North Allegheny Tops USC In Season Opener

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by Jared Barton

After a missed season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the North Allegheny Boys Lacrosse team took the field and stormed to a 14-9 win over Upper St. Clair on Friday night from Newman Stadium.

The Panthers took control early, setting the pace with quick opportunities in the offensive end. Brady Erdos and Triston Schaffer tallied the opening goals USC and placed NA in a small hole in the opening minutes. The Tigers found the back of the net with less than ten minutes to go in the opening frame from a goal scored by sophomore attack Griffin Lynch. NA added goals by sophomore long-stick midfielder Marco Pascarella and sophomore midfielder Marc Batolomucci to take a 3-2 lead. Erdos tallied his second of the game with less than five minutes left in the quarter to tie the game at 3. Sophomore midfielder Christian Tedder took the lead for NA less than a minute later, but USC tied it up again with a goal from Rory Zahren in the final minutes of the frame.

Schaffer put the Panther up by one again early in the second quarter, but the lead would not last long. Pascarella knotted the game up at 5 with 8 minutes to go in the half, but Erdos responded with his third of the game to give USC the lead. NA got the last word in the half, as Batolomucci evened the score at 6 apiece with less than two minutes to go.

The Tigers took command in the second half, as Senior Nick Eck scored a man-up goal in front of the crease early on in the third to capture the lead once again. Senior Ben Rohan added to the lead streaking into the game off the bench with less than seven minutes to go in the quarter. Senior Jonah Hawrylak scored with 3:30 left in the third as NA took a 9-6 lead. Upper St. Clair broke the Tiger streak, with another goal from Schaffer on the man-up advantage with 2:40 left in the third. The Tigers scored two goals in the last ten seconds of the quarter, as Senior Midfielder Wesley Sprys and Batolomucci added to the lead making the score 11-7 after three.

Tigers senior Andrew Myers found the back of the net early in the fourth, but USC added back to back goals from Judah Kennedy and Schaffer making the score 12-9 with 5 minutes remaining. NA added goals from Lynch and Batolomucci to end the game.

Batolomucci was named the Wright Automotive Player of the game for his four-goal performance. Senior Goalie Aiden Miller also had a solid day in net, making critical stops down the stretch.

The Tigers start the season off with a 1-0 record, and face the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils on the road next Wednesday, March 31.

Boys Lacrosse Summary vs. Upper St. Clair, 3-26-21

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Upper St. Clair42129
North Allegheny425314