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Jayden Sharpless nets free kick to give North Catholic first WPIAL girls soccer title

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Saturday, November 2, 2019 | 12:17 PM

The WPIAL Class AA girls soccer championship game needed a hero, and North Catholic sophomore Jayden Sharpless stepped up in double overtime on an indirect free kick.

Her first attempt sailed wide, but she was granted a second chance because of a pre-kick violation against Yough for encroachment. Cougars defender Hadley Sleith also was dealt a yellow card on the play.

North Catholic forward Alexis Wateska tapped the second indirect free kick a foot back to Sharpless who drilled a 25-yard shot into the top right corner of the net as the Trojans won their first WPIAL Class AA title 1-0 over the Cougars on Saturday at Highmark Stadium.

The Trojanettes have been led offensively this season by Sharpless, who has 18 goals one year after tallying 64 to lead Freedom to the WPIAL Class A title. She was initially ruled ineligible by WPIAL, but gained eligibility on an appeal by a 6-5 panel vote in September.

“I wasn’t expecting (a second indirect kick), so it was amazing,” Sharpless said. “Winning with North Catholic feels unreal. It’s like a family here. We deserved it. We just made history.”

Yough coach Dann Appolonia agreed with the encroachment call, but said he didn’t understand what Sleith did to earn a yellow card and five minutes on the sideline.

“I struggle with the call for a dangerous play, because I thought my player was just trying to get off the ground,” Appolonia said. “She wasn’t making an attempt to play the ball. She was simply getting up, so I’m not sure what she was doing that was dangerous. I kind of have some heartburn with that call.”

The Trojanettes (14-4) were led on the other end by goaltender Andrea Bean, who had five saves, including a near game-winner in the first overtime when Yough freshman McKenzie Pritts split two defenders and shot from 15 yards out.

“Today was amazing,” Bean said. “It’s such a great team. It’s such a great program. I’m just so proud of everyone.”

Bean made a diving finger-tip save, which she said was a “split-second decision” to lunge right, and gathered the rebound before Pritts could tap the ball in.

“Andera Bean saved the game for us, absolutely,” North Catholic coach Emily Karr said. “She won the championship for us, and she made probably the best save I’ve ever seen her make right there. That’s something she’s grown into. … Andrea has matured so much this year and turned into a standout keeper.”

North Catholic kept Yough’s top scorers — Justine Appolonio, Natalie Vilcheck and Pritts — in check and allowed just one shot on goal in the first half.

Dann Appolonia instructed his team to play more aggressively at halftime, which led to several scoring opportunities in the second half. Yough goaltender Sara Krofcheck saved eight shots on goal before allowing the game-winner.

North Catholic will play District-10 runner-up Mercyhurst Prep (16-4-1), and Yough will play District 10 champion Villa Maria (15-6) in the PIAA opening round Tuesday at sites to be determined.

“They put a lot into this game, so they’re definitely exhausted,” Appolonia said. “There’s definitely going to have to be a mental turn where we regroup and say ‘it’s not over.’”

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