North Allegheny notebook: 4 NA girls soccer players earn All-WPIAL honors

By: Bill Hartlep
Saturday, November 5, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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North Allegheny’s girls soccer team advanced to the WPIAL championship game for the third time in four seasons, and four Tigers who helped lead the way were honored for their performance.

Senior midfielders Anna Bundy and Sophia Palermo, junior forward Abigail Stager and senior forward Lucia Wells were all named to the All-WPIAL team.

The team is selected by the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association.

All four are committed to play soccer at the college level. Wells is headed to Pitt, Bundy to Duquesne, Palermo to Slippery Rock and Stager to Kentucky.

Wells is a three-time selection who leads the team with 27 goals this season. She also is a finalist for the Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award.

Stager has netted 16 goals, while Bundy and Palermo, a two-time All-WPIAL pick, have eight and three, respectively.

Top-seeded North Allegheny reached the WPIAL final after a 3-2 win over No. 4-seeded Seneca Valley. Stager, Wells and Jadyn Coy scored for the Tigers.

The Tigers won WPIAL titles in 2019 and ‘20.

NA volleyball returns to final

North Allegheny’s girls volleyball team returned to the WPIAL Class 4A championship for the sixth straight season after a 3-0 victory over Penn-Trafford, 25-13, 25-20, 25-16, in the semifinals Nov. 1.

North Allegheny (18-0) jumped on Penn-Trafford quickly in Game 1, scoring six consecutive points after the Warriors took a 1-0 lead.

Second-year coach Russ Hoburg said the passing of Rebecca Pilotta and libero Caroline Currankeyed the Tigers attack.

“People look at how well our front line plays, but it’s the girls on the back line that key the offense,” Hoburg said. “They were outstanding.”

Penn-Trafford played North Allegheny tough in the second game and actually led early before the Tigers rallied late to pull out the win.

Again in the third game, the Warriors got an early 7-3 lead, but the Tigers settled down and took control of the game.

The North Allegheny front line of Ella Deeter, Mia Tuman, Carissa Treser, Ella Zimmer and Marin Dunaway did a great job blocking and deflecting shots or putting the ball away with kills.

“These girls are tested every day in practice by going against best team in the state,” Hoburg said. “These girls wait their time, and that’s a good attribute to the program.”

Tigers fall in field hockey final

Pine-Richland defeated North Allegheny, 3-0, in the WPIAL Class 3A field hockey championship Oct. 29 at Washington & Jefferson to earn its fourth consecutive district crown.

It was the third win of the year for the Rams (19-0-1) over the Tigers (13-5-1). They won 2-1 in overtime Sept. 27 and 3-1 in the regular season finale Oct. 20.

The Rams got goals from Emma Westerhoff, Jessica Albertson and Georgia Rottinghaus.

North Allegheny had its best chance to score late in the first half. Mila Prusak hit a strong shot toward the net, but it hit the post and stayed out.

Boys water polo takes 3rd

North Allegheny’s boys water polo team finished third in the state at a tournament Oct. 29 at Wilson High School.

The Tigers defeated Governor Mifflin, 20-9, lost to Wilson, 12-10, and then beat Wissahickon, 19-13, in the third-place game.

Sean McClellan and Keller Sens earned first-team all-state honors after the tournament.

Asher Jones and Eliot Maravich were picked to the second team, and Ben Gavran and Justin Morrison were named to the third team.

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