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GAME SUMMARIES

NA CRUSHES LATROBE 10-0

GAME SUMMARY

INDIVIDUAL STATS

GK: Noel:    0 saves, 0 shots faced
Belko:  1 Saves, 1 shots faces

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NA FIELD HOCKEY EARNS SPLIT IN OHIO

The North Allegheny Lady Tigers field hockey team traveled to Ohio last weekend, earning a split against two premier field hockey programs.  The trip proved to be strong competition for NA, as they continue to dominate section play at home. 

NA vs Hathaway Brown

For their first game, they faced one of Ohio's top field hockey teams, Hathaway Brown.  The first half became a midfield battle between the two teams, as NA's midfield stepped up against Hathaway Brown’s speedy forwards.  Sophomore Victoria Robertson stepped up her transition play to lead the left side attack with fellow Sophomore Emily Humiston and Juniors Lauren Shideler and Maria Baldoneri.  Senior goalkeeper Leanna Noel earned 5 saves to end the half.

After the halftime break, Hathaway Brown scored just two and a half minutes into the half when an opposing player was blocked goalkeeper Noel from playing the ball.  The Tigers roared back quickly, as Senior captain Sophie Batton sent a pass to Humiston, who managed to beat three HB defenders and the goalkeeper, tying up the score a mere 13 seconds later.  The contest continued to be a midfield struggle with some breakaways by NA.  However, these plays ultimately resulted in no shots or corners.  Goalkeeper Noel maintained a strong game, earning 11 saves for the half, some of which were very dramatic, diving saves.  With two minutes remaining in the game, Shideler had a defensive save, keeping the game tied, and sending it into overtime.

In the first two minutes of overtime, NA had the ball in HB's defensive circle.  A key pass by Junior Paige Vanerstrom to Junior Carley Thieret gave NA a chance to finish the game.  However, the goalie moved to her post before Thieret was unable to score the ball.  With their tough circle play, HB was able to force play into the NA zone.  HB was able to earn two penalty corners in which the unit of Sofranko, Vanerstrom, and Shideler were able to stop.  However, with 3:17 remaining in overtime, HB was able to score the deciding goal, winning the struggle, 2-1. 

Following the game, Coach Diaz was pleased with how NA responded to adversity, quickly responding to the Hathaway Brown goal.  HB was only the second team this season to score first against the Lady Tigers this season and the players responded by taking it personally.  

GAME SUMMARY

INDIVIDUAL STATS

GK: Noel:    20 saves, 22 shots faced
Defensive Save: Lauren Shideler, 1

NA vs Hawken

After the disappointing loss, the Lady Tigers were determined to finish on a victory.  NA outshot and outcornered Hawken to earn a solid victory.  Hawken had a very dynamic right side, but NA adjusted and attacked on their right.  During the first period, the Lady Tigers accumulated 8 shots on goal.  Yet, no one managed to put the ball through the pipes.  In the last minute of the half, the Lady Tigers earned a penalty corner.  Junior Lauren Shideler inserted to Junior Paige Vanerstrom who blew the ball into the goal, giving North Allegheny a 1-0 lead.  NA closed the half with 9 shots on goal, 4 penalty corners and GK Leanna Noel earned 1 save.

During the second half, NA controlled the game with strong right side play of Senior Captain Sophie Batton, Sophomore Rachel Wetzel, Vanerstrom and Sophomore Michelle Murray.  With 9:28 remaining, Vanerstrom earned an assist on Sophomore's Megan Grzyb's fourth goal of the season.  Gk Becca Belko was subbed in for the remainder of the game.  She and Noel earned NA's ninth shutout this season as the Lady Tigers won, 2-0, finishing the weekend with a (1-1) record.

After the split, Coach Diaz explained the North Allegheny set up the schedule to compete with the best teams.  Hathaway Brown is a one of the top field hockey programs in Ohio.  Consequently, the Lady Tigers were up for the challenge, entering the game with a hungry attitude, pride, and intense emotion. 

The field hockey team will resume action Tuesday afternoon at Latrobe, as they try to maintain their perfect section record.  Game time is scheduled for 4:00.

GAME SUMMARY

INDIVIDUAL STATS

GK: Noel:    5 saves, 5 shots faced
Belko:  0 Saves, 0 shots faces

Defensive Save: Alexa Sofranko, 1

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NA FIELD HOCKEY BEATS HEMPFIELD 9-0

by Jen Diaz

North Allegheny Field Hockey dominated Hempfield, 9-0, on Thursday afternoon, running the Lady Tigers’ record to (9-3), and a perfect (7-0) in the section thus far.  Juniors Carley Thieret and Lauren Shideler and senior Sophie Batton led the way with two goals each. 

NA took control from the start of the game, earning a penalty corner off a Hempfield back pass 45 seconds in.   The girls continued to relentlessly pressure the Hempfield defense.  Finally, with 13:45 remaining in the period, the Lady Tigers opened up the scoring barrage.  Off a corner play, Shideler lifted the ball over the Hempfield goalkeeper sprawled on the ground.  NA capitalized again just 15 seconds later when Sophomore Rachel Wetzel, earned her first varsity goal of the season, popping the cross ball by Thieret in the top left corner of the cage.  NA closed out the half with a Thieret goal off an assist from Shideler. Senior GK Leanna Noel faced no shots on goal in the first half, due to the shut down defense of Juniors Alexa Sofranko and Maria Baldoneri and Sophomore Michelle Murray.  NA earned 8 penalty corners and peppered 16 shots on goal in the half.

The second half opened up with Thieret scoring her second goal off an assist by senior Captain Hailey Mancuso.  A minute and a half later Sophomore Emily Humiston got on the board from Mancuso's second assist of the game.  At the midpoint of the half, the Lady Tigers earned another penalty corner.  Humiston's initial shot was redirected in by Shideler, her second goal of the game.  The game wrapped up with two goals by Senior Captain Batton and one more by Victoria Robertson with Junior Sara Briggs earning assists on each.  Junior Becca Belko played in her first varsity game since being cleared of her injury, earning one save.  Junior defender Emily Hesidence also earned a defensive save.  NA finished the game with a total of 34 shots on goal and 14 penalty corners.

The coaching staff was very happy to give playing time to every player on the roster.  The team rallied around each other as more opportunities were presented to each player.  This resulted in the girls embracing new challenges of being placed in new positions.  It was a well earned victory and the team is looking forward to continuing this momentum this weekend.

The Field Hockey team will be back in action Saturday morning in Cleveland, Ohio against Hathaway Brown.  Game time is at 9:00 am.  The Lady Tigers' next section game will be on Tuesday afternoon in Latrobe at 4:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 9  HAMPTON - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

FIELD HOCKEY TEAM EXTENDS WIN STREAK

To listen to a replay of the game click HERE!

The North Allegheny Field Hockey team dominated another opponent Tuesday night, extending their win streak to three with a win over Penn-Trafford, 2-0.  The Lady Tigers outshot the Warriors, 13-5.  After some back and forth play early on, North Allegheny seized control of the game after the first six minutes, and continued to control play throughout.  

The Lady Tigers first struck when Sophie Batton scored with 17:23 remaining in the first half.  Seven minutes later, Emily Humiston added an insurance goal, putting the game out of reach for the visiting Warriors.

With the victory, the Lady Tigers improved to (8-3) overall, (6-0) in section play.  For her efforts in the contest, the North Allegheny Sports Network named junior forward Carley Thieret as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

The Field Hockey team will return to the field Thursday afternoon in a section contest at Hempfield.  Game time is scheduled for 3:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  PINE-RICHLAND - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS GO TO 5-0 IN SECTION WITH 1-0 VICTORY OVER PINE-RICHLAND

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

Junior midfielder Paige Vanerstrom scored 4:47 into the game and the goal was all the Lady Tigers needed to defeat Pine-Richland, 1-0, in a section contest at Newman Stadium on Wednesday night.  NA dominated play, outshooting the Rams, 23-3, while recording 17 penalty corners to just 2 for P-R.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved to 5-0 in section play, 6-2 overall on the season.  For their play in the contest, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Wright Automotive Co-Players of the Game.  Selected for the awards were junior forward Carley Thieret and sophomore midfielder/forward Emily Humiston.  For Pine-Richland, goalie Alyssa Lerda was outstanding in goal and was a key reason the Rams stayed in the game.  Senior GK Leanna Noel played the entire game and earned the victory and shutout.

The Lady Tigers will host Penn-Trafford next Tuesday as section play continues.  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 - 1  PINE-RICHLAND - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS SPLIT PAIR AT TWIN VALLEY

by Coach Jen Diaz

TWIN VALLEY - 4 NA - 2

NA Tigers took it to Eastern PA this weekend to test against Coach Maddy's alma mater. The Lady Tigers roared in the first 2 minutes of the game earning a penalty corner. Junior Lauren Shideler had a smooth insert for junior Paige Vanerstrom to nail down and junior Carley Thieret blasted the shot which hit the defender's stick and ricocheted over the goalkeeper's shoulder to score. Thieret earned the goal and Vanerstrom and Shideler earned the assists. Twin Valley answered by working the ball into the NA defensive circle and earning a penalty corner at the 24:23 mark. The Tiger defense lead by senior GK Leanna Noel shut down their effort. NA called a time out to regroup the defense and to clam the Twin Valley momentum. NA and Twin Valley played an intense battle in the middle of the field with smart offensive plays by Vanerstrom, Thieret and senior Captain Sophie Batton. The next penalty corner was earned by Twin Valley with 11 minutes remaining in the half. On a strong set piece, Twin Valley was able to get on the board, converting on their corner. Twin Valley had strong step ups in the back field to thwart NA attack to their circle. Twin Valley took the lead at the 8:56 mark, scoring off another penalty corner. Three minutes later, Twin Valley exploded again to finish the ball when GK Noel dove for the ball to make the save and the Twin valley player lifted the ball over the pads to increase their lead to two. NA called a time out to calm to team and regroup. Off the pass back, NA took the ball and rammed up the field to earn a penalty corner. NA executed the shot and was banging the ball and the gk who went down to save the ball. Junior Shideler was on the post and pulled the ball back and popped it over the goalie to close the scoring gap. With 4 minutes remaining, NA continued the offensive pressure to close the half. NA had 4 shots on goal, 2 corners and Noel had 6 GK saves.

The second half was a tough battle. Twin Valley was on the offensive attack out shooting NA 18-6. The NA defense of junior Alexa Sofranko, Junior Maria Baldonieri, and sophomore Michelle Murray made some smart plays and great step ups to delay the attack. Twin Valley scored the last goal of the game with 25:20 remaining in the half off of another penalty corner. Of the corner unit Sofranko earned 3 defensive saves, Shideler and Murray earned 1 defensive save each. NA wrapped up the second half with 6 shots on goal and 1 penalty corner and GK Noel had 17 saves to make her game total 23.

GAME SUMMARY
TWIN VALLEY - 4  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

NA - 3  COATESVILLE - 0

Coming off a tough loss against Twin Valley, the Lady Tigers had a few minutes to regroup and recharge for their contest verses Coatesville. NA started with the ball and they made smart possession passes to work the ball into Coatesville circle. Keeping the ball in the 25, NA got on the board by junior Carley Thieret's goal in the first 5 minutes of play. NA's right side offense lead by seniors Amanda "Spike" Worsley, Sophie Batton and junior Paige Vanerstrom continued to work the ball into their defensive zone. With 17:40 remaining in the half, Thieret once again chased down a rebound and sent the ball in the back of the cage to take the lead by two. Coatesville responded by earning a penalty corner that was shot down by the defensive unit. NA continued to keep offensive pressure on Coatesville earning 6 penalty corners and ripping 15 shots on goal the first half. GK Noel was giving a break by the tough NA defense of Sofranko, Baldonieri and Murray who received no shots on goal.

After the half, the left side of NA's attack rose to the occasion with senior captain Hailey Mancuso, junior Lauren Shideler and off the bench sophomores Rachel Wetzel and Megan Gryzb. NA scored their final tally of the game in the first 4 minutes of the half by a rip at the top of the circle by Vanerstrom. NA continued to dominate the remainder of the game, utilizing their entire bench. GK Noel earned 1 save while freshman GK Morgan Mendenhall was substituted in the game for Coatesville final offensive rally making 3 saves and stepping up for 4 penalty corners, ensuring the shutout. Sofranko earned 1 defensive save. The team earned 21 shots on goal and 9 penalty corners for the game.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3 COATESVILLE - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

Coaches' Note: Coming off a dominate week in the WPIAL, Coaches Jen Diaz and Maddy Berkley were excited to see how the NA Tigers would take on Eastern PA teams. NA picked up their tempo of play against an aggressive TV team. It was a fairly even match with the exception of a 10 minute block in the second half. We are very proud of how the defense responded to the varying shots of the Twin Valley offense and how the midfield transition was hurried up also. Coming off of a tough loss, NA responded strong to Coatesville taking the momentum early and not letting up. In these challenging games, we were pleased to see the team respond smartly and speed up the decision making on the field. These challenging matches will drive our second half of the WPIAL season and take us one step closer to achieving our team goals.

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LADY TIGERS BLANK NORWIN, 3-0, TO STAY UNBEATEN IN SECTION

by Coach Jen Diaz

The Lady Tigers traveled to Norwin on Thursday night and came home with a 3-0 victory over the section rival Lady Knights.  The Lady Tigers finished the game with 36 shots on goal, 16 penalty corners and Senior Leanna Noel played a complete game for the shut out and earned 4 saves.

The Lady Tigers dominated first half of play, speckling the Norwin keeper with shots. The Tigers offense led by senior Sophie Batton and Junior Carley Thieret didn't let up on the goalie attack. The Tigers midfield transition led bjunior Lauren Shideler, senior Captain Hailey Mancuso andjunior Paige Vanerstrom continued to shut down any Norwin counter attack and connect with forwards to keep the ball in the Norwin circle. Norwin was able to break away from the play with a hard fee hit up the field, connecting with a forward. She entered the circle and crossed the ball with to a teammate who attacked the cage. Noel dove across the cage with stop the ball and it went out of bounds. The Norwin long hit was then shut down by the NA defense, and the Tiger counter-attack was strong to send the ball back to the Norwin circle. With less than 3 minutes in the half, NA earned their 9th corner. With a botched play, Thieret was able to get the shot off to be stopped by the Knight goalkeeper. Vanerstrom chased down the rebound and crossed the ball to be one-timed by Mancuso in the back of the boards. NA entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.

After the half, NA started the offensive attack with two quick corners. Being stopped twice, the NA transition continued to shut down the Norwin forward progress. Frustrations mounted for the Lady Knights when Norwin's McCallister was penalized with a yellow card at the Norwin 35 yard line and forced to sit out 5 minutes at the 17:55 mark. NA immediately countered with a free hit taken by Shideler, who connected with Mancuso and passed the ball to sophomore Emily Humiston who pulled around her opponent to finish the ball past the keeper. With less than 3 minutes left in the game, Norwin earned a penalty corner in their final attempt to get on the boards. With a wild insert, the ball was picked up by junior Maria Baldonieri and connected with her left side to put the ball back into the Norwin circle. NA earned their 7th corner of the half. With the initial shot off, Humiston picked up the rebound and put it in the back of the net to secure the 3-0 victory.

With the win, the section record improved to 4-0, the overall mark to 5-0.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Twin Valley High School on Saturday for a pair of games.  NA will meet Twin Valley at 10:00 am followed by a contest with Coatesville at 12:00 noon.

Coaches' Note: Our focus was persistence and with over 30 shots on goal, our team offense was persistent in continuously attacking the Norwin circle. Our defense really stepped up to protect our circle and counter any momentum Norwin wished to create. We are excited with the growth of the team and are looking forward to testing our team offense and team defense this weekend in Eastern Pennsylvania.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORWIN - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS ROLL OVER LATROBE, 12-0

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

The Lady Tigers took an early lead and never looked back as they cruised to a 12-0 section victory over Latrobe at Newman Stadium on Tuesday night.  Four players --- sophomore Emily Humiston, junior Carley Thieret, junior Alexa Sofranko, and junior Maria Baldonieri --- scored two goals each to pace NA.  Junior midfielder Paige Vanerstrom had a goal and three assists while directing the NA attack.

NA wasted little time in taking control of the game.  Junior midfielder Lauren Shideler got the Lady Tigers off and running on an assist from Vanerstrom just 1:08 into the game.  Humiston made it a 2-0 game with a goal four minutes later.  At the 10:05 mark, Thieret found the net with Vanerstrom picking up her second assist as the lead increased to 3-0.  Senior forward and co-captain Sophie Batton extended the margin to 4-0 minutes later with senior Amanda "Spike" Worsley picking up the assist.  It was Thieret again at the 12:55 mark as the lead ballooned to 5-0.  The Lady Tigers added one more goal in the first half when senior co-captain Hailey Mancuso scored on an assist from Batton.  Senior Leanna Noel was in goal in the first half for NA but was not tested as the Lady Tigers took a commanding 6-0 advantage to the intermission.

Once again, the Lady Tigers struck early in the second half.  NA Coach Jen Diaz not only substituted liberally in the game, but in the second half allowed some of the defensive players to move up front.  The coaching move resulted in the first career goal for junior Alexa Sofranko with sophomore Megan Grzyb earning the assist.  The goal came just 1:12 into the half as the NA lead went to 7-0.  Sofranko came back with her second goal with 16:25 remaining with sophomore Victoria Robinson picking up the helper as the score went to 8-0.  Junior Maria Baldonieri scored with 9:52 left on an assist from junior Sarah Briggs to make it a 9-0 game.  Baldonieri, another defensive player, scored again with 8:18 left with Vanerstrom earning her third assist of the game as the score went to 10-0.  Humiston scored her second of the game with 5:22 left, and Vanerstrom added a goal to her totals to complete the scoring as the Lady Tigers romped to the easy 12-0 victory.  Freshman Megan Mendenhall was in goal for the second half for the Lady Tigers.

It was a dominating performance by the Lady Tigers as they remained unbeaten in section play.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Paige Vanerstrom as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.  With the win, NA improved to 3-0 in section play, 4-2 overall.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Norwin tomorrow night for a key section matchup.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Norwin Stadium.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 12  LATROBE - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS BLANK PENN-TRAFFORD, 2-0

The Lady Tigers came back from a tough weekend in Hershey to post a 2-0 section victory at Penn-Trafford on Monday afternoon.  After the teams had battled to a scoreless tie after one half of play. senior forward Sophie Batton and sophomore forward Emily Humiston scored goals to give the Lady Tigers the victory.

In the first half, it took the Lady Tigers some time to get into the game after the long trip over the weekend.  Eventually, NA did collect ten shots on goal and earned six penalty corners but could not score against the Warriors.  In the back, the Tiger defense, led by junior Alexa Sofranko, limited the PT offense to five penalty corners and shots on goal.  Junior Becca Belko got the start in goal and kept the Warriors off the scoreboard in the half.

Early in the second half, the Lady Tigers took control of the game as they forced a short corner in the first minute of the period.  After two more quick corners, NA finally converted on the third.  After the Lady Tigers got off the initial shot on the corner, senior Amanda "Spike" Worsley grabbed the rebound and dished it off to Humiston who drove it into the cage.  NA took a 1-0 lead early in the half.  The Lady Tigers continued to pressure the PT defense with strong play by junior Carley Thieret and junior midfielders Paige Vanerstrom and Lauren Shideler.  On the ninth corner of the half, Batton scored to give NA a 2-0 advantage on an assist from Humiston.  With a minute remaining, the Warriors earned their second corner of the half.  On a hard lifted shot toward the NA goal, senior GK Leanna Noel made the save and sent the ball over the back of the net to seal the shutout.  Noel recorded three saves in the half.  The NA backfield was led by sophomore MIchelle Murray who shut down the Warriors' senior scoring threat and held her to no shots on goal.

With the win, NA improved their section record to 3-0, the overall mark to 3-2 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Latrobe on Tuesday in a 7:45 pm section contest.

(Thanks again to Coach Diaz for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  PENN-TRAFFORD - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS DROP PAIR AT HERSHEY INVITATIONAL

The Lady Tigers met tough sledding at the Hershey Invitational on Saturday.  In the opener, the host team blanked NA, 3-0, despite a good effort on the part of the Lady Tigers.  In the battle for third place, NA took a 1-0 halftime lead only to see Central York rally for a pair of goals and take a 2-1 decision.

In the first game, Hershey started quickly and earned a short corner only two minutes into the contest.  The NA defense, led by junior goalkeeper Becca Belko, shut them down.  Good defensive midfield play by sophomore right back Michelle Murray helped to stop the Hershey attack.  The Trojans earned two more short corners at the 15:19 and 13:46 marks that were stopped by junior fly Paige Vanerstrom.  Strong possession plays by junior Carley Thieret and senior captain Sophie Batton earned NA a short corner at the 10:27 mark.  With a strong effort by sophomore Emily Humiston, Thieret, and junior Lauren Shideler got off a strong shot that the Hershey GK had to stop at her knees.  Hershey answered with three quick penalty corners that Belko had to make good saves to keep the game scoreless.  With 2:54 left, Alyssa Voelmie scored on an assist from Lauren Wilson to give Hershey a 1-0 lead at the intermission.

NA made a few adjustments at the beginning of the second half, but Hershey broke through to earn a short corner just 30 seconds into the half.  Once again, the NA defense stepped up to stop the attack.  The Lady Tigers asnwered with strong midfield plays by Shideler and Vanerstrom to work the ball into the offensive zone.  Hershey came, however, to earn a short corner with Wilson scoring on an assist from Rachel Claroni at the 23:43 mark to put Hershey ahead, 2-0.  NA had a chance to cut into the lead when they forced another short corner at the 22:40 mark.  With a quick insert by Thieret, NA was unable to score when the shot was not executed quickly.  When Hershey was working a free hit at the 16 yard mark, Shideler was cited with a green card for her aggressive play at the 22:15 mark.  Hershey worked the ball into the offensive end and forced two more short corners.  Once again, the NA defense stepped up led by juniors Alexa Sofranko and Maria Baldoneri.  The Lady Tigers were able to gain some momentum in the midfield thanks to strong play from Shideler and Humiston connecting with Thieret and Batton, but the Hershey GK was able to deny all attempts.  With 8:16 remaining, Hershey sealed the fate of the Lady Tigers when Voelmie scored her second goal of the game on another assist by Wilson to give the Trojans a commanding 3-0 lead.  In the remaining minutes, NA put pressure on the Hershey net but was unable to score.  Hershey completed the 3-0 victory.

The defensive unit led NA with Baldoneri, Vanerstrom, and Murray each recording three defensive saves.  Sofranko added two saves and Shideler one for the Lady Tigers.  Belko had 29 saves in net, a tremendous effort that earned her a position on the Hershey All-Tournament team.

COACH'S NOTES: The NA coaching staff is extremely proud of the effort the team put into the game.  The goals allowed were all off short corners.  Although NA gave up quite a few corners during the game, the defense utilized strong positioning and block tackles to stop much of the Hershey attack.  This was the first test to the defense since the WRA scrimmages and the defensive technical and tactical items practiced were put to play confidently.  In the second half, the team, the team made offensive adjustments to have better possession plays in the midfield.  We saw the level of NA field hockey play being raised with each minute of the game.

CENTRAL YORK - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

In the consolation contest, the Lady Tigers played a strong game against the Panthers of Central York.  The NA defensive corner unit shut down the Panthers, and NA went on to dominate the remaining time in the half.  After the first five minutes of play, NA had strong midfield play by Thieret, Humiston and Batton.  They were able to make hard possession passes to work the ball into the CY defensive zone.  At the 10:10 mark, NA earned their only penalty corner of the game.  The Panther goalkeeper made the save on the initial shot, but Humiston retrieved the rebound and passed to Batton who scored.  NA took a 1-0 lead.  With less than 10 minutes remaining, Central York worked the ball to earn a short corner.  Once again, the NA defense was able to stop the attempt.  The Lady Tigers took a 1-0 lead at the intermission after recording eight shots on goal.

Central York came out strong early in the second half and took control of the game.  CY tied the game just four minutes into the half.  With the game tied at 1-1, the Panthers went on to earn seven penalty corners and post 15 shots on goal.  Senior GK Leanna Noel was able to make great saves in the circle to keep the game tied at 1-1.  Even though the entire NA bench became involved in the game, the Lady Tigers were unable to mount any offensive pressure in an attempt to take the lead.  At the 16:00 minute mark, Noel had to dive for the ball and was able to trap it under her pads.  With five minutes left in the game, the Panthers scored off a quickly executed short corner.  NA tried to counter but were able to put in the equalizer as  Central York held on for the 2-1 victory.  GK Noel ended the game with 26 saves, one of which was a penalty stroke, and she was named to the Hershey All-Tournament team for her efforts.

With the losses, the NA record fell to 2-2 on the season.  Once again, the trip gave the Lady Tigers a chance to play against tough opposition from the central part of the state.  NA will travel to Penn-Trafford this afternoon to resume section action with a 4:00 pm game against the Warriors.

(Special thanks to Coach Diaz for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARIES
HERSHEY - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

CENTRAL YORK - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS PREVAIL OVER HEMPFIELD,
2-0, DESPITE LIGHTNING

Lightning and storms put an end to the section opener between NA and Hempfield on Tuesday night at Newman Stadium with the game not completed.  The Lady Tigers held a 2-0 lead when weather intervened forcing the postponement.  According to NA Athletic Director, the WPIAL has confirmed that the Lady Tigers will be awarded the victory and the game will not have to be completed.

The Lady Tigers came out strong in the first half maintaining possession passes and contorl of the game flow.  NA was able to get numerous scoring opportunities and was able to keep the ball in the offensive zone with strong possession passes from senior Amanda "Spike" Worsley, junior Paige Vanerstrom and sophomore Michelle Murray.  The pressure paid off when junior Megan Grzyb scored the opening goal of the game after taking a pass from senior captain Sophie Batton.  NA came back to regain possession again with strong play on the left side from junior Lauren Shideler, sophomore Emily Humiston and Grzyb creating a short corner with their efforts.  After an initial shot went wide of the net, ,Grzyb scored her second goal of the game with Batton again assisting as NA took a 2-0 lead.  The Lady Tigers went on to accumulate seven more short corners in the first half and racked up a total of 17 shots on goal.  The NA backfield was led by junior Alexa Sofranko in support of junior goalkeeper Becca Belko who kept Hempfield off the board making two saves. 

After taking the 2-0 lead after the first half, neither team could score in the second half before lightning halted play.  Continual lightning forced cancellation of the remainder of the game with the Lady Tigers being awarded the 2-0 victory.

With the win, NA improved to 2-0 in section play.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Hershey this weekend to play in the Hershey Invitational.  NA will play several games against top competition from central Pennsylvania.

(Thanks again to Coach Diaz for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  HEMPFIELD - 0

 * - game called because of lightning

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LADY TIGERS TOP OAKLAND CATHOLIC, 5-1

The Lady Tigers successfully opened the 2010 section season with an impressive 5-1 victory over Oakland Catholic on Saturday afternoon at Newman Stadium.  Junior Carley Thieret scored a pair of goals and added two assist to pace NA to the victory.

Early in the first half, the Lady Tigers began to pressure the OC goal.  Just 1:30 into the game, NA earned a short corner but could not convert.  The Lady Tigers forced two additional short corners but shots went wide of the net.  Eight minutes into the contest,  Thieret took a pass from sophomore Emily Humiston and slammed it home to give NA a 1-0 lead.  Two minutes later, the Lady Tigers were back in the Oakland Catholic circle and earned two more corners.  With the Eagle goalie under constant pressure, senior captain Sophie Batton set up Thieret for her second goal of the game.  The Eagles responded with their first short corner of the contest.  NA junior fly Paige Vanerstrom fended off the initial shot and transitioned the ball to the offensive end.  Sophomore Megan Grzyb was able to collect the ball off the goalkeeper's pad and score on the rebound to give NA a 3-0 lead.  It was the first varsity regular season goal for Grzyb.  The Lady Tigers continued the pressure when Humiston broke in on a breakaway and scored over the goalkeeper's left shoulder.  Unfortunately, the goal was called back.  NA forced two more short corners before the end of the half.  In the last minute of the half, OC created a corner but junior GK Becca Belko denied the chance to keep the Eagles off the board.  Belko was making her first regular season start between the pipes where she made four saves in the half.  The Lady Tigers held a 3-0 advantage at the intermission.

Early in the second half, the Lady Tigers forced two more short corners.  After the Eagles stopped the attempts, OC was able to convert on a breakawy on the left side scoring at the five minute mark.  The NA lead was cut to 3-1.  The Lady Tigers responded with strong defensive play led by junior back Alexa Sofranko.  Humiston was able to avenge her denied goal when she took a pass from Thieret and scored at the 9:40 mark of the half to make it a 4-1 game.  With 8:00 minutes remaining, NA earned their sixth corner of the half.  After the Eagle GK made the initial save, Thieret gathered in the rebound and found senior captain Hailey Mancuso open for the fifth and final NA score of the day.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as the Lady Tigers went on to the 5-1 victory.  In the second half, senior goalkeeper Leanna Noel allowed just one goal and made two saves.

It was a dominating performance for the Lady Tigers who racked up 16 short corners and 28 shots on goal in winning the home opener.  The win gives NA a 1-0 record in section play.  Hempfield will visit Newman Stadium on Tuesday night to face the Lady Tigers in a section contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:45 pm.

(Special thanks to Coach Diaz for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  OAKLAND CATHOLIC - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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