Boys' Soccer Game Summaries

by Bob Orkwis

Trailing 2-1 after the first half, senior captain Arnav Patel created some great opportunities for North Allegheny to tie the match on several free kick attempts in the second half.

His shots and several subsequent rebounds were all denied by Butler’s Drew Knight.

Patel was finally able to solve Knight with 1:05 left in regulation time, as he drove a free kick from the right hash inside the far post and into upper corner to tie the match at 2-2.

Neither team had a shot in the first overtime, but the Tigers had several great opportunities to cash in the second overtime, but the senior Knight was stellar in goal for the Golden Tornado as he was all game.

He denied Patel on a rebound and stopped Zach Nash and Luke Brady on back-to-back shots to preserve the tie.

The latter saves came after Butler’s Nicholas Niebauer chased down a loose ball on the attack, only to be met by senior captain Dante Accamando who came way off his line to author his biggest save of the game with 1:30 left.

Lucas Henderson started the scoring for North Allegheny, netting his second goal of the season, when he put home a rebound in the third minute.

Butler tied the game on an innocuous play in the 19^th minute. Thomas Sheptak played a roller towards the Tigers net, and a rare mistake by Accamando and the North Allegheny defense saw the ball barely cross the line behind the diving keeper to knot the match at 1-1.

The second Butler goal resulted in a team leading ninth goal of the year for Cody Lubinsky who took a great pass from Niebauer and found the net for the 2-1 lead in the 35^th minute.

The score remained 2-1 until Patel’s late regulation heroics evened the match before the overtime sessions.

Patel’s game tying marker, his sixth of the year and his strong two-way play, earned the Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

Butler, (9-2-3, 6-2-2), has seven wins and back-to-back ties in its last 9 matches. North Allegheny, (11-0-2, 8-0-2), remained unbeaten on the season and the Tigers also held on to the lead in 4A Section 1.

North Allegheny hits the road next Tuesday when they visit North Hills, before returning home on October 5^th to host Fox Chapel in a match that will be carried on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Butler, 9-28-23

by Jared Barton

The North Allegheny boys’ soccer team remained unbeaten on Tuesday night with a 2-1 overtime victory over Pine-Richland at home on Senior Night. The win secures the regular season series sweep for the Tigers after a 3-1 win in late August on the road.

North Allegheny got on the board first with just over 32 minutes left in the first half. Senior Arnav Patel completed a slide tackle jarring the ball away from a Pine-Richland player deep in the NA offensive zone. The loose ball was picked up and shot into the back of the net by fellow senior Luke Brady for a 1-0 lead.

Senior goalkeeper Dante Accamando had to stand on his head at points in the second half, preserving the NA lead, but PR finally netted a goal about half way through the second frame. Just after one of Accamando’s saves, Pine-Richland earned  a corner kick executed by senior Nathan Bang. Fellow Pine senior Ethan Wygant headed the ball behind the NA keeper to tie the game.

North Allegheny almost jumped back into the lead late in the half when junior Zach Nash centered a ball into the goal box that was tipped up over the net by junior Nick Desysenko.

In the overtime frame, junior Nathan Katari connected a pass to Nash who had another great chance that fluttered just high of the crossbar with eight minutes left. Less than two minutes later, Katari scored his second game-winning marker of the season over the Rams, as he took a shot from close range that hit off of Pine-Richland senior goalkeeper Cadan Bennett. The deflection then ricocheted off of the back of a PR player and landed in the back of the net.

Katari took home Wright Automotive Player of the Game laurels for his tough presence throughout the game.

The Tigers now improve to 11-0-1 overall and 8-0-1 in section play. North Allegheny is set to host Butler in a section matchup from Newman Stadium Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 9-26-23

(Photos by Phil Pavely).

The North Allegheny boys’ soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to 11 consecutive games with a 6-1 victory at Shaler in Section 1-4A action. Continuing their best start since 1999, the Tigers dominated the Titans, outshooting their foe, 17-3.

From the outset, the Tigers dictated the pace and scored just six minutes into the game on a goal by sophomore Graham Kunz, assisted by senior Arnav Patel, for a quick 1-0 lead. Patel assisted on the next goal for NA in the game’s 11th minute, setting up senior Ian Schoedel to find the back of the net for a 2-0 advantage. Senior Luke Brady added a marker in the 25th minute to grow the North Allegheny advantage to 3-0.

The Tigers maintained their three-goal advantage before tacking on a another goal early in the second half when freshman Harper Boles assisted on senior Jack Miara‘s goal in the 46th minute, increasing the lead to 4-0. In the 65th minute, Shaler broke the shutout thanks to a Matt Keenan goal on a penalty kick, trimming the NA lead to 4-1. The Tigers responded in kind when Patel was awarded a penalty kick in the 66th minute, which he promptly capitalized on for a 5-1 lead. Brady tacked on one more goal in the 77th minute, assisted by freshman Alec Vattula, to close out a 6-1 victory.

In net, the trio of Dante Accamando, Ryan Young and Ben Waldo combined for three saves. Shaler junior Garrett Grazier was battle tested and made 10 stops on the night.

North Allegheny improves to 10-0-1 overall and 7-0-1 in Section 1-4A, while Shaler dips to 0-9-1 overall and 0-8 in the section. The Tigers will host Pine-Richland on Tuesday for Senior Night at Newman Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Shaler, 9-21-23

In a battle of unbeaten teams on Tuesday night at Newman Stadium, the North Allegheny boys’ soccer team played to a 1-1 draw in double overtime with the Seneca Valley Raiders. The tie keeps both teams undefeated on the season and extends Seneca Valley’s regular season unbeaten streak to 50 consecutive games.

In the early going, the Raiders’ streak was severely threatened when senior captain Arnav Patel scored his fourth goal of the season in the game’s 2nd minute for an immediate 1-0 lead. Seneca Valley nearly answered back in the 3rd minute but senior Cole Kamarec was denied on a great diving save by senior goalie Dante Accamando, keeping NA’s one-goal lead intact. In the 9th minute, Kamarec was once again turned away on a top-shelf stop by the Tigers keeper.

On a night filled with twists and turns and momentum swings, the Raiders got their first big break in the second half. With 31:22 on the clock, Kamarec got behind the NA defense and was knocked off his feet by Accamando in the goal box. The officials issued Accamando a yellow card and awarded Seneca Valley with a penalty kick. With Accamando forced from the game due to the yellow card, junior Ryan Young entered to face a PK from junior Tyler Prex, who took the shot for the injured Kamarec. Prex placed the PK shot just beyond the diving reach of Young and into the bottom right corner of the net to knot the score at 1-1. Despite being shaken up, Kamarec was able to return to the game a short time later.

Seneca Valley held the advantage in possession time in the second half and narrowly missed taking the lead twice in the final 20 minutes of regulation. On a free kick from about 20 yards out, senior Ben Keefer struck the crossbar and the game remained deadlocked. Kamarec struck the left post on a shot later in the game as well.

The Tigers nearly struck lightning with five minutes left in regulation when senior Joey Vojtas made a hustling steal near midfield and put a strong shot on net from about 20 yards out. However, Raiders goalie Gus Whytcherly’s diving save kept the game tied.

In the first overtime, junior Nathan Katari had a chance to score but missed wide left on a shot from 25 yards out. In turn, Seneca Valley’s Tyler Mazenek had an opportunity to score the golden goal but was denied on another fine diving save by Accamando.

The Tigers had perhaps the best opportunity of the extra session midway through the second overtime on a throw-in by junior Lucas Henderson. On the far side of the field, the throw-in ricocheted to junior Mykola Denysenko on the near post with a yawning net. However, Whytcherly franticly sped across to the near post and made a leaping stop to ultimately force the game into a 1-1 draw.

On a night where the goalkeepers shined, Accamando tallied 10 saves and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Following the tie, North Allegheny sits at 9-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in Section 1-4A. Seneca Valley is now 8-0-1 overall and also 6-0-1 in section play. The Tigers begin the second half of section play on Thursday with a visit to Shaler.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Seneca Valley, 9-19-23

Following up a come-from-behind victory over Fox Chapel on Tuesday night, North Allegheny made sure there was no need for a dramatic finish at Newman Stadium tonight, as the Tigers shut out Central Catholic 2-0 in a (4A) Section 1 matchup.

The Tigers played a great first half, controlling the game and the possession, and they were rewarded for their efforts in the 24^th minute.

Noah Hutter brought the ball up the left flank and sent a cross towards the box which glanced off Nathan Katari. The ball went directly to Zach Nash in front of the goal, and the junior netted his team leading ninth goal of the season to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The Vikings evened the play somewhat during the second half, coming close on a couple of opportunities, but it was North Allegheny who scored the next goal on a great individual effort from Arnav Patel.

The senior captain dribbled and weaved his way through several defenders before firing a shot from the left side into the upper corner for his third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead in the 66^th minute.

Senior Dante Accamando, who made six saves, and the Tigers defense made the lead stand up, with North Allegheny posting its third clean sheet in 9 games.

Patel, with the highlight reel goal in the second half, was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

North Allegheny (9-0, 6-0) hits the halfway mark of section play next Tuesday with a big match against defending state champion Seneca Valley. The Raiders (8-0, 6-0) are tied with the Tigers atop the table in Section 1-4A.

That contest, set for a 7:30 kickoff, can be heard on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Central Catholic, 9-14-23