2012 Varsity Girls' Soccer

(10/18/12) In their final tune-up before the WPIAL Playoffs, the North Allegheny Girls Soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to the Norwin Knights. Norwin scored two goals in the second half to claim the victory and improve to 13-3-2 on the season.

Despite falling behind, the Lady Tigers pressured the Norwin net in an effort to battle back into the game. With just over seven minutes to play, a shot by freshman Gabby Smychynsky missed just high and the Tigers deficit remained at two goals. North Allegheny received a good effort from Lauren Dutton, Lauren Briggs, Andi Mancuso, Marina Thornton and Elena Young as many of the Lady Tigers saw action in the season finale.

North Allegheny’s record moves to 12-5 overall following the contest with Norwin. The Lady Tigers will prepare for their playoff opener against the Gateway Gators in Monroeville, PA on Saturday evening. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 pm and the game will be covered live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY	0	0	0
NORWIN	0	2	2

(10/16/12) Having already clinched a playoff spot, the Lady Tigers Soccer Team denied section rival Pine-Richland the same opportunity with 2-1 win over the Rams on Monday night. North Allegheny’s win eliminated the Rams from playoff contention and gives NA sole possession of third place in Section 2.

North Allegheny scored the game’s first goal when good passes from Maria Carr and Maddie Layman found the foot of Amanda Miller who promptly scored to give the Lady Tigers a 1-0 with 24:27 on the first half clock. Pine-Richland tied the game at 16:13 on a penalty kick but NA regained the lead on another goal from Miller to grab a 2-1 advantage with 9:26 to go in the half. Miller’s second goal was set up on a great pass from Savana Yurick.

The entire game was well played defensively by both teams, and in particular in the second half, as neither team would tally a goal the rest of the night. NA goalie Madison Martin made some tremendous saves in the second half to keep the Lady Tigers in front, including one save on a penalty kick early in the second half and another on a breakaway by Rams standout Olivia Brandy. On the breakaway midway through the second half, Martin made the initial save and Brandy’s rebound was denied by Yurick who dropped back into the goal to clear the rebound opportunity.

With the win, North Allegheny now sits at 12-4 overall and 8-4 in Section 2. Pine-Richland falls to 11-6 overall and 6-6 in the section. The Lady Tigers wrap up their regular season schedule on Wednesday with visit to Norwin ahead of the WPIAL Playoffs next week.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY	2	0	2
PINE-RICHLAND	1	0	1

(10/10/12) The North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team locked up a playoff berth on Wednesday night with a convincing 8-0 victory over the North Hills Indians. Regardless of what happens in their next game against the Rams, the Tigers assured themselves a spot in the post-season thanks to the win over North Hills.

While the contest against the Indians ended in a blowout, it began as a tight affair and a one-goal lead for NA at halftime. The Lady Tigers scored the game's first goal with 24:35 remaining in the first half when Eleni Carr bounced a shot off the Indians goalkeeper and Maddie Layman drove home the rebound for a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the Lady Tigers wasted little time scoring goal after goal. Alex Mermigas scored from ten yards out less than five minutes into the second half to increase the NA lead to 2-0. Layman tallied her second goal of the game just a over minute later to make it 3-0, Tigers. In an attempt to rally their way back into the game, the Indians got a rare shot on net but were denied on a great save by NA goalie Madison Martin. From that point on, the North Allegheny assault on the North Hills cage continued as Andi Mancuso, Angela Marsico, Cailyn Spencer and Sarah Chomos all posted shots on net. Putting the game on ice for the Tigers in the second half, Savana Yurick, Megan Van Kirk, Christine Palmeri, Lauren Briggs and Madeleine Heistand all scored goals to finish off the Indians, 8-0.

With the win. North Allegheny improves to 11-4 overall and 7-4 in Section 2. North Hills drops to 2-13 overall and 1-11 in section play. The Lady Tigers wrap up their section schedule on Tuesday night at Pine-Richland. A win for NA will bounce the Rams from the playoff hunt. A Pine-Richland win would force a tie for third place in the section and allow the Rams to slip into the post-season. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY	1	7	8
NORTH HILLS	0	0	0

(10/8/12) The Lady Tigers dropped a 3-1 decision to the Seneca Valley Raiders on Monday night at Newman stadium. The Raiders were spurred on by two second half goals by senior Rachel Leake to grab the section victory and a Section 2 title.

With their eyes on securing a playoff spot of their own, the Lady Tigers struck first with 28:56 on the clock in the first half. Junior Ryleigh Gapczynski kicked a long shot off the cross-bar that caromed to senior Maddie Layman for a close range goal and a 1-0 Tigers lead. Seneca Valley tied the score with 16:45 to go in the half when senior Alex Bilka scored on a free kick from 20-yards out and the scoreboard read, 1-1.

North Allegheny controlled the play in the opening 15 minutes of the second half as Layman, sophomore Savana Yurick, and senior Madeleine Heistand pressured the Seneca Valley net with scoring opportunities. However, the Raiders staved off the Tigers and scored the go-ahead goal with 23:03 to go in the game on Leake’s first goal of the night. Leake’s second goal with 4:15 to go iced the game for the Raiders.

Despite the loss, North Allegheny sports a record of 10-4 and 6-4 in Section 2. Seneca Valley improves to 14-1 and 10-1 in the section. The Lady Tigers hope to bounce back with a visit to North Hills on Wednesday night. Kickoff is slated for 7:45 pm.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
SENECA VALLEY	1	2	3
NORTH ALLEGHENY	1	0	1

(10/6/12) The North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team came up with a big win on Friday night with a 3-0 shutout over the Hampton Talbots. The Lady Tigers jumped on Hampton less than three minutes into the game on a goal by senior Maddie Layman and never looked back as NA dictated the play much of the night. The Layman goal was set up on a pass by Ryleigh Gapczynski and the favor was returned 11 minutes later. With 26:25 to go in the half, Gapczynski scored on a touch pass from Layman to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Layman tallied another goal with just 17 seconds remaining in the half to increase the NA lead to 3-0. On the goal, Layman used tremendous footwork to beat a defender for the final goal of the night.

The Lady Tigers continued to penetrate the Hampton defense for continuous shots by Eleni Carr, Alexa Mermigas and Amanda Miller in the second half. Whenever the Talbots could manage a shot on net, goalie Madison Martin was there for the timely save. Leaving Hampton with very few chances for a comeback, North Allegheny claimed the 3-0 win over a tough section opponent.

The Lady Tigers improve to 10-3 overall and 6-3 in Section 2. Hampton drops to 9-4-1 overall and 8-2-1 in section play. North Allegheny returns to action on Monday with a home date with the top team in the section, the Seneca Valley Raiders. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 pm.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
HAMPTON	0	0	0
NORTH ALLEGHENY	3	0	3

(10/3/12) Maddie Layman and Maria Carr each had a pair of second half goals, propelling North Allegheny past upset-minded Butler, 4-2. Fittingly, on senior night for the Lady Tigers, seniors accounted for all four markers. Down 2-1 in the second half despite controlling play for much of the night, the North Allegheny offense began to fill the net.

Midway through the second half, Layman corralled the ball off a Butler goal kick, and quickly knifed through the Golden Tornado defense. Approaching the net, she sent a left-footed shot to the opposite post, knotting the score at 2-2. Ten minutes later, Carr headed in the game winner off a booming free kick by Christine Palmeri. The goal was initially set up by an impressive rush by Megan Van Kirk. Van Kirk was taken down just inside the box, leading to the free kick.

Carr added an insurance goal in the final minutes, outracing the Butler keeper to a loose ball, and slipping a shot into an empty goal. The two-goal performance and game winning goal led to the North Allegheny Sports Network naming her the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Ten minutes into the game, North Allegheny and Butler were tied in shots on net with three apiece. However, from that moment forward, the Lady Tigers outshot the Golden Tornado by a 18-3 margin.

With the win, North Allegheny jumps to 9-3 overall and 5-3 in Section 2. Meanwhile the loss eliminates Butler from postseason play. The Lady Tigers will be back in action Friday night against Hampton at Newman Stadium. Kickoff for the section tilt is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
BUTLER	1	1	2
NORTH ALLEGHENY	0	4	4

(9/26/12) Playing in their fifth one-goal game of the season, the North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team was tripped up by the Shaler Titans in a narrow 1-0 loss on Wednesday night. The only goal of the night came on a penalty kick by Shaler in the first half and the Titans were able to withstand constant pressure from the Tigers to hold on for the win.

North Allegheny controlled the pace of the game in the early going and nearly took the lead at the 20 minute mark of the first half. Senior Maddie Layman fed a pass to Eleni Carr who missed just high of the Shaler goal and the game remained scoreless. The turning point in the contest came on a controversial call with 12:40 to go in the half when North Allegheny was called for a foul in the box. Shaler's Maggie Terak converted the penalty kick and the Titans took a 1-0 lead. The Tigers almost tied the score with three minutes remaining in the half but a shot by Alexa Mermigas from 20-yards out sailed high and the score remained 1-0, Shaler.

The Lady Tigers continued their attack on the Shaler net in the second half as Layman, Megan Van Kirk, and Eleni Carr all peppered the Titans goalie with shots on net. The Titans goalkeeper was up to the task however, keeping Shaler ahead by one throughout. With time winding down in the game, Layman had two great chances to tie the score, including an opportunity with one second left that saw a shot from 20-yards out miss just wide left. Despite dictating the action throughout, North Allegheny fell to Shaler, 1-0.

With the loss, North Allegheny drops to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in Section 2. Shaler improves to 4-4-1 overall and 3-3-1 within the section. The Lady Tigers look to rebound on Saturday with a visit to Villa Maria at 1:00 pm.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY	0	0	0
SHALER	1	0	1

(9/24/12) In a complete team effort, the North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team hammered the North Hills Indians on Monday night, 6-1. The Lady Tigers controlled the pace of the game from start to finish, allowing only one shot on net from the field and peppering North Hills goalie Chelsey Withers with shots all night long. In furthering their domination of the game, the Indians’ lone shot on goal didn’t come until the 27 minute mark of the second half.

While the Indians couldn’t navigate the Tigers stingy defense, North Allegheny took the early lead with a goal by sophomore Savana Yurick with 33:38 on the clock in the first half. The Lady Tigers would strike again with 10:25 to go in the half when Maddie Layman pushed a fine pass to sophomore Eleni Carr for a goal to increase the NA lead to 2-0.

The Lady Tigers wasted little time adding onto their advantage in the second half as junior Ryleigh Gapczynski tallied a goal less than three minutes in. Four minutes later, Madeleine Heistand crossed a pass in front to Andi Mancuso for a goal to balloon the Tigers advantage to 4-0. At 27:59 of the second half, Christine Palmeri scored perhaps the most impressive goal of the night. On a corner kick, Gapczynski booted a pass in to Palmeri who released a rocket shot passed Withers for a 5-0 lead. On a night where every Tiger played a role in the victory, Palmeri was chosen for her outstanding goal and defense as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

North Hills scored their first and only goal of the game with 15:22 remaining on a penalty kick. Scout Cheeks was upended in the box by Tigers goalie Madison Martin, allowing Leah Morra a penalty kick that she converted for the Indians only marker and to cut the score to 5-1, Tigers. North Allegheny capped the victory just five minutes later when Lauren Dutton fired a shot that was saved by Withers, but junior Lauren Briggs was in front to clean up the rebound and bring the score to 6-1.

North Allegheny improves to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Section 2. North Hills falls to 1-8 overall and 0-6 in section play. The Lady Tigers hope to continue their winning ways with a visit to Shaler on Wednesday night.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
-NORTH HILLS	0	1	1
NORTH ALLEGHENY	2	4	6

(9/19/12) The Hampton Talbots edged the North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team on Wednesday night, 2-1, in a battle of top teams in Section 2. Hampton remains undefeated in section play and earned the win on a goal by Vanessa Ceavolo with just seven minutes remaining.

Hampton scored the first goal of the night with 25:43 on the clock in the first half to take a 1-0 lead. North Allegheny had a quick response to the Talbots tally when sophomore Eleni Carr pushed a touch pass to junior Megan Van Kirk who scored from 20-yards out to tie the score, 1-1. The game would remain deadlocked for most of the game thanks to outstanding defense by both teams as possession stayed predominantly at midfield. That was until Ceavolo scored the game winner with seven minutes left in the contest.

North Allegheny drops to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the section. Meanwhile, Hampton is 4-1-1 overall and 4-0-1 in Section 2. The Lady Tigers look to rebound this Saturday at the Hampton Invitational.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
-NORTH ALLEGHENY	1	0	1
HAMPTON	1	1	2

(9/10/12) The North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team blanked the Butler Golden Tornado on Monday night for a dominating 3-0 section victory on the road. The Lady Tigers controlled the pace of the game all night long and allowed only one shot on goal in the first half and just a few quality shots for the entire game. Thanks in large part to a swarming defense, goalkeeper Madison Martin and the Tigers collected their third shutout of the season.

The first goal and break of the game came with 34:35 on the clock in the first half. In a clearing effort during a frantic scramble for a loose ball in front of the Butler net, one of the Golden Tornado kicked the ball off another player and into her own goal to give North Allegheny a 1-0 lead. The Lady Tigers continued their constant pressure throughout the half as several players narrowly missed on adding onto the lead. At 24:00 of the first half, sophomore Savana Yurick missed just wide on a shot and Maddie Layman was denied a few minutes later on a great save by the Butler goaltender. Senior Andi Mancuso missed high on a shot from 15 yards out at 18:25 before the Tigers allowed the Golden Tornado a rare scoring opportunity. However, senior Christine Palmeri broke up a Butler breakaway to keep the Tigers ahead, 1-0. The Lady Tigers buzzed around the Butler net for the remainder of the half with additional shot attempts by Layman and Yurick. Despite dictating the play in the opening half, Butler remained down by just a goal, 1-0.

In the second half, North Allegheny would put the game away when Yurick sent a pass through the Butler defense to Layman who scored the Lady Tigers second goal of the game with 12:46 remaining. In the final minute, NA struck again when Madeleine Heistand’s corner kick helped set up Emily Lyon for the last marker of the night to bring the score to its eventual final, 3-0.

North Allegheny improves to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in Section 2. Butler falls to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in section play. The Lady Tigers are back in action on Wednesday night with a visit to Hampton to face the first place Talbots.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
-NORTH ALLEGHENY	1	2	3
BUTLER	0	0	0

(9/15/12) The North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team suffered their first loss of the season on Friday afternoon with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Seneca Valley Raiders. The Lady Tigers fall to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in Section 2. The Raiders improve to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in section play. North Allegheny hopes to bounce back on Monday night with a visit to Butler. Action gets underway at 8:00 pm.

(9/10/12) Maddie Layman buried her second goal of the night just seconds into overtime, giving North Allegheny a key victory over section rival Pine-Richland, 3-2. A bouncing ball found a soft spot in the Rams' defense, as Layman corralled it in penalty box area. Coolly settling the ball, she switched feet, and sent the game winner into the twine. Layman's heroics would not have been possible if not for the spectacular goalkeeping by Madison Martin.

Martin made a bevy top-notch saves in the first half on Pine-Richland attackers in alone behind the North Allegheny defense. She stymied Olivia Brandy on an aggressive sliding save, thwarting a breakaway opportunity. Minutes later, Martin made an even better save as she changed direction and prevented a goal by diving and swatting away the ball with her outstretched left arm. Finally, just before halftime, she stopped Pine-Richland striker Lydia Sargent on a breakaway with another diving stop. Thanks to Martin's play, the Lady Tigers entered halftime tied with the Rams. With her stellar performance on the night, Martin was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

The teams traded goals in the second half, as well. North Allegheny appeared to be in the driver's seat after Layman converted a penalty kick opportunity, but Brandy answered for Pine-Richland, creating a deadlock heading into the overtime frame.

Eleni Carr and Maria Carr were strong throughout from their forward positions, with Maria Carr scoring the opening goal of the contest off a feed from Layman.

Thanks to Layman's game winner, the Lady Tigers move to 4-0 on the season, with a 2-0 record within Section 2. North Allegheny will return to the pitch Friday afternoon at Seneca Valley. The section contest will begin at 3:00 pm.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	OT	FINAL
-Pine-Richland	1	1	0	2
NORTH ALLEGHENY	1	1	1	3

(9/8/12) The Lady Tigers continued their perfect start to the season on Saturday afternoon, winning at Canon-McMillan, 3-0. The Tigers applied pressure early and capitalized when Maddie Layman knocked in her own rebound, giving the Tigers a lead just five minutes in. The strong play continued with sophomore Eleni Carr converting ten minutes later, making the score 2-0.

The Big Macs put pressure on the Tigers in the 2nd half controlling play for the first 20 minutes, but strong defensive play from Cailyn Spencer and Monica Pike kept the Big Macs off the scoreboard. The Tigers substituted freely in the 2nd half going deep into their roster. The starters came back into the game with ten minutes left, producing the final goal of the contest. The goal was set up by Megan Van Kirk's perfect corner kick on to the foot of Layman with five minutes remaining. Tiger goalkeeper Madison Martin picked up her 2nd shutout of the season.

With the two-goal performance Maddie Layman was named the Wright Automotive player of the game. The Tigers will look to continue their hot streak when they jump back into section play on Monday night against Pine-Richland at 7 pm. You can hear that game right there on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY	2	1	3
Canon-McMillan	0	0	0

(9/5/12) Ryleigh Gapczynski buried a shot from long range 26 seconds into the second overtime period to lift North Allegheny over Shaler, 2-1, in the section opener for both squads. Her innocent looking kick found the far left corner of the net, ending the game in the 91st minute. For her heroics, Gapczynski was named Wright Automotive Player of the Game. Her goal ended a night in which North Allegheny dominated play throughout the game, but had difficulty solving the Shaler defense, and goalkeeper Sam Bahorich.

Although the Titans controlled play early on, the Lady Tigers came on late in the opening half. Despite several solid chances on goal, neither team was able to capitalize. North Allegheny was thwarted by several brilliant saves by Bahorich, and a couple of unlucky bounces off the goal frame. Christine Palmeri, Eleni Carr and Alexa Mermigas put the Shaler defense on its heels for much of the contest. Andi Mancuso looked to have the game winner in the 68th minute, finding the top left corner of the net to give North Allegheny a 1-0 lead. However, the Shaler offense finally caught a break, netting the knotting goal with just 1:20 to play, ultimately sending the game to overtime.

In the overtime period, North Allegheny was again unlucky as Maddie Layman had two spectacular chances. However, one was rejected by the goalpost, and another was stymied by goalkeeper Bahorich, before Gapczynski lifted the Lady Tigers to victory.

Wednesday night marked the first section win for North Allegheny in 2012 and extended their overall record to 2-0. The Lady Tigers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at Canon McMillan. Randy Gore and Lee Mohn will have the call on the North Allegheny Sports Network. The game is scheduled for 12:30, with a pregame show preceding the kickoff.

SCORE BY HALVES	1	2	1OT	2OT	FINAL
Shaler	0	1	0	0	1
NORTH ALLEGHENY	0	1	0	1	2

(9/4/12) The North Allegheny Girls Soccer Team hosted their first home non-section game against Allderdice Friday night and the Lady Tigers dominated the game with a 9-0 shutout victory. Early pressure by the NA offense created shots in the first 10 minutes of play with an unassisted goal by senior Maria Carr. This was followed by a pass/cross from senior Maddie Layman to Carr for her second goal of the night.

A strong defense led by senior Christine Palmeri, senior Cailyn Spencer, sophomores Emily Lyon and Hannah Stoof continued to shut down Allderdices’ chances at the net. The third and fourth goals were by junior Lauren Briggs with assists from freshman Amanda Miller and junior Lauren Dutton. Junior Megan Van Kirk’s pass to Miller ended the first half with a 5-0 lead.

To begin the second half, the NA mid field controlled the ball by working on their strong passing in the offensive zone. With 20 minutes left in the second, Layman headed in the ball off a cross from junior Ryleigh Gapczynski. The seventh goal of the night was an unassisted goal by senior Andi Mancuso.

The North Allegheny secondary defense continued to dominate the last 17 minutes of the game as sophomore Monica Pike and freshmen Gabby Smychynsky, Jolene Yon, and Natalie Lewis maintained the shut out for the junior goalie Maddie Martin. The final goals of the night were tallied by Dutton from a cross by junior Angela Marsico followed by a cross from freshman Bridget Pike to Marsico to finish out the night with the final 9-0.

The Lady Tigers game against Erie McDowell was cancelled on Saturday due to inclement weather. They will host their first home section game versus Shaler on Wednesday at 7:45 pm. The game will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network. Check the main athletics page for a broadcast link on game night.

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