the ball into the box.  Flaherty then took over, faking left, and moving right where he drilled a hard shot into the right hand corner of the net to increase the NA lead to 2-0 with 3:09 left in the half.  The Tornado's Sean Bernardi came back with a good cross through the box, but Butler could not make a play on the ball.  In the last 1:13, Scarlatti had two more chances but missed the goal on both occasions.  The Tigers took a 2-0 advantage to the intermission.

Early in the second half, it was all Butler.  Klutinoty missed the net with a hard shot just 35 seconds into the game.  The Tornado was able to take advantage of the pressure with Werth racing down the left side and beating the NA defense and Severyn with a well-placed shot with the left foot as Butler cut the lead to one at the 2:51 mark.  Butler forced a corner kick and had a chance on a direct kick from 25 yards in the next several minutes.  NA came back to mount a threat that resulted in a direct kick that was sent wide by Flaherty from 35 yards.  Junior defender Jake Spence sent a rebound wide left from the 18.  At the 9:37 mark, Severyn had to dive on the ball in the box to prevent a Butler scoring chance.  Butler again began to pick up the pressure with a pass from Werth to Klutinoty resulting in a shot wide of the NA goal.  After another corner kick was not converted by the Tornado, Matt Slamecka listed a shot over the net.  At the 18:13 mark after a scramble in front of the goal, junior Alex Greenblatt made a great play along the goal line to clear the ball out of danger with three Butler players around the net.  A minute later, Flaherty came back to force Butler keeper Voelker to make a diving stop.  The Tigers had another chance at the midway point but Voekler again made the save.  With 17:50 left and off a Butler corner, Severyn made a tough save right in front of the goal.  Butler bumped Severyn forcing the ball loose with the ball ending up in the NA net, but the goal was disallowed.  NA continued to lead, 2-1, with 17:30 remaining.  With 14:00 minutes left, Adam Suter shot over the NA net.  Less than two minutes later, an attempted cross to a breaking Werth just misfired. Butler was able to tie the game when Werth picked up a deflection off an NA defender and drilled a shot into the net with 10:59 left to make it a 2-2 game.  Werth forced another diving save by Severyn with 8:45 left as the game remained tied.  The Tornado continued to keep the ball in the NA third and forced another corner.  With 8:26 left, Werth took a cross but Severyn was there again.  Two minutes later, Werth hit the left post with the Tigers clearing the ball over the goal line for another Tornado corner.  With 4:48 remaining, NA's junior forward Matt Baird had a chance from the right side but lifted it over the goal.  With 1:40 left, Bernardi could not convert a direct kick from 25 yards.  The Tigers put on a late rush to try for the game winner with Baird heading the ball wide with 58 seconds remaining.  With time running out in regulation, Scarlatti had one last chance go wide left as the half ended.  The teams went to overtime tied at 2-2.

Neither team threatened early in the overtime period.  Bernardi sent a long attempt from 40 yards wide to the righ at the 3:09 mark.  Senior defender Andy Soergel lifted an attempt into the box from 35 yards but Voelker caught it in the air.  Scarlatti had a better chance from the right side from just inside the box, but shot wide left wtih 3:50 left.  Flaherty came back for the Tigers but his attempt from 18 yards went high and wide to the right.  With 2:45 remaining, Severyn made a tough save on Werth but the rebound went right to Nathan Shook who ended the game into a wide open net.  The Tornado kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 victory.

It was another tough loss for the Tigers who played well for most of the evening.  The NA defense of Buysse, Soergel, and Greenblatt, backed up the strong play Severyn in goal.  A couple of bad bounces hurt the NA effort.  For his work in goal that gave the Tigers a chance to win, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Mike Severyn as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 1-7-1 with the overall mark dropping to 5-10-1.  The Tigers will close of the section season tomorrow night when they host rival North Hills.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
BUTLER - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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FOX CHAPEL BLANKS TIGERS, 2-0, ON SENIOR DAY

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

by Gene Cuomo

The #2 ranked Fox Chapel Foxes defeated the Tigers, 2-0, on Senior Day at Newman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  The Tigers gave a great effort but were unable to score as the Foxes used single goals in each half to build the two-goal victory.

Before the game, the North Allegheny Boys Varsity Soccer celebrated Senior Day as the soccer program recognized their senior athletes and their parents in a pre-game ceremony.  Immediately following the ceremony, the Tigers squared off against a highly ranked Fox Chapel team that brought an 11-0-1 record and a #2 WPIAL ranking to the game.  Although Senior Day was an enjoyable event for the players and their parents, the Tigers could not get past the highly ranked Foxes.  The Tigers controlled the ball for most of the game, but Fox Chapel took home the victory.

North Allegheny seniors Aidan MacDonough, Vince Reginella, and Takamasa Tobita, who haven't fully recovered from earlier injuries, led their fellow Tigers onto the field to start the game.  Tobita got things started with a long shot that bounced off the chest of the FC goalkeeper.  At 33:45, senior forward Shawn McCrorey's pass from the right corner found senior Dane Bralich in front of the net where he sailed a header over the net.  FC took a couple of corner kicks at 31:30 and 28:11 but the Tiger defense, anchored by seniors Andy Soergel, Evan Buysse, Danny Veres and goalkeeper Mike Severyn didn't let anything materialize.  Senior forward Dylan Flaherty clicked off a quick shot at 26:27 that cruised over the net.  The Tigers continued to control and move the ball with ease in and out of the FC defense in search of scoring opportunities but couldn't find any.

The Foxes struck first at 17:01 as Thad Madzelonka drove up the right side of the field and fired a bullet just inside the far left post to give FC a 1-0 lead.  The Tigers continued working hard trying to get on the scoreboard but could not despite a Zach Jergen corner kick at 14:43 and a shot from McCrorey at 12:05.  It looked like the Tigers were going to score when junior Tommy Richter took a fast break all the way the the FC net but was tripped up by the Fox Chapel goalkeeper.  The Foxes Kevin McKamish and Madzelonka each took shots in the final two minutes but both were high and wide.  McCrorey ripped a shot right at the FC keeper to close out the half.  The Foxes went into the locker room with the 1-0 advantage.

Early in the second half, the Tiger continued their fluid ball movement around the field.  Madzelonka got a quick burst at the Tiger goal at the 35:50 mark, but junior keeper Peter Howard cut off his angle forcing the shot just wide of the NA net.  At the 34:20 mark, the referee ejected both a FC player and a coahc from the game with a red card.  FC was still able to play at full strength since it was a "soft" red card.  The Tigers continued to put pressure on the FC defense.  At 33:45, the Tigers broke for the net again as Bralich sent a looping pass over the Foxes' net.  A minute later, Flaherty ripped a shot that forced the FC keeper to make a diving save.  The Tigers came at the Fox Chapel defense with another corner kick at 28:28.  Sophomore Jamie Lucchini sent the CK to the far side of the box and junior midfielder Patrick Cuomo shot it off a short hop but it was blocked by a FC defender.  At 26:13, senior forward Israel Echeverria passed to sophomore midfielder Phil Fives who quickly sent to Flaherty.  Flaherty got off a nice shot from close range, but the FC goalkeeper grabbed it.

At the 23:02 mark, Madzelonka struck again as he slipped one past the Tiger keeper to give the Foxes a 2-0 lead.  Although they were down 2-0, the Tigers continued to command control over the ball and time of possession.  At 22:31 junior Tommy Richter got off a good shot, but so many of the Tiger shots it was right at the goalkeeper.  An NA corner kick at 17:21 came up empty as the FC keeper stopped Phil Fives' shot.  At 13:40, Echeverria was called "off side" after putting a beautiful shot into the FC goal while fighting off two Fox Chapel defenders.  With 6:30 left in the game, junior midfielder Ian Klipa sent a ball from the far right corner to the far left post of the FC goal and Echeverria just missed getting his head on it.  Jergan's shot with 3:30 left went wide of the FC net.  The Fox's Archer McMurran took a breakaway to the Tiger net, but Howard broke things up.  In the final minute, Jergan sent another free kick into the box but it was fielded by the FC keeper.  Time ran out as Fox Chapel took home the 2-0 victory.

Statistically, the NA defense did a great job holding Fox Chapel to just four total shots at the NA goal while NA had six attempts.  The Foxes recorded six corner kicks to the Tigers' 3.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior Israel Echeverria as the NA Player of the Game.

With the loss, the overall NA record fell to 5-9-1 on the season.  The Tigers will host Butler on Tuesday night in the last regular week of section play.  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.  Game time is scheduled for 7:45 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
FOX CHAPEL - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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PINE-RICHLAND GOAL IN OT SINKS TIGERS, 2-1

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

The Tigers jumped off to an early lead thanks to a goal by senior Dylan Flaherty midway through the first half, but Pine-Richland rallied to tie the game early in the second half and win it in the second overtime.  Once again, NA played a tough defensive game forcing the Rams to the overtime periods.

Both teams started slowly with the Tigers getting the first chance when junior forward Matt Baird sent a long attempt from the right side over the goal at the 4:39 mark.  The Rams made several attempts early but good defensive plays by senior defender Evan Buysse kept them out of scoring range.  At the 5:50 mark, the Rams' Bret Boyle sent a cross into the box that was headed away by the NA defense.  Junior midfielder Jamie Lucchini came back to sent a shot wide of the P-R net from 25 yards at the 9:35 mark.  A minute later, Flaherty shot wide from 15 yards away.  The Rams came back with Mike Rios sending an attempt over the goal from the 18.  At the 11:52 mark, Lucchini had another shot go wide right of the Ram net.  At the 17:18 mark, P-R's Drew Klingenberg drove a hard one-hopper that NA senior goalkeeper Mike Severyn caught.  Less than a minute later, Tiger senior defender Andy Soergel lifted a ball into the box that the Pine-Richland defense cleared.  Klingenberg came back on a counter attack but shot over the football goal posts from 25 yards out.  The Tigers scored on their next possession with sophomore midfielder Phil Fives winning the ball and sending it to junior forward Tommy Richter.  Richter raced down the left side and sent a perfect cross to Flaherty who drove it into the net.  The Tigers took a 1-0 lead at the 19:47 mark.  A little over a minute later, NA almost scored again.  Senior MF Danny Veres lifted a cross to the far post to a breaking Baird who sent a hard shot that P-R goalie Nick Donnelly made a diving save on to keep it a one-goal game.  Later in the half, Severyn made a good save on a Ram header with 12:10 left.  Less than a minute later, Severyn survived a collision with the Rams' Brian Jones but a foul was called on Jones.   With 10:10 remaining, P-R's Josh Dee sent a high cross through the box that the Rams could not convert.  A minute later, Boyle drove a hard shot wide right of the NA net from 35 yards.  Mike Jones rolled an attempt right to Severyn from 25 yards out as the Rams looked for the equalizer.  The Tigers had one more chance before the half ended when Flaherty rolled a through ball toward the box.  Richter took the ball in stride, made a move to his right at the 18, but Ram GK Donnelly came out of his net to block the shot attempt.  The half ended with the Tigers holding a 1-0 advantage.  Neither side recorded a corner kick in the half.

-1.The Rams came out strong early in the second half and tied the game.  Just 29 seconds into the half, P-R forced a corner kick.  On the corner, Severyn made a sparkling save on Rios to keep NA in the lead.  On a second corner, a high ball into the box was cleared by NA junior defender Jake Spence.  The Rams continued to pressure the Tiger goal and it paid off at the 2:43 mark when Martin Hoberman was able to roll a ball just across the goal line.  The Rams had tied the game at 1-1.  Two minutes later, Brian Jones served a ball into the box that was caught in the air by Severyn.  The Tigers came back to earn their first corner of the game at the 5:57 mark.  After the Rams cleared the NA attempt, Pine-Richland forced another corner a minute later.  At the 7:22 mark, senior forward Israel Echeverria sent a cross into the box that the Ram defense cleared.  The Rams then put extended pressure on the NA goal in an attempt to take the lead.  After Dee drove a one-hopper that Severyn stopped, P-R forced three consecutive corner kicks.  On each occasion, Klingenberg sent the corner into the penalty area where the Tigers were able to clear it.  After the third corner, Echeverria broke loose on a long run getting a scoring chance from 20 yard but shooting over the goal.  With 28:26 left in the half, junior Peter Howard replaced Severyn in the NA net.  A minute later, Ram GK Donnelly made a good save on Echeverria to keep the game tied.  The Rams forced another corner kick at the 13:42 mark but could not score.  Senior Shawn McCrorey had a chance on a direct kick from 25 yards but sent the attempt over the P-R goal.  Dee came back for the Rams but Howard made a good stop on his shot from inside the box.  Midway through the half, the Tigers sent a long ball toward the box, but GK Donnelly beat Echeverria to the ball.  McCrory came back to shoot wide with 18:48 left.  A minute later, the Rams earned another corner with Howard stopping Klingenberg's attempt from close range.  After the Rams failed to convert on yet another corner, the Tigers had a chance off a corner with 12:38 left, but Donnelly made the save and covered up.  With 11:10 remaining, the Tigers had a great chance to take the lead.  On a perfect passing play, Richter passed to Echeverria on the right side who sent a cross to a breaking Flaherty who directed the ball just wide of the Ram net.  The Tigers forced two more corner kicks but could not score.  With 2:40 left, Dee got loose in the box but could not get off the shot.  The Rams came back with a pair of corner kicks in the last 2:21.  Tiger junior defender Brij Dhanda had the clear the ball off the NA goal line with 40 seconds left to preserve the tie in regulation time.  The teams went to overtime tied at 1-1.

In the first overtime period, neither team had a good scoring chance.  Early in the period, NA senior forward Diego Febres-Cordero sent in a header after a Tiger direct kick but Donnelly made the save.  The Rams earned a corner with 8:11 left, but were off side on the ensuing play.  With 6:23 left, Buysee made a good defense play to stop a Ram break.  A minute later, the Tigers sent a through ball into the box, but Donnelly was able to collect it.  With 3:30 left, Buysse made another good defensive play stopping a breakaway attempt by Klingenberg.  With 1:18 left, Echeverria sent a header toward the goal from the 18, but Donnelly again made the catch.  With 15 seconds left, P-R's Brian Jones shot wide.  With the score still tied at 1-1, time ran out in the first overtime.  The second overtime period lasted only one minute and 53 seconds.  After the Rams earned a corner, Dee sent it into the box where a bouncing ball went right to Mike Jones who scored to end the game.

It was another good effort by the Tigers who came up just a little short.  For his defensive efforts throughout the game, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Evan Buysse as the Player of the Game.  With the loss, the NA section record fell to 1-6-1, the overall mark to 5-8-1.  The Tigers will host Fox Chapel, the #2 ranked team in Class AAA, on Saturday afternoon 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 1:45 pm.  The opening kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
PINE-RICHLAND - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS, SHALER BATTLE TO SCORELESS TIE

by Curt Soergel

Photo Gallery

On a chilly, blustery – and eventually rainy – Tuesday evening at Newman Stadium, the Tiger soccer team faced off against the top team in the Section, the Shaler Titans.  In a hard-fought, physical battle, neither team was able to net a goal, and the game ended in a 0-0 draw. 

The Tigers survived a scare in the early seconds when miscommunication between NA senior keeper Mike Severyn and his defenders left a Shaler striker break in alone on an empty net.  Amazingly, his hurried shot sailed just wide of the goal, and the Tigers were able to quickly regroup.  Severyn and his defensive corps came up big time and time again for the rest of the evening.

At the 31:30 mark, Shaler forward Mark Hanna broke in one-on-one on defender Evan Buysse, who turned Hanna aside with a brilliant defensive effort.  The Tigers used the energy created by Buysse’s defense and quickly turned it into an offensive run.  Jake Spence, who played an exceptionally strong game, sent the first of many excellent centering passes into the box where Dylan Flaherty headed it on net.  Shaler GK Craig Feehan had to make a diving save.

In the 16^th minute, Buysse once again stood up to the Shaler rush, this time giving up his body to break up a 2-on-1 break.  Unfortunately, Buysse was injured on the play and had to leave the game.  He was replaced by Alex Greenblatt, who along with fellow defenders Andy Soergel, Jack Arnold and Spence continued to stop the Titan offensive attack.

Unfortunately, the game took an ugly turn at 15:07 of the first half.  Arnold took an extremely hard charging foul from Shaler forward Corey Casper (who was given a yellow card).  After being tended to on the field for several minutes, Arnold was finally able to get to his feet, but his evening – and perhaps the rest of his season – was over due to a concussion.  Arnold had played an exceptionally strong game to that point.  After having missed all of the early games in the season with a stress fracture, Arnold’s game had started to peak.  He will be missed.  The two sides traded chances the rest of the first half.  Shawn McCrorey and Dane Bralich each had decent scoring opportunities, but Shaler keeper Feehan also was having a strong game, and NA could not register the go-ahead goal.

The second half started with the wind at the Tigers back, and most of the early scoring chances came the Tigers’ way.  In the third minute, Zach Jergan sent an excellent centering ball off a direct kick, and Flaherty redirected it just wide of the goal.  Not long after that, Danny Veres charged down the right side of the field and sent a beautiful crossing pass that just missed connecting with a hard-charging Bralich.  Minutes later, Jergen followed with a beautiful corner kick that rattled around in front of the Titan goal, but the Titans cleared before the Tigers could finish.

Shaler quickly turned the momentum around, and the next several minutes saw several scoring efforts, three of which were stopped by phenomenal reflex saves by keeper Mike Severyn.  After that flurry, the NA defense tightened again, but Severyn’s efforts kept the Tigers even on the scoreboard.  In the 33^rd minute, Diego Febres-Cordero headed a pretty centering pass from Tommy Richter onto the net, but Feehan once again denied the Tigers.  As the second period drew to a close, Shaler midfielder Steve Hamilton had what appeared to be an open shot at Severyn from the 18, but at the last minute, Greenblatt got his leg in front of Hamilton and deflected the ball away.  The second half ended as the first, in a scoreless tie.

The first of the two 10-minute overtimes began with Shaler having the wind advantage.  As a result, most of the opportunities came their way.  But Severyn was tough, stopping Casper with a sliding save.  It was becoming clear that the Tigers simply would not be scored against on this night.  Everyone was playing defense.  The forwards and mids were coming back to help in what was probably the best example of “team” defense that the Tigers showed all year.

In the second overtime, the Tigers had the wind with them, and as a result, they also had the better of the scoring chances.  Richter worked hard to set up Flaherty and sophomore Phil Fives, but the Tigers still couldn’t beat Feehan.  Buysse – who returned to the game as a forward – shot wide off a strong feed from Bralich.  Defender Andy Soergel had one of the best opportunities at the 8:30 mark when he stepped up and rifled a shot at the net from about thirty yards away.  The ball seemed headed for the upper right hand corner of the net, but tailed away at the last possible second.  Jergan and Febres-Cordero made strong scoring efforts in the waning seconds, but this game was one for the defenders – ending after 100 minutes of soccer in a nil-nil draw.  It was one of the Tigers’ strongest showings of the year. 

With the tie, the NA section record is now at 1-5-1 with the overall season mark at 5-7-1.  The Tigers will host Pine-Richland tonight in another section contest 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.  Game time is scheduled for 7:45 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0  SHALER - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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BRALICH'S TWO GOALS LEAD TIGERS OVER CENTER, 4-1

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

by Gene Cuomo

Senior forward Dane Bralich scored a pair of goals, one on a penalty kick, to lead the Tigers to a 4-1 non-section victory over Center on Saturday afternoon at Newman Stadium as part of Soccerfest 2009.  Senior forwards Dylan Flaherty and Diego Febres-Cordero added goals for the winning Tigers.

The Tigers were firing on all cylinders yesterday as they posted a season high four goals.  NA had their best performance of the season in all areas of their play were strong.  Offensively, the Tigers controlled the ball as they dictated the pace of the game and outshot their opponents, 16-8.  Defensively, NA took charge and rarely gave Center a shooting opportunity.  Seniors Evan Buysee and Andy Soergel, along with juniors Jake Spence and Alex Greenblatt and junior goalkeeper Peter Howard, allowed Center only two shots on goal in the first half.

The Tigers came out strong and sent a an early message to Center goalkeeper Mike Girata that he was going to be kept very busy.  At 38:41, senior midfielder Zach Jergan set up Buysse in front of the net with a header that went over the net.  Jergan and Buysse tried it again a minute later as Buysse got his head on the ball again but sent it wide of the net.  Strong midfield play by junior Matt Baird, senior Danny Veres and Bralich made it very difficult for Center to cross into Tiger territory and develop any offensive play.  It wasn't until the 28:55 mark that Center was able to get their first shot at the Tiger goal.

NA never stopped threatening the Center defense as Jergan sent a free kick and a corner kick into the crowd of Tiger attackers at the 27:38 and 25:25 mark of the game.  The constant pressure began to wear down the Center defense.  At 24:50 Flaherty scored the first NA goal off a pass from Bralich giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  Center had a couple of scoring opportunities around the 15:00 minute mark but Tiger keeper Howard deflected a hard shot at the top right corner of the net and Buysse blocked a shot from close range by Center's Luca Campos. 

The Tigers got a nice break when senior Israel Echeverria was tripped in the box on a Tiger 3 vs 2 breakaway and were awarded a penalty kick.  Bralich took the PI and fired it past Center GK Girata giving NA a 2-0 lead.  Center got on the scoreboard at the 6:21 mark off a Tiger miscommunication.  NA closed out the first half with a corner kick broken up by the Center defense, an acrobatic header from Echeverria that was saved by Center's Girata and a pass into the box by Veres that the Center defense cleared.  The Tigers took a 2-1 lead to halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers continued to control play.  At the 34:33 mark, senior Shawn McCrory sent a pass from the right corner to Bralich who delivered his second goal of the game extending the NA lead to 3-1.  A minute later, McCrorey passed to Flaherty who headed it right at the keeper as the Tigers continued to control play.  Flaherty followed with a shot at the 29:05 mark but it went over the crossbar.  With 10:15 left to play, Flaherty set up Febres-Cordero with a 1 on 1 with the keeper , but his shot was blocked.  With three minutes remaining, junior Patrick Cuomo hit Cordero with a pass and the Tiger senior fired it into the goal giving the Tigers a 4-1 lead.  There was no further scoring as the Tigers captured the victory.

With the win, NA improved their overall record to 5-7 on the season.  The Tigers will host Shaler on Tuesday night in a section contest at Newman Stadium.  The starting time is scheduled for 7:45 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  CENTER - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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SENECA VALLEY OUTLASTS TIGERS, 2-1

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

The Seneca Valley Raiders scored early in each half and held off an NA rally to defeat the Tigers, 2-1, at Newman Stadium on Thursday night.  Senior forward Diego Febres-Cordero scored the NA goal on a corner kick midway through the second half, but the Tigers were unable to get the equalizer.

Seneca Valley scored in the first minute.  After a Raider player was pulled down in the box, Richie Kocur drilled the penalty kick into the upper left hand corner to give Seneca a 1-0 lead.  The Tigers came back less than a minute later with junior forward Tommy Richter sending a shot from the left side that SV goalkeeper Justin McAtee  At the 2:30 mark, junior Jake Spence sent a direct kick toward the net tht junior midfielder Phil Fives headed wide of the net.  At the 32:00 minute mark, Seneca's Ryan Vilella sent another hard attempt from 30 yards away that NA senior keeper Mike Severyn caught.  At the 28:30 mark, senior midfielder Zach Jergen drove a hard shot off a direct kick that went straight to McAtee.  At the 25:30 mark, Fives sent a hard shot wide left of the Raider net.  Less than two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Jamie Luchini blasted a one-hopper that the Seneca keeper stopped.  The Raiders came back with a pair of shots as Tyler Izenas shot wide from 30 yards while Greg Rocco sent a header toward the net that Severyn caught.  With 16:30 left, Seneca's Will Hugo made a good defensive play to step an NA scoring chance.  With 12:43 left, Severyn was able to save a header by Hugo.  A minute later, Rocco drilled a one-hopper that the NA keeper stopped.  After a yellow card was given to NA, the Tigers came back with several scoring chances.  A cross by senior forward Dane Bralich was caught by McAtee with 4:32 left.  Less than a minute later, senior forward Dylan Flaherty rolled a shot in from 35 yards that was caught by the keeper.  Finally, as time was running out, Bralich lifted a shot from the right corner that was caught by McAtee.  The half ended with Seneca Valley holding the 1-0 advantage.

Early in the second half, the Tigers applied pressure on the Seneca goal but McAtee came out to punch the ball away and out of the box.  Just 2:58 into the half, Vilella made a long run down the left side with Severyn coming out to try and stop the attempt.  Vilella was able to beat the NA keeper to the ball and lift a soft shot over his head that rolled into the goal.  The Raiders had quickly built a 2-0 lead.  A little over a minute later, the Tigers had their best scoring chance of the game when senior Shawn McCrory broke in from the right side and got off a good shot from 15 yards, but McAtee was able to make the save.  Vilella came back with a long run to send a hard shot from the 18, but Severyn was there to make a good save.  Thirty seconds later, Fives drove an attempt over the goal from 30 yards as the game opened up.  At the 30:30 mark, the Raiders' Drew Williams lifted a high shot from the right side that Severyn was able to catch.  After NA received another yellow card at the 27:28 mark, the Tigers came back to earn their first corner kick of the game.  Febres-Cordero was able to head the ball into the Seneca net to bring the Tigers to within one at 2-1 with 24:44 still remaining in the half.  On the ensuing kickoff, Kocur broke free down the left side but shot just wide of the NA net.  At the 21:51 mark, Severyn was able to outrace D.J. Bucci to a ball at the edge of the box.  Two minutes later, the Raiders earned their first corner of the game but shot wide.  With 15:16 left, Flaherty drilled a long attempt from 35 yards that McAtee caught on one hop.  Junior forward Patrick Cuomo made his presence felt with a shot from 25 yards away that rolled right to the SV keeper.  The Tigers continued to pressure the Raider goal with Richter getting a good chance from the left side from 10 yards away but his attempt went over the Raider net.  Senior Israel Echeverria came in to the game and forced McAtee to make another good save on his shot from the right side at the edge of the box with 10:58 left.  A minute later, Fives shot wide right from 25 yards.  With 7:45 left, Williams came back for Seneca to drive a high shot from long range that Severyn caught easily.  With 6:30 remaining, Fives tried to connect with Bralich in the box but the cross was just over his head.  With 3:00 left, senior defender Evan Buysse jumped up into the play but his attempt was stopped by McAtee.  With 2:10 left, Vilella had another good try that just missed right of the Tiger net.  One last chance for NA came with 30 seconds on the clock but Flaherty's long shot went right to McAtee.  Time ran out on the Tigers with Seneca Valley holding on for the 2-1 victory.

It was a strong effort by the Tigers but the two early goals, one in each half, by the Raiders seemed to have NA in the hole all night long.  The NA defense, led by Buysse, junior Alex Greenblatt and Spence, did a good job of keeping SV from good scoring chances with Severyn making key saves throughout the contest.  The offense had their chances but could not finish.  For his efforts in bringing the Tigers back into the game, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Diego Febres-Cordero as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 1-5, the overall mark to 4-7 on the season.  The Tigers will host Center in a non-section game tomorrow afternoon as part of SoccerFest.  Game time is scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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2009 WPIAL BOYS' SOCCER

The Tigers will compete again in the WPIAL Class AAA along with 31 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 following method: three points for a win, one point for a tie.  Teams that tie for first place will not have the tie broken and each will be declared champions and will receive a section winner's plaque.  Those teams will enter the tournament; and if the teams tied for first place total three or more, NO OTHER TEAMS WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE TOURNAMENT.  If only two teams are tied for first, 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 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 - only two teams qualify, the WPIAL champion and runnerup.

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.

2009 CLASS AAA ALIGNMENT - 32 TEAMS

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