Boys' Soccer Game Summaries

By: Jared Barton

The rubber match of the season series between section rivals was a close battle between North Allegheny and Seneca Valley, but an early goal made the difference as the Raiders won the WPIAL Championship 1-0 at FNB Stadium Friday night.

Two best friends connected for the lone goal of the game just 43 seconds into the contest. A quick Jacob Prex corner kick executed from the nearside flag floated into the box through traffic, finding Zach White, who settled the pass down and fired the opening tally into the back of the net.

The Raiders dictated the pace for the opening 15 minutes of the contest before the Tigers were able to find themselves and even up some of the offensive zone time. NA would ultimately hold the possession edge 51% to 49%, but the quality scoring chances heavily favored Seneca Valley.

With less than 32 minutes to play in regulation, NA had the best offensive chance of the night. A clear from goalkeeper Jaxon Cowger turned into a lead pass for Caiden Sowa, who took the opportunity into the box. Before Sowa could get a solid shot on goal, a diving effort from Seneca goalkeeper Kyle DeMaster sent the opportunity wide to the left.

With less than 20 minutes to play, the Tigers were awarded a free kick along the nearside goal line extended about five yards outside of the penalty box. Junior Vik Vaders took the kick and sent it to the corner of the goal box, finding Connor Heliger. The senior captain connected a centering backward pass to Owen Lopresti, who ripped a shot on net that was again stopped by DeMaster.

Cowger made six total saves, including two critical stops in the second half that kept the game close.

Seneca Valley outshot NA 17-8, with DeMaster only making four saves.

Francis Randiga’s strong effort earned the senior captain Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

The Raiders won their fourth WPIAL Championship in program history, and the first since 2021. Seneca has now won 13 games in a row, with the lone loss of the season coming back on September 15th to North Allegheny in Harmony. The Tigers fall to 12-4-3 overall on the season.

Both teams qualify for the PIAA playoffs, beginning on Wednesday across the state.  Brackets will be released on Sunday.

BOYS SOCCER SUMMARY VS SENECA VALLEY, 11-6-26

By Randy Gore

The North Allegheny boys’ soccer team advanced to the WPIAL championship game for the second time in the last four years with a 1-0 win over the Norwin Knights on Tuesday night at Chartiers Valley Stadium. The top-seeded Knights went unbeaten in their first 17 games of the season but suffered their first loss of the campaign at the hands of the fifth-seeded Tigers.

Norwin, the top-scoring team in Class 4A with 64 goals on the season, got off to a strong start and dictated the pace of play in the first 30 minutes of the game. However, North Allegheny goalie Jaxon Cowger and the NA defense thwarted the Knights’ early surge before the Tigers cashed in on their first shot of the night.

In the 32nd minute, pressure provided by sophomore Joshua Tufts resulted in a corner kick for NA and led to the first and only goal of the game. Fellow sophomore Emmanuel Yu hooked a left-footed corner kick from a sharp angle into the back of the Norwin net for a 1-0 lead. Netting his second marker of the season from a near-impossible shot, Yu was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

 

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The one-goal advantage proved insurmountable as a smothering North Allegheny defense blanked high-flying Norwin for the remainder of the game. The Knights managed only a single shot in the second half, as Cowger and the Tigers secured their 11th clean sheet of the 2026 season.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 12-3-3 overall and advances to the WPIAL Class 4A championship to face section rival Seneca Valley on Friday at 8:00 p.m. The championship game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network. The Tigers also secured a spot in the upcoming PIAA tournament with Tuesday’s victory. Norwin’s season, meanwhile, comes to an end with a 16-1-1 record.

Boys Soccer Summary at Norwin, 11-3-26

by: Bob Orkwis

After surviving a bit of a scare in the opening round of the WPIAL 4A Boys Soccer playoffs versus 12th-seeded Gateway, North Allegheny seemed determined to write a different script in the quarterfinals. The Tigers trailed early against the Gators, and tonight at Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny never trailed posting a 3-0 victory.

The Tigers scored three times on counter attacks, and each time they were able to catch the Mt. Lebanon goalkeeper off his line.

In the 29th minute, Josh Tufts took a through ball on the right wing and was able to slot the ball into the goal form distance for a 1-0 lead.

It remained that way until North Allegheny struck for a pair of goals in a minute span early in the second half.

Junior Vik Vaders got a break on the right wing, and he was able to bend a right footed shot from distance just inside the near post for his sixth goal of the season in the 44th minute of play.

In the 45th minute, Francis Randiga, who played with energy from the outset, took a through ball on the left side and popped a shot past the onrushing keeper from ten yards out to build the Tigers lead to 3-0. The goal was the team-leading eighth of the season for the Tigers captain.

North Allegheny, who has allowed only nine goals all season, used solid team defense and a couple of saves from Jaxon Cowger to post their 10th clean sheet of the year.

Josh Tufts, whose first half marker turned out to be the game-winner, earned the Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors. The sophomore’s tally was his first goal of the season.

Fifth-seeded North Allegheny (11-3-3) heads to the semifinal round for the first time in two years. The Tigers will face the top seed in the 4A playoffs, Norwin. The Knights bested Upper St. Clair on penalty kicks. That match will take place Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

Boys Soccer Summary at Mt. Lebanon, 10-29-26

by: Bob Orkwis

The First Round of the 4A Boys WPIAL Playoffs got underway at Newman Stadium as #12 Gateway visited Wexford to take on #5 North Allegheny.

The visiting Gators wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Konrad Wierzchowski took a through ball down the left side and slotted a shot just inside the far post in the third minute for a 1-0 lead.

North Allegheny had a chance to equalize right after the goal, but a shot from distance missed the near post. A free kick opportunity and a goal mouth scramble saw Gateway clear a ball off the line in the sixth minute of play to maintain the one-goal lead.

That lead would last until the 47^th minute, when North Allegheny sent service from the far flag on a corner kick that deflected off the shoulder of a Gators defender and into the net to even the score at 1-1.

Gateway thought they regained the lead in the 67^th minute. The Gators played a ball from left to right that Wierzchowski crossed into the box. The ball glanced off a retreating Tiger and spun into the net for an apparent own goal, and a 2-1 lead for the visitors, but the goal was waved off as the play was judged to be offside.

That gave the Tigers the chance they needed, and North Allegheny capitalized on a free kick three minutes later.

A Gateway foul resulted in a free kick 21-yards from goal just outside the left corner of the box. Connor Heliger took the direct kick and feathered a right-footed half volley into the top of the net for the eventual game-winning goal in a 2-1 Tigers victory.

Sophomore Jacob Elias started in goal for the Tigers, and he was relieved late in the second half by freshman Aidan Scotti, as the two underclassmen shared the win for North Allegheny (10-3-3).

Senior Connor Heliger’s deft right footed free kick second half game winner, his third goal of the season, was enough to earn the captain the Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

North Allegheny heads back to the quarterfinals, where they will take on Mt. Lebanon. The fourth seeded Blue Devils defeated North Hills 3-0 to advance and will face the Tigers on Thursday at a time to be determined.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Gateway, 10-26-26

By: Bob Orkwis

In the final 4A (3) section match, and the second-to-last home game, the Tigers took a late 1-0 lead, but Pine-Richland answered for a 1-1 tie at Newman Stadium.

North Allegheny had at least three chances off throw-ins from Francis Randiga but could not find the net. The Tigers’ best chance in the first half came in the 21st minute, but Harper Boles shot went just over the bar and the contest was scoreless at halftime.

More chances came for the Tigers in the second half. Aniketh Ghosh and Owen Lopresti had great chances in the 45th minute, and Ghosh added a pair of opportunities in the 52nd minute, including a goal that was waived off for being offside. Randiga had another shot go just over the bar in the 62nd minute, before the Tigers opened the scoring four minutes later.

Randiga’s through ball found Caiden Sowa, who made a great stop and turn to send a right-footer into the net for a 1-0 lead. North Allegheny could have had more goals, but Rams senior keeper Jackson Dutton made several good stops to keep Pine-Richland in the match, and his
teammates rewarded his efforts.

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After North Allegheny earned the game’s first six corners, the Rams got their first in the 73rd minute to tie the game. Kason Straub’s service found Ethan Hiserodt in traffic, and he slid the ball into the net past Jaxon Cowger for the equalizer in the 1-1 draw.

Pine-Richland (7-4-3, 3-4-2) now has 11 points, and the Rams need a victory on Saturday at Butler to leapfrog Moon and qualify for the 4A playoffs.

North Allegheny (9-3-3, 6-2-2) had already locked up second place in the section behind Seneca Valley despite the disappointing result in the contest.

The Tigers honored their ten senior footballers before the match, and one of those seniors, Sowa, was chosen as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game. His goal on the night was his 6th of the year, which ranks second on the team.

One final match remains on the docket for North Allegheny as they host Fox Chapel next Wednesday at 7:30 pm in the season finale, which will be broadcast on the North Allegheny Sports Network. Next Wednesday is also the day the WPIAL soccer pairings will be released. You can tune into our sister network, Trib Live HSSN, for a breakdown of all the soccer brackets once they are released.

BOYS SOCCER SUMMARY VS PINE-RICHLAND, 10-15-26