Lady Tigers Win 11th Straight Over Rams, Grab Sole Possession Of 1st Place

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In a battle for first place in Section 1-AAA, the North Allegheny Tigers silenced the Pine-Richland Rams, 2-0, at Newman Stadium on Tuesday night.  Dating back to 2007, the Lady Tigers have won 11 straight games over Pine-Richland and now own a one-game edge in the section standings.

The Rams, led by head coach, and former NA Tiger player Abby Clark, sparred back-and-forth with North Allegheny in the first half with much of the action being played in-between the 30’s and neither team holding an edge in possession.  North Allegheny did manage a few early penalty corner opportunities and the third penalty corner was the charm. With about six minutes to go in the half, a loose ball off the penalty corner landed in front of the net and on the stick of junior Megan Guzzardi who drove home the first goal of the night for a 1-0 Tigers lead. The unassisted goal was not only the first marker of the game but was the first goal allowed by Pine-Richland in section play all season.

In the second half, the spirited play from both teams continued and NA converted on another grand scoring chance with 23:30 on the clock. Junior Jessica Brandon streaked down the right wing and placed a bounding centering pass on the door step of the PR goal that was chipped in by junior Kailey Vogl past Rams goalie Allison Buszinski for a 2-0 Tigers lead. The goal by Vogl provided NA with necessary breathing room, and for her all-around effort throughout the night, Vogl was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.  

Over the final 20 minutes of the game, the Rams pressed the Tigers but NA’s unrelenting defense did not allow a goal. Nicole Burns, Bre Monin, Veronica Iriart, and Liza Pucciarelli, swarmed to the ball to limit Pine-Richland’s scoring opportunities. The Tigers held PR to an 0-for-6 night on penalty corners.  Splitting time in net, Morgan Mendenhall and Isley Smith shared the shutout.

For a moment, it appeared the Rams had trimmed the lead with a minute to go when Brigh Kortyna scored on a penalty corner. However, the goal was waved off by the officials because the first shot off a penalty corner must hit the low backboard in the net.  Kortyna’s shot hit just above the backboard making the goal null and void.  Taking away the Rams last ditch hopes of a comeback, the Tigers hung on for the 2-0 win and sole possession of first place in the section.

North Allegheny improves to 8-3 overall and 5-0 in section play. Pine-Richland drops to 7-2 overall and 4-1 within the section. The Lady Tigers will face Novi, Michigan on Friday night at home at Newman Stadium. Start time is slated for 7:00 pm.   

Field Hockey Summary vs. Pine-Richland

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY HALVES12FINAL
Pine-Richland000
North Allegheny112

Field Hockey Individual Scoring vs. Pine-Richland

INDIVIDUAL STATS
FIRST HALF
North AlleghenyMegan Guzzardi6:10
SECOND HALF
North AlleghenyKailey Vogl (Jessica Brandon)23:30