North Allegheny ousts Penn-Trafford girls in PIAA first round

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | 9:15 PM

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The state playoffs can be a thorny place for WPIAL champions, regardless of the sport.

And sometimes the most challenging thing is having to face another WPIAL team right out of the gate. It happens every year, and district champions fall.

Fresh off their first WPIAL title in 14 years, Penn-Trafford fell victim to the dreaded championship “hangover” Tuesday night, dropping a season-ending decision to North Allegheny, 2-0, in a PIAA Class 4A first-round girls soccer game at Fox Chapel.

The Warriors went from cleaning up confetti to cleaning up equipment for the last time.

“We felt that a little bit,” Penn-Trafford coach Jackie Bartko said of the letdown. “It's hard to keep up that level and take it into the next game. At times, we turned it on, and other times we didn't. It's tough because this isn't a representative ending for us.”

That's not to say Penn-Trafford (17-4-1) lacked energy or excitement. North Allegheny also had a lot to do with the early exit.

Junior midfielder Alex Adams scored both goals for North Allegheny (14-7), the WPIAL's third-place team, which advances to Saturday's quarterfinals.

Much to the chagrin of Westmoreland County fans and the surprise to followers, the fourth installment of Norwin vs. Penn-Trafford won't happen. WPIAL runner-up Norwin was hoping for another chance at Penn-Trafford after a 2-1 overtime loss to its rival in the finals over the weekend at Highmark Stadium. But they will get a chance to return to the state quarterfinals, where they lost last year after winning the WPIAL title.

Norwin blanked State College, 4-0, Monday in its first-round game in Altoona. The Knights (18-2-1) shut out North Allegheny twice this season.

North Allegheny lost to Penn-Trafford during the regular season 2-0. But the Tigers returned the favor this time to hand the Warriors their third straight first-round loss in the state bracket (2011, ‘14).

Penn-Trafford's last PIAA win came in 2008.

The Tigers made it a deadpan kind of night for the Warriors, who struggled to find rhythm on offense and managed very few clean looks.

“They played quick and stuck a foot into every ball,” Bartko said. “They really made it tough to win possession.”

Adams gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. She dribbled into the right side of the box, edged past a couple of pursuers, and drew Warriors sophomore goalkeeper Megan Giesey out to the extreme right of the cage.

Adams kicked far left and into the back of the net for her 15th goal of the season.

North Allegheny had five days off after its 3-1 win over Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL consolation/PIAA play-in game.

Penn-Trafford was barely three days removed from its thrilling win over Norwin, the fire trucks-and-police cars escort back to Harrison City and the accompanying celebration.

“Our girls were excited to get back and play again,” Tigers coach Chuck Kelley said. “We had a few more days to collect ourselves and get recovered. We just wanted another chance to keep playing.”

In the 56th minute, with pressure increased by Penn-Trafford, the Tigers worked a triangle of passes behind the Warriors defense. Ava Ruppersberger took a pass wide but drew traffic and centered back to Adams.

The midfielder took the touch pass and flicked a shot by Giesey for a 2-0 advantage.

“So many things can change from the time you play a team to the next,” Kelley said. “We had some girls that didn't play against them before, so I'm sure they saw some different things from us.”

Lauren Stovar had the Warriors' best look at the net at the 22:08 mark of the first half, but her shot in close clanked off the left post.

Chances were limited in the second 40 minutes.

The Tigers once again used two goalkeepers, with senior Olivia Ruppersberger playing the first half, and senior Julia Correa the second. They combined for seven saves.

Giesey made 10 saves for Penn-Trafford.

“We're proud of everything the girls accomplished and have nothing to be upset about,” Bartko said. “It was a great run.”

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

Tags: North Allegheny, Penn-Trafford