Tigers Advance Past Rams on Penalties to Reach WPIAL Semifinals
By: Bob Orkwis
It was the third match of the season between section foes North Allegheny and Pine-Richland. The two regular-season tilts finished in a 0-0 tie and a 1-0 Rams win on a late penalty kick goal. So it was no surprise that the 4A quarterfinal matchup between the Tigers and the Rams at Pine-Richland was also tight.
It took two overtimes, 110 minutes and a full five rounds of penalty kicks, but the Tigers prevailed 2-1 to reach the semifinals for the fourth straight season.
Much like the Tigers did in their first-round win over Armstrong, NA struck early. Ava Hutter took a free kick from the middle of the field. Her ball found Rosalia Varlotta, who headed the set piece into the net for her 11th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute of play.
Pine-Richland had a couple of free-kick opportunities that they couldn’t convert. But the Rams took advantage of their only corner kick of the first half. A second ball found the foot of Lexi Hensel, who blasted a shot into the top of the net to tie the game at 1-1 in the 19th minute.
The game would stay 1-1 for quite a while. Neither team found the net in regulation, although North Allegheny had the better of the play and opportunities in the second half. That theme continued in the overtimes for the Tigers, but they couldn’t beat Navy commit Shea Best. North Allegheny had back-to-back corner kicks in the second OT, and a free kick, but the score stayed tied at 1-1.
Jordan Beemer made multiple stops during the penalty kick session that ended with a Sahara Catlos goal, giving North Allegheny a 4-3 advantage in the shootout and a 2-1 victory.
With the game-winning penalty kick, the hero Catlos was chosen as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.
Pine-Richland, the 4th seed, who finished in second place in the section just ahead of North Allegheny, saw its season end at (14-3-1). Fifth-seeded North Allegheny is now (15-3-2), and it will be another familiar opponent for the Tigers in the semifinal round, top-seeded Peters Township.
The Tigers beat the Indians 2-1 on September 25th during the regular season, but Peters Township ended North Allegheny’s season last year with a 2-1 overtime victory in the semifinals, before going on to win the WPIAL Girls 4A Championship. This year’s semifinal contest will take place at a neutral site, with the date and time to be determined.
GIRLS SOCCER SUMMARY VS. PINE-RICHLAND, 10/23/25
| SCOR EBY HALVES | 1st | 2nd | OT1 | OT2 | PK | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Allegheny | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Pine-Richland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
