Boys' Soccer Game Summaries

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

The North Allegheny boys’ soccer team travelled to Martorelli Stadium on Tuesday night to take on the North Hills Indians in a section battle for 2nd place. NA prevailed with a 2-0 shutout.

The Tigers came out aggressive in the 1st half and controlled the action. North Allegheny had numerous chances in the first half but couldn’t find the net.

NA started the 2nd half strong, but again were stymied by the North Hills defense and goalie. With under 10 minutes remaining, Vik Vaders took a pass, beat his defender, and drew a foul in the box for a penalty kick. Senior Caiden Sowa stepped up and took the penalty kick, beating the goalie for a 1-0 lead.

 

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Less than a minute later, senior Harper Boles played Sowa down the right wing where he beat the defender and took a shot on goal. The goalie was able to block the initial shot, but senior Francis Randiga was waiting to pounce on the rebound and gave NA a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers continued to control the ball in the final eight minutes, not allowing North Hills to get any chances to close the gap. Jaxon Cowger and the NA defense held firm all game for another clean sheet.

NA returns to Newman Stadium on Thursday night for senior night as they wrap up section play against Pine Richland. That match will be broadcast live on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

BOYS SOCCER SUMMARY VS NORTH HILLS, 10-13-26

by: Bob Orkwis

After losing a pair of matches and being shutout in those contests, North Allegheny needed a strong performance to regain its footing. The Tigers got that in a Section 3-4A match against Butler at Newman Stadium, coming out strong and finishing even better in the second half to post a 4-0 win over the Golden Tornado.

The Tigers had a corner kick, a free kick, and several strong chances in the game’s first five minutes but could not find the net.

That happened in the 13^th minute, when senior Kevin Bandes took a pass from Josh Tufts and slotted the ball into the net for his third goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

North Allegheny spent the rest of the first half and a good part of the second half looking for some insurance markers, and those finally came courtesy of Caiden Sowa.

The senior narrowly missed connecting in the 60^th minute when his shot missed the far post, but he did not miss in a three-minute span shortly thereafter.

Sowa dragged the ball between two Butler defenders on the near side of the box, drawing a foul and a penalty kick, which he buried in the 69^th minute.

Alex Dylewski then found Sowa again on the right side, and his shot found the net for his fourth goal of the year and a 3-0 Tigers lead.

More insurance came in the final minute of play when Cooper Sanner sent a right footed chip into the net from distance to make the final score 4-0. The goal was the first varsity tally for the freshman.

Jaxon Cowger earned the clean sheet in net for North Allegheny (8-3-2, 5-2-1). The shutout was the eighth of the year for the Tigers. Butler remained winless in section play with the loss.

Caiden Sowa, with his second brace of the season was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

It is a huge road section match next up on the docket for North Allegheny, as the Tigers travel to take on North Hills next Tuesday. The Indians at (4-2-1) are right behind North Allegheny in the Section 3-4A standings.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Butler, 10-8-26

by: Bob Orkwis

In a Section 3-4A rematch at Newman Stadium, Seneca Valley earned a series split with North Allegheny, as the Raiders shut out the Tigers 2-0.

Earlier in the season, North Allegheny dealt Seneca Valley its only loss with a 1-0 final.

North Allegheny had more of the scoring chances in the first half, with Josh Tufts getting a breakaway in the 10^th minute, which was denied by an aggressive save from Kyle DeMaster.

Those two would tangle again, and DeMaster would have to leave the game following his collision with Tufts. Ben Ozdinec came in to play goal and would not concede a goal the rest of the way.

In the 33^rd minute, Manny Yu fired a shot from distance that just missed the near post. Ozdinec would deny Kevin Bandes with a save in the 39^th minute.

Seneca Valley struck for two goals in a short span in the second half.

On a throw in, a pass found Zach White in the near side of the box, and he finished for a 1-0 lead in the 55^th minute.

In the 59^th minute of play, the Raiders executed a great passing sequence, which ended with Trey Houser scoring for a 2-0 lead.

North Allegheny was held without a shot on goal for the rest of the match.

Seneca Valley (9-1, 6-1), has not lost since the defeat to the Tigers on September 15^th. The Raiders have also not allowed a goal since then, posting five consecutive shutouts.

The Tigers, (7-3-2, 4-2-1), have now lost two straight matches.

With several chances in the first half, sophomore Josh Tufts was selected as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

North Allegheny is back in action on Thursday when the host Butler in a section contest that will be broadcast on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Soccer Summary vs. Seneca Valley, 10-6-26

by: Boys Soccer Contributor

The North Allegheny boys soccer team traveled to AHN Montour Sports Complex on Thursday night to take on the Moon Tigers in a section clash. The game was evenly matched throughout as the teams traded possessions but had very few chances. In the first half, each team had free kicks and corner kicks but were not able to score.

It was much of the same in the second half as possession tilted slightly towards NA but, again, neither team had good looks at goal. As the game wound down, NA had a few corner kicks but could not connect. With less than two minutes on the clock, Moon took a free kick just inside midfield. Goalie Jaxon Cowger made the initial save but the ball bounced right to a Moon player who immediately took a shot. As Cowger dove to his right, the ball deflected off of another Moon player, changing direction and landing in the back of the net. NA did not have enough time to find an equalizer falling 1-0.

North Allegheny falls to 7-2-2 overall and 4-1-1 in the section. The Tigers return to action on Tuesday when they host Seneca Valley at Newman Stadium at 7:30 p.m. This match will be broadcast on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Soccer Summary at Moon, 10-1-26