Tigers Battle Panthers to Scoreless Draw in Home Opener
By: Bob Orkwis
In a match that seemed more like a late-season or playoff contest at times, North Allegheny and Upper St. Clair went toe-to-toe through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime before settling on a 0-0 tie in the season’s first game at Newman Stadium.
The Panthers had an early possession and territorial advantage before the Tigers turned things around in a scoreless and physical first half. North Allegheny’s best chances in the second half came in the 46th minute, when Averie Bierker headed a corner kick service from Emma Schupansky just over the crossbar.
In the 75th minute, Schupansky had an opportunity from 15 yards out that was blocked by the Panthers’ defense. Upper St. Clair’s best chance came in the 80th minute after a North Allegheny turnover, but the first shot was blocked, the second ball was sent wide, and the game remained 0-0 after regulation.
The Tigers had opportunities in the first overtime, with Rosalia Varlotta firing wide two minutes in, and Kieran Shannon’s great individual sliding effort between several Panthers defenders that ticked off the top of the crossbar in the 8th minute of OT. The best chance for both teams to break the deadlock came with 1:20 left in the first overtime. Upper St. Clair’s Abby Mascaro stole the ball and fired from the left side of the box, but her shot hit the inside of the far post and stayed out of the goal.
Neither team had any scoring opportunities in the second ten-minute overtime, and the game ended 0-0.
North Allegheny had five of the game’s six corner kick opportunities. Tampa-bound senior Cam Friday unofficially made 9 saves for the Panthers, while junior keeper Jordan Beemer had four unofficial stops to record the shutout for the Tigers. With some noticeable play on the attack at times during the match, and the corner kick header opportunity that just missed early in the second half, Miami of Ohio-bound senior Averie Bierker took home the season’s first Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.
North Allegheny (1-1-1) will play host to Latrobe on Wednesday night, in a game that will be broadcast on the North Allegheny sports network.
GIRLS SOCCER SUMMARY VS. UPPER ST. CLAIR, 8-25-25
| SCORE BY HALVES | 1st | 2nd | OT | 2OT | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper St. Clair | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
