Girls' Lacrosse News

by Bob Orkwis

As the season winds towards the stretch run, section games become more important. That was the case at Newman Stadium as first place Shady Side Academy paid a visit. The Tigers stood toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs for most of the first half, before falling 6-3.

Shady Side drew first blood just 33 seconds into the contest on a crease roll goal by Elsa Blodgett.

North Allegheny evened the score at 1-1, when Isla Abrams made a great move along the right goal line to move in front and beat Rachel Jones at 3:26 for her 10th goal of the season.

Megan Golden netted the game’s next two goals off of free position opportunities and the Bulldogs took a 3-1 lead with just under ten minutes remaining before halftime.

The Tigers took advantage of their own free position chance, and freshman Keely McMahon-Regan scored her 6th goal of the season at 19:36 to pull NA within a goal.

But Neely Hawn scored her first goal of the night less than two minutes later and Shady Side led 4-2 at halftime. Junior goalie Izzie Trunzo made a big save late for North Allegheny, one of her five stops, to keep the deficit at two.

But a crucial point in the game happened early in the second half. Blodgett was sent off with a yellow card 59 seconds in, putting the Tigers a player up. But a turnover led to a three-on-two and Hawn converted a short-handed goal at 1:11 to make the score 5-2. Each team received two yellow cards apiece in the game.

Golden completed her hat trick at 17:04 to make the score 6-2. But the Tigers got some life when Laurel Donley scored her 10th goal of the season after a great dodge on a free position to get North Allegheny within three with 4:42 remaining.

North Allegheny got some good opportunities following the Donley goal, but Jones made several good stops to finish with nine saves in the game.

The Bulldogs, (5-3, 5-0), came into action tied for first place in 3A Section 2 with Pine-Richland. North Allegheny, (5-4, 3-3), was tied for the final playoff spot with North Hills and Seneca Valley before the loss.

With her goal in the first half, Keely McMahon-Regan took home the Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors. The freshman now has scored four goals in the last three games.

North Allegheny starts off next week with a two-game section road trip with visits to Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley on Monday and Wednesday before returning home for a Friday night non-section tilt with Sewickley Academy, that will be broadcast live on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Lacrosse Summary vs. Shady Side Academy, 4-19-23