2026-2027 Game Summaries
Tigers and Panthers battle to a draw
by: Bob Orkwis
A Saturday morning match was on the docket as Upper St. Clair paid a visit to Newman Stadium to take on North Allegheny in a 4A non-section tilt. A well-played and hard fought match between the two squads ended in 2-2 tie.
The Panthers had two leads in the game, and the Tigers twice equalized but could never take the lead.
Upper St. Clair took a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute on a corner kick goal. Senior Abby Mascaro scored an olimpico goal, as her cross found the net straight from the far flag for the early lead.
North Allegheny tied the match in the 16th minute. Mia Barsotti gathered the ball near the right corner, and her cross found the foot of Ella Brinkley who found the net for her first goal of the season and a 1-1 tie.
It was the Delaware recruit Mascaro again in the 26th minute giving the Panthers the lead. After a great diagonal run, freshman Bella Blohm laid a perfect ball to Mascaro, who chipped it past an onrushing Jordan Beemer for a 2-1 lead.
The score would remain 2-1 until the 44th minute, when Kieran Shannon tied the game for North Allegheny. The senior took a through ball on the right wing from Addison Vrabel and after a series of stop and go moves, angled inside, and booted a right footed shot inside of the far post to tie the match. Shannon now has a team high four goals in the first four matches for the Tigers.
The Tigers would have the two best opportunities to break the tie the rest of the way.
In the 66th minute, Barsotti got open down low, but her shot was smothered by the Panthers sophomore keeper Sam Baldasare. In the 78th minute, Shannon, who had chances the entire match, drove a shot from distance that hit the crossbar.
With the opening goal of the match, which was also the first varsity marker for the sophomore, Ella Brinkley was selected as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.
North Allegheny is now (2-1-1) on the season, with Upper St. Clair standing at (0-2-2).
It’s a week off for the Tigers, who return to the pitch next Saturday when they host the Norwin Knights. That match is set for an 11:30am kickoff can be heard on the North Allegheny Sports Network as the first game of a girls-boys soccer doubleheader on September 12th.
Girls Soccer Summary vs. Upper St. Clair, 9-5-26
| SCORE BY HALVES | 1st | 2nd | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper St. Clair | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| North Allegheny | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Tigers shut out Fox Chapel in home opener
by: Bob Orkwis
After starting the season with a split in the Seneca Valley tournament, North Allegheny welcomed Fox Chapel to Newman Stadium for the first home match of the season.
In an intriguing matchup between the Tigers and the Foxes, featuring two teams with eight championship appearances and six titles between 3A and 4A since 2019, North Allegheny netted a late tally in the second half to post a 1-0 victory in an early season contest that ramped up at times between the two squads.
The Tigers had an early chance in the first minute, but after Addison Vrabel’s shot snuck under Fox Chapel keeper Lia Pizzella, but the Foxes defense were able to clear the ball from the crease.
North Allegheny attempted all three free kicks in the first half, and limited the opportunities for Fox Chapel, and the match hit halftime scoreless.
Kayla Schwerin played the first seven minutes of the second half, before starter Jordan Beemer returned to the net for North Allegheny.
Beemer needed to be up to the task, as the reigning Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year winner Emily McKee heated up for the Foxes.
The senior forward blasted shot from twenty-six yards out, that Beemer tracked and punched over the crossbar which led to the game’s only corner kick. North Allegheny was able to defend that set piece opportunity.
Later in the half, on a cross off of a free kick from the right touch line, McKee was able to get a header that caromed towards the far post, but Beemer scurried to her right to stop the shot to keep the match scoreless.
North Allegheny took advantage of a free kick in the 73rd minute to score the game’s only goal.
Senior Kieran Shannon set up the sequence from the right wing with a direct kick from twenty-five yards out that struck the crossbar and bounced straight down on the goal line. In the ensuing scramble, the ball found the foot of fellow senior Bella Montgomery who found the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
The Tigers kept Fox Chapel at bay the rest of the way, and secured the win, handing the Foxes the loss in their season opener.
Making four saves in the second half, including the two crucial stops on McKee, the initial Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors of 2026 went to senior goalkeeper Jordan Beemer.
The win was the second straight for North Allegheny (2-1) and it also marked the second consecutive clean sheet for the Tigers.
North Allegheny gets a short break the rest of the week, as the Tigers are off until they host Upper St. Clair on Saturday morning. That match is slated for an 11:30am kickoff can be heard on the North Allegheny Sports Network.
Girls Soccer Summary vs. Fox Chapel, 8-31-26
| SCORE BY HALVES | 1st | 2nd | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Chapel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Shannon Hat Trick Propels Tigers over Mountain Lions
By: Jared Barton
The North Allegheny girls’ soccer squad bounced back from a season-opening 1-0 loss to Cumberland Valley on Friday with a 3-0 victory over Altoona on Saturday afternoon at Seneca Valley High School.
Senior Kieran Shannon led the charge, scoring all three markers in the contest. She now sits with 47 career goals after netting 19 last season.
NA sits at 1-1 to start the season and will open up home play at Newman Stadium on Monday when the Tigers host Fox Chapel. The North Allegheny Sports Network will have live coverage of the 7:30 p.m. start.
