Tigers Shut Out Raiders, Finish Section Play Undefeated
by Bob Orkwis
North Allegheny had already clinched the 4A Section 1 Conference Championship, but the Tigers were looking to finish undefeated in section play for the first time since 2019.
North Allegheny was also looking to potentially clamp down on the top seed in the upcoming WPIAL 4A girls soccer playoffs.
The Tigers got a first half goal from Abigail Stager and then put the clamps down on Seneca Valley, shutting out their rivals 1-0 at Nextier Stadium.
Both teams had early opportunities resulting from corner kicks, but the game remained scoreless.
Stager scored her 28th goal of the season in the games 24th minute. A through ball snuck behind the Raiders defense and goalkeeper Mia Humphreys came off her line to try and corral it. She could not play it cleanly and that left Stager with an empty net on a play that was ruled onside, and the Tigers had a 1-0 lead.
Senior Natalie Rak made her best save of the night midway through the second half to preserve the shutout when she dove to her left to snag a shot from Ayla Ward that was ticketed for the far side of the net.
The Raiders never really threatened from that point as the Tigers posted their 12th clean sheet of the season.
With the win, North Allegheny improved to (17-0, 14-0). The loss dropped Seneca Valley to (12-2-1, 10-2-1), with both the Raiders losses coming against the Tigers. Seneca Valley had already wrapped up second place in the section prior to tonight’s match.
Once again, the Kentucky recruit Stager provided the only offense the Tigers would need, and as a result, she was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.
Both Seneca Valley and North Allegheny have non-section season finales scheduled for Wednesday night. The Tigers will travel to Norwin for a 7:30 kickoff to try and cap off the undefeated regular season. The WPIAL playoff soccer brackets will also be revealed on Wednesday, and that’s when the Tigers will find out when and where their quest for back-to-back titles and four championships in five years will begin.
Girls Soccer Summary vs. Seneca Valley, 10-16-23
| GAME SUMMARY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| SCORE BY HALVES | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
| North Allegheny | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Seneca Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 |
