NA Leaps Into Sole Possession of First Place With 8-7 Win at Shady Side

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In a battle between the two top teams in Section 2-AAA, the North Allegheny boys’ lacrosse team gained sole possession of first place on Wednesday night with an 8-7 win at Shady Side Academy. The contest was also a rematch of last year’s WPIAL championship game, with the reigning champion Tigers again prevailing with a one-goal victory.

Goals by Marco Pascarella and Christian Tedder helped NA grab a quick 2-1 lead after one quarter of play. Tied 2-2 early in the second quarter, North Allegheny scored four of the next five foals to take a 6-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. Sophomore Evan Lyon, senior Cole Bordo, senior Gavin Banyas and junior Marc Bartolomucci all scored second period goals to help NA sprint to a three-goal lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Tigers extended their lead to 7-3 thanks to Banyas’ second marker of the evening 16 seconds into the fourth quarter. However, the Bulldogs staged a rally as Ethan Salvia netted back-to-back goals and James Rost added another to trim the NA lead to 7-6 with 5:51 remaining in the game. Salvia, who was the 2021 WPCLA Class AAA Player of the Year, finished with three goals on the night.

Despite fourth-period surge by the Bulldogs, North Allegheny thwarted the Shady Side rally and increased the lead to 8-6 on Bordo’s second goal of the night with 4:09 left to play. The two-goal remained intact until SSA’s J.P. Henry tallied a marker with just 47 seconds remaining. The Tigers grinded out the waning seconds and held on for the 8-7 victory.

The North Allegheny ride frustrated Shady Side Academy throughout the night and forced a bevy of turnovers. Banyas and Bordo each posted two groundballs apiece on the ride, while senior Owen Bishop and freshman Travis Lamark each tallied three caused turnovers. Pascarella totaled a team-high five groundballs, followed by Banyas with four groundballs. In net, senior Marc Melanson had a big night with 10 saves to earn the victory.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 7-4 overall and 5-0 in Section 2-AAA. Shady Side Academy dips to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in the section. The Tigers will host Seneca Valley on Friday night at Newman Stadium. The game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Lacrosse Summary vs. Shady Side Academy, 4-27-22

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
North Allegheny24028
Shady Side Academy12047