NA Completes Season Sweep of Cathedral Prep On Senior Night
By Randy Gore
The North Allegheny boys’ water polo team won for the fourth time in the last five tries with a dominant 17-9 victory over visiting Cathedral Prep on Tuesday night.
The Ramblers entered the contest on a four-game winning streak, but the Tigers pounced on their foe early and often on the strength of a nine-goal performance from junior Filip Malezanov. The Tigers built a 10-2 lead by halftime, thanks to six first-half goals by Malezanov and three straight by senior Bryce Miller to end the second period. With a hat trick, a bevy of assists, and stellar defense against one of the state’s top players, Miller was named Wright Automotive Player of the Match on Senior Night.
Cathedral Prep sophomore Lochlan Snider-Mills, an all-state honorable mention last season, opened the second half with three consecutive goals to give the Ramblers life, trimming the NA lead to 10-5. Despite a seven-goal effort by Snider-Mills, the Ramblers would not get any closer as the Tigers pulled away for a 17-9 win.
While Malezanov and Miller spearheaded the NA charge, sophomore Chace Li scored a pair of goals, freshman Sebastian Kynaston scored his first career goal, and sophomores Noah Cochrane and Luke Maxwell also found the back of the net. In net, sophomore goalie Gannon Brooks made several top-shelf saves to earn the victory.
Following the varsity game and midway through the JV contest, the North Allegheny seniors were honored on both the boys’ and girls’ teams. Miller and Ekgara Sanan of the NA boys, and Sania Bedi and Lila Sonaer of the NA girls, were all recognized for their outstanding careers.
With the win, the North Allegheny boys’ team improves to 5-6 on the season, while Cathedral Prep drops to 5-10 overall. The Tigers will next take part in the Screamin’ Eagle Tournament at Cumberland Valley this weekend.
