Field Hockey Game Summaries

The reigning WPIAL champion Fox Chapel Foxes earned a second straight trip to the title game with a 3-0 home victory over the North Allegheny Tigers on Wednesday night in the WPIAL semifinals. The Tigers were playing without leading scorer Erin Coran who missed the game due to injury.

The game opened with North Allegheny gaining offensive control in the first two minutes. However, that NA offense was short-lived as Fox Chapel tilted the field in its direction for the remainder of the half. The Foxes garnered three penalty corners in the first half and created two great scoring chances for Paige Ryan and Abby Pitcairn but both of their shots went wide of the net, keeping the game scoreless at halftime.

In the second half, Fox Chapel continued to press the NA net and broke through with 15:55 on the clock when Pitcairn stole a pass, weaved through the Tigers defense and uncorked a shot that was saved by Rena Israel. The rebound deflected toward Ryan who cashed in for a goal and a 1-0 Foxes lead.

The Tigers immediately responded with two terrific scoring chances but were turned away by Foxes goalie Marissa Hardiman. North Allegheny turned up the urgency thanks in part to forwards Angie Genter and midfielder Brooke Cameron. Sophomores Bridget Russell and Lauren Schendeman were also strong in the midfield and on defense. For her efforts, Russell was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Despite the increased intensity by the Tigers, Fox Chapel was able to put the game on ice with two goals by Katie McIlroy with 7:44 and 3:10 remaining to close out a 3-0 win. It was Fox Chapel’s fourth straight win over North Allegheny dating back to 2014.

North Allegheny’s season concludes with an overall record of 8-10-1. In a season of injury and adversity, the Tigers again reached the WPIAL playoffs and performed admirably. Congratulations to the Lady Tigers head coach Maddy Berkley for a terrific 2016 season.

Field Hockey Summary vs. Fox Chapel, 10-26-16

Field Hockey Individual Scoring vs. Fox Chapel

The NA Lady Tigers hosted Hempfield on Wednesday night at Newman Stadium. It was Senior Night for NA’s nine seniors, Brooke Cameron, Erin Coran, Lily DeNoma, Gabby Herbert, Alyssa Hillenbrand, Anna Hopkins, Alexa Hueston, Rena Israel, and Katie Shideler.  The seniors didn’t disappoint, capping off the regular season with a 6-0 win over the Spartans.  Cameron, Coran, Herbert and Hillenbrand all tallied points for the Tigers, and even goalie-turned-forward Shideler got in on the fun with her first career goal.  With the win, NA finished section play with an 8-2 record, second to Pine Richland at 10-0.

The Tigers now turn their attention to the WPIAL playoffs which begin on Wednesday, October 26. They will travel in the WPIAL semifinals to face the champion of Section 2-AAA, either Fox Chapel or Peters Township. The Foxes and Indians play each other tonight to determine the section title. Fox Chapel won the first meeting this season with Peters Township on September 27 by a 2-1 decision.

Field Hockey Summary vs. Hempfield, 10-19-16

Field Hockey Individual Scoring vs. Hempfield

Senior Livy DeFoggia scored 24 seconds into overtime to lift Pine-Richland to a 4-3 victory over North Allegheny on Tuesday night at Newman Stadium. The win spoiled a last-minute rally by the Tigers in the second half and secured an outright section title for Pine-Richland. It’s the first time a team other than North Allegheny has won the Section 1 crown outright since 2008. That year the Norwin Knights edged out the Tigers by one game in the standings with an 8-2 record.

North Allegheny entered the night hoping to atone for a 3-0 loss to Pine-Richland on September 28 and gave a determined effort. However, it was the Rams who struck first with a goal by Alora Sharron with 22:50 on the first half clock for a 1-0 lead. The Tigers nearly tied the game with a flurry of shots moments later as Brooke Cameron drove a shot hard into the circle that was saved by Rams goalie Kierston Coup. The rebound kicked to Erin Coran but Coup again made the save to deny the Tigers. A third rebound try was aimed at the net by Coran but defensive back Chalinda Schleicher steered the ball away from the net to keep PR on top, 1-0.

Pine-Richland added on to its lead with 7:36 to play in the half on a goal by Jackie Shepard to make it 2-0, Rams. North Allegheny continued to press the Rams and garnered a bevy of penalty corner opportunities on the night. The Tigers held an advantage on penalty corners, 13-1, over the Rams. It appeared North Allegheny had scored on a penalty corner with 28 seconds left in the first half when Cameron one-timed a pass from Bridget Russell into the PR net. However, the goal was waved off because the shot was more than 460 mm high (the height of the backboard) and did not count, keeping the Pine-Richland lead intact at the half at 2-0.

In the second half, North Allegheny continued its offensive attack but again had a goal waved off with under 24 minutes left in the game. Cameron sent a ball from outside the circle in front of the net that appeared to be deflected in by Coran. The officials did not see the deflection and ruled the goal illegal. Undaunted, the Tigers received a penalty corner less than four minutes later and scored on a Coran goal to trim the score to 2-1, Pine-Richland.

The Rams regained momentum with a goal by Brenna Flynn with 9:23 remaining to bring the score to 3-1. North Allegheny head coach Madelyn Berkley called a timeout following the Flynn goal and the Lady Tigers responded by staging an exciting rally. The Tigers trimmed the score to 3-2, Rams, with a goal by junior Olivia Scherrer with 3:39 to play. In the waning seconds, North Allegheny tied the game at 3-3 thanks to a marker by sophomore Angie Genter with 55 ticks on the clock (seen in photo above.) For her efforts, Genter was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

While the late rally gave North Allegheny momentum heading into the 15-minute overtime period, Pine-Richland stayed cool under the pressure and gained the win in the most sudden of victories. After the opening draw of overtime, Molly Rottinghaus stormed into NA territory and passed to Sarah Metzmaier who uncorked a shot that struck the right post and deflected in front of the net. That’s when DeFoggia buried the rebound to lift Pine-Richland to the win and section title.

North Allegheny slips to 7-9-1 overall and 7-2 in Section 1-AAA. Pine-Richland secures the section crown with a 9-0 mark. The Lady Tigers conclude the regular season on Wednesday night against the Hempfield Spartans at 7:30 p.m.

Field Hockey Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 10-18-16

Field Hockey Individual Scoring vs. Pine-Richland

The North Allegheny field hockey team seized a WPIAL playoff berth with a 1-0 win over the Penn-Trafford Warriors on Thursday night at Newman Stadium. The win was the Tigers’ ninth straight over the Warriors in head-to-head matchups and sets up a showdown for the Section 1-AAA title next week with the Pine-Richland Rams.

North Allegheny’s contest with Penn-Trafford was a defensive struggle with neither team able to draw first blood in the first half. The Tigers had the better of the pressure with four penalty corners in the first half but could not to beat PT goalie Karissa Burk. The defense of Ann Lipinski, who missed last season with a knee injury, was also a huge reason why the game remained scoreless heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Warriors had a bit more spark offensively and totaled five penalty corners compared to just one in the first half. However, the North Allegheny defense was equally stifling thanks to goalies Katie Shideler and Rena Isreal who combined for the shutout. The Tigers were also aided by the midfield play of sophomores Laura Schwindeman and Bridget Russell. Schwindeman was selected by the North Allegheny Sports Network as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

After a timeout was called by North Allegheny head coach Madelyn Berkley with a little over 14 minutes remaining, the Tigers continued their assault on the PT net and finally scored on an Erin Coran goal with 7:27 to play. The Coran goal proved to be the game winner as the Tigers closed out a 1-0 victory. (The North Allegheny Sports Network spoke with Coran for an interview before the game. You can watch that interview below.)

North Allegheny improves to 7-8-1 overall and 7-1 in Section 1-AAA. Penn-Trafford drops to 4-5 in section play. The Lady Tigers will host the Pine-Richland Rams on Tuesday night in a battle for section supremacy. The game will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Field Hockey Summary vs. Penn-Trafford, 10-13-16

Field Hockey Individual Scoring vs. Penn-Trafford

The NA Lady Tigers hosted defending WPIAL champion Fox Chapel in a non-section game on Monday evening. It was the first time the two teams met since the Foxes beat the Tigers 2-0 in last year’s championship game. Fox Chapel defeated the Tigers in Monday’s battle at Newman Stadium, 3-1.

The Foxes forced the action early, drawing a penalty corner a mere thirty seconds into the game. But the Tigers defense was up to the challenge, thwarting the corner and changing the momentum of the game.  After that first stop by senior goalie Rena Israel, NA settled down and took control of possession for the better part of the first half.  Led by their strong midfield tandem of senior Brooke Cameron and sophomore Bridget Russell, the Tigers attacked the Foxes with long passes and carries upfield, putting a surprised Fox Chapel on the defensive.  But the Tigers were unable to convert their early opportunities in the circle.  By the midpoint of the first half, the Foxes regained their footing, and they forced another penalty corner at the 13:01 mark of the first half.  This time, junior midfielder Abby Pitcairn converted, giving Fox Chapel a 1-0 lead.  The Foxes extended their lead to 2-0 with 6:30 left in the half, when Pitcairn scored again on a penalty stroke.  Despite the 2-0 deficit, NA finished the half strong, with solid defensive play from junior defender Jenna Beam and sophomore midfielder Laura Schwendeman.

The Tigers came out aggressively in the second half, once again taking their play to the talented Foxes. Just 48 seconds into the half, NA drew a penalty corner, and Cameron blasted a shot on net that was deflected in by senior forward Erin Coran.  The goal made the score 2-1 Foxes, and the crowd sensed a possible upset.  NA kept the pressure on throughout much of the second half, as sophomore winger Angie Genter continued her stellar play with long runs up the right wing and long crosses into the circle.  And when Fox Chapel threatened, senior goalie Katie Shideler was up to the task, turning away the first five shots she faced.  Unfortunately, the sixth shot was not the charm, as Pitcairn completed a hat trick making the score 3-1 Foxes, which is how this one would end.

Despite the loss, the Tigers played their most complete game of the season. As they head into their final three games of Section play, they stand one game behind Pine Richland and can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Penn Trafford on Thursday.  Game time is 7:00 pm (JV at 5:30 pm).

Field Hockey Summary vs. Fox Chapel, 10-10-16

Field Hockey Individual Scoring vs. Fox Chapel