North Hills boys soccer unseats WPIAL champ Norwin
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Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | 10:09 PM
North Hills’ Tyler Devlin celebrates after scoring against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Zach Fritz watches the winning goal in the final seconds against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Tyler Devlin celebrates with Zach Fritz after the winning goal in the final seconds against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills goalkeeper Adrian Werner makes a save under Norwin’s Ian Natale late in the second half of their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills goalkeeper Adrian Werner celebrates with Tyler Myers after defeating Norwin in their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Zach Fritz pressures Norwin goalkeeper Ryan Dooen late in their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Zach Fritz heads the ball over Norwin’s Danny Hartman and Tanner Schneck during their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Tyler Devlin (10) celebrates with Vinicios Fernandes Dos Santos after scoring against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
Norwin’s Joseph Walton battles North Hills’ Vinicios Fernandes Dos Santos for possession during their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Vinicios Fernandes Dos Santos celebrates after scoring on a penalty kick against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Tyler Devlin celebrates after scoring against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Tyler Devlin (10) celebrates with Owen Mollenauer after scoring against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Jack Scarsella celebrates after the winning goal against Norwin during their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Tyler Myers celebrates after defeating Norwin in their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Jack Scarsella celebrates after defeating Norwin in their WPIAL Class 4A first round playoff game on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
North Hills’ Zach Fritz watches the winning goal in the final seconds against Norwin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Norwin.
Norwin’s Daniel Maddock battles North Hills’ Alexander Perrotti for a header during their WPIAL Class 4A first-round playoff game Tuesday at Norwin.
Norwin’s Chase Molinaro battles North Hills’ Tyler Devlin for possession during their WPIAL Class 4A first-round game Tuesday.
North Hills beat the buzzer, and the defending champs.
With a little help, the No. 12-seeded Indians used a last-second goal to shock No. 5 Norwin, 3-2, in a WPIAL Class 4A first-round boys soccer playoff game Tuesday night at Norwin Knights Stadium.
Just when it looked like it was going to overtime, North Hills (11-8) made one last push, with Tyler Myers sending a wide cross in front to Zachary Fritz.
That’s when the unthinkable happened.
Norwin keeper Ryan Dooen came out and stopped the shot with his body, but the ball trickled in behind him. As Norwin’s Chase Molinaro closed in and attempted to clear, with Fritz crashing the box beside him, Molinaro tried to kick the ball away.
His teammate, Ryan Schiller, also was rushing the cage. The ball left Molinaro’s foot, hit Schiller on the side of his head and went into the net for the go-ahead score with 2 seconds remaining in regulation.
The own goal left everyone in the stadium wondering what just happened. Did it count? Who scored it?
“You try to practice and prepare for every scenario possible,” Norwin coach Scott Schuchert said. “Then that happens. At that point, as a coach, you’re just hoping for an offsides or something. It was crazy. Kudos to them. They played till the end.”
Wild ending.
It's an own goal by Norwin with 1 second left.
North Hills upsets the Knights, 3-2.@NHAthletics_ @BoysNorwin @TribLiveHSSN #wpialsoccer pic.twitter.com/Rj5kWlEkW8
— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) October 23, 2024
In an instant, Norwin’s title defense was dashed, its season over at 11-6-1.
North Hills, conversely, moved on to the quarterfinals to play No. 4 North Allegheny (15-3-1) on Saturday.
North Hills had not won a first-round playoff game in 25 years. It hadn’t made the playoffs since 2016.
“It says so much about our guys to battle back and stay with it,” North Hills coach Kyle Boggs said. “I have never seen a game end like that. I thought for sure we were taking it to OT. At the end, we wanted to get wide and get it across.”
Daniel Maddock had both goals for Norwin, which saw a magical run to its first WPIAL title last year include a number of tight finishes — none like this.
Maddock pumped in a highlight-reel goal to open the scoring about 15 minutes in when he took a breakaway, dribbled around and over Indians’ keeper Adrian Werner, who was about 30 yards out of the goal, and finished in an open net.
“Daniel Maddock had an all-state game tonight,” Schuchert said.
The Indians tied it on a penalty kick in the 21st minute. Vinicious Fernandes Dos Santos ripped his attempt past Dooen to make it 1-1.
A Norwin miscue allowed North Hills to go ahead 2-1 about 10 minutes later. Dooen fell on a shot attempt, but the ball squirted out and as the Knights tried to clear again, it bounced to Tyler Devlin’s foot and he buried it.
The one-goal lead held to halftime.
A couple of hard fouls gave Norwin a pair of free kicks from the 18. The first, the result of a yellow card, was sent in by Ryan Schoemer, but his kick hit a wall of defenders.
Maddock took the brunt of a foul with 12:27 remaining, and this time, he connected on a shot from almost the same spot for a 2-2 score.
“Some teams get down one and stay down,” Boggs said. “I had never seen that many free kicks from the top of the 18. Our kids kept battling.
“Seeding was not their motivation. They wanted this more than anything. We have 13 seniors, and they don’t want to see the season end.”
Werner was solid against Norwin’s fast attack, making seven saves. Dooen had six.
“When you get to this point, all the teams are good,” Schuchert said. “Anything can happen.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: North Hills, Norwin
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