Cole Bordo’s 7 Goals Leads NA Rout Of USC, 15-6
Two top five-ranked teams battled in the 2022 season opener on Friday night and third-ranked North Allegheny came away with a convincing 15-6 win at fifth-ranked Upper St. Clair. The reigning WPIAL Class AAA champions scored early and often enroute to the non-section win in the South Hills.
Seton Hill commit Cole Bordo scored 58 seconds into the new season and set the tone for the Tigers with a game-high seven goal effort. Bordo netted two goals in the first period, along with markers from senior Gavin Banyas and junior Marco Pascarella to give NA a 4-2 lead after one quarter of play.
Bordo tallied two markers to start the second quarter and Pascarella added another for a 7-2 lead with 8:53 remaining in the half. Despite an Upper St. Clair goal with 8:17 left in the half, North Allegheny turned the game into a rout by scoring eight unanswered goals to balloon the Tigers advantage to 15-3 by the end of the third quarter. The Panthers netted three meaningless goals in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 15-6, Tigers.
Along with Bordo’s big offensive night, Banyas posted a hat trick and Pascarella tallied two goals. Senior Aidan Soriano, and juniors Marc Bartolomucci and Rigg Milliken all scored one goal apiece.
The Tigers frustrated the Panthers with an aggressive and effective ride that forced plenty of turnovers. Senior Owen Bishop totaled a team-high seven takeaways, while Pascarella notched a pair of takeaways and a team-high four groundballs in a terrific all-around performance. Faceoff man Ryan Barry helped NA control possession by winning seven draws.
In net, junior Beck Taucher got the start and senior Marc Melanson made a pair of key saves in the second half.
Following the season-opening win, the Tigers look to build on their early momentum on Friday, April 1 at home against Mt. Lebanon. The contest will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.
Boys Lacrosse Summary vs. Upper St. Clair, 3-25-22
| GAME SUMMARY | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| North Allegheny | 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| Upper St. Clair | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 |