Penn-Trafford girls soccer stuns top-ranked Norwin

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, September 25, 2017 | 10:00 PM

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Hannah Nguyen and Lauren Stovar put the corner in corner kick. And the up in upset.

The Penn-Trafford teammates connected perfectly for a rare score against their county rivals from Norwin, and it was all the offense the Warriors needed to upset the top-ranked team in the nation.

The Warriors won 1-0 on Monday night to stun the No. 1 Knights and end their 47-game regular-season unbeaten streak that began in 2014 and, more significantly in the present, move ahead of them and into first place in Section 4-AAAA.

Norwin (7-1, 4-1), ranked No. 1 by Top Drawer Soccer, had not lost a section game since 2013, when Penn-Trafford blanked the Knights, 2-0. A 43-game section unbeaten streak also will have to hit the reset button.

The student section stormed the field at Warrior Stadium after the clock winded to zeros, and Penn-Trafford (8-2, 5-0) stayed perfect in section.

Students lifted players into the air in celebration.

“It was awesome. We had people picking us up. It was like a dream,” Stovar said. “Whoever wanted it more, and we wanted it more. Whoever scored first.”

Nguyen curled in a corner from the far side to a waiting Stovar, who lured Norwin goalkeeper Sam Wexell into a tight spot in the front left of the net. With Wexell “cornered,” Stovar went upper right corner and buried the shot in the 56th minute.

“I was at the top, and I spun around and took the back run and the ball came over and I hit it with my left foot,” Stovar said. “Perfect.”

Nguyen didn't want to kick the ball that close to Wexell, but it worked out.

“We played our game and did what we were supposed to do,” she said. “It was amazing, like you're in a movie and you score one of the biggest goals.”

The loss was the first in section for Norwin coach Lauren Karcher, whose two-time defending WPIAL championship team blitzed the Warriors with shots in the final five minutes but could not find the net.

“They threw their bodies on the line there,” Penn-Trafford coach Jackie Bartko said of her players. “When we play Norwin, it's always a one-goal difference.”

Penn-Trafford goalie Megan Giesey made 20 saves. Wexell had five.

“I can't complain at all about our girls' effort tonight,” Karcher said. “Penn-Trafford always puts out a really strong team. They played extra defensively in the first half, moving a forward up. We got more chances in the second half.”

Bartko said the goal came off a slight adjustment.

“In the first half, we had a couple crosses to the back post, but nobody came over,” she said. “When we scored, Lauren was there, and we executed that play. Our girls are so excited because our girls have been building up to this. These seniors have never beaten Norwin.”

The teams played to a scoreless tie at halftime, but opportunities picked up after the break.

Lacey Bernick's shot in close deflected off a lunging Giesey's chest in the 49th minute.

Penn-Trafford nearly scored first a bit earlier, but Stovar's shot clanged off the right post.

Norwin controlled possession for most of the first half before Penn-Trafford began to get into better position. Junior midfielder Kiley Dugan had the best look at the net, popping up a shot that Wexell corralled in the 38th minute.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Norwin, Penn-Trafford