Boys' Soccer News

By: Jared Barton

The rubber match of the season series between section rivals was a close battle between North Allegheny and Seneca Valley, but an early goal made the difference as the Raiders won the WPIAL Championship 1-0 at FNB Stadium Friday night.

Two best friends connected for the lone goal of the game just 43 seconds into the contest. A quick Jacob Prex corner kick executed from the nearside flag floated into the box through traffic, finding Zach White, who settled the pass down and fired the opening tally into the back of the net.

The Raiders dictated the pace for the opening 15 minutes of the contest before the Tigers were able to find themselves and even up some of the offensive zone time. NA would ultimately hold the possession edge 51% to 49%, but the quality scoring chances heavily favored Seneca Valley.

With less than 32 minutes to play in regulation, NA had the best offensive chance of the night. A clear from goalkeeper Jaxon Cowger turned into a lead pass for Caiden Sowa, who took the opportunity into the box. Before Sowa could get a solid shot on goal, a diving effort from Seneca goalkeeper Kyle DeMaster sent the opportunity wide to the left.

With less than 20 minutes to play, the Tigers were awarded a free kick along the nearside goal line extended about five yards outside of the penalty box. Junior Vik Vaders took the kick and sent it to the corner of the goal box, finding Connor Heliger. The senior captain connected a centering backward pass to Owen Lopresti, who ripped a shot on net that was again stopped by DeMaster.

Cowger made six total saves, including two critical stops in the second half that kept the game close.

Seneca Valley outshot NA 17-8, with DeMaster only making four saves.

Francis Randiga’s strong effort earned the senior captain Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

The Raiders won their fourth WPIAL Championship in program history, and the first since 2021. Seneca has now won 13 games in a row, with the lone loss of the season coming back on September 15th to North Allegheny in Harmony. The Tigers fall to 12-4-3 overall on the season.

Both teams qualify for the PIAA playoffs, beginning on Wednesday across the state.  Brackets will be released on Sunday.

BOYS SOCCER SUMMARY VS SENECA VALLEY, 11-6-26

SCORE BY HALVES	1st	2nd	FINAL
North Allegheny	0	0	0
Seneca Valley	1	0	1