Underclassmen to play key roles for North Allegheny boys soccer

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, September 4, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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With few returning starters and a roster heavy in sophomores, North Allegheny coach Bobby Vosmaer told his boys soccer team to be ready.

Other teams will test their toughness.

“I think they’re going throw some guys at us just to kick the crapper out of us, so to speak,” Vosmaer said. “They’ll really be physical and mix it up. I told my guys that you’ve got to deal with that.”

Brawn won’t come until the sophomores mature, so for now they’ll need to battle with their brains.

“They’re skilled enough to be able to handle that,” Vosmaer said. “But are they disciplined enough?”

North Allegheny is coming off a 13-4-1 season that saw the team reach the WPIAL quarterfinals.

The Tigers have only 12 seniors on this year’s roster, which might be the fewest in Vosmaer’s 17 seasons as coach. So they’ll rely more on a talented 10th-grade class that lacks varsity playing time but has plenty of club-soccer minutes.

That sophomore list includes starting goalkeeper Dante Accamando, along with midfielders Amav Patel and Daniel Stevens. Accamando has played for Beadling Soccer Club, and Stevens is associated with the Riverhounds Development Academy.

“The nice thing about a lot of the sophomores is they can play,” Vosmaer said. “They’re natural players. I don’t really have to bug them with all kinds of schemes and that kind of stuff. It’s just little corrections and subtle reinforcements. They’re very creative.”

Still, the sophomores will need time to grow.

“I figure in a year’s time some have finally grown into their bodies,” Vosmaer said. “The future looks really good right now.”

In the meantime, NA returns three starters from last year’s team including senior forward Evan Anderson, the leading goal scorer with 15. Junior defenseman Aidan Dyga and senior midfield Brandon Marzula also are returning starters.

Joining them in the lineup will be junior midfielders Kevin Luo and junior midfield Ben Christian, along with seniors Tor Skogsholm, Matt Mihm and Alok Shah.

A year ago, North Allegheny went 8-3-1 in Section 1-4A and finished third behind Seneca Valley (10-1-1) and Fox Chapel (9-3-0). The Tigers lost in the WPIAL quarterfinals to Norwin, 4-1.

Vosmaer said he planned to start many of his seniors in the team’s preseason scrimmages and let the sophomores earn their way into the lineup.

“(The seniors) know what’s coming right behind them,” Vosmaer said. “They see it. There’s talent coming through. If they step off the field, we won’t miss a beat, really.”

The Tigers had scrimmages scheduled this month against Burrell, Southmoreland and Latrobe. The season opener was Sept. 9 at Pine-Richland in a game that ended past this edition’s deadline.

“That gives me three games to sort some stuff out,” Vosmaer said. “I’m very curious to see how many I’m going to be having on the field from the senior group.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny