The road to Highmark Stadium for both the North Allegheny and Seneca Valley girls soccer teams had few tricks and many treats en route to a meeting for WPIAL Class 4A gold on Halloween.
The cold autumn breeze that kicked off the banks of the Monongahela River proved to be a great backdrop as the two bordering rivals played for a championship Friday evening.
The two north suburban schools needed double overtime to decide the crown. Tigers junior Rosalia Varlotta sent a 30-yard missile over the head of Seneca goalkeeper Sydney Postler, lifting North Allegheny to a 2-1 win and the school’s fourth WPIAL title in the past seven years.
“My initial thought was to try and win the ball and try to get a shot on goal,” Varlotta said moments after the game.
“I was hoping it would either go in or we could get a rebound for us. When I saw the ball kind of going high and it was going above the goalie, I was hoping it was going in and, yeah,” she added with a smile.
With a split in the season series between the clubs, it was the Section 3-4A champion Raiders who came in as the No. 2 seed against North Allegheny, the No. 5 seed. Both were searching to add to their trophy case, with the Raiders losing in the title game the year before to Peters Township. The Indians’ bid to repeat was ended by the Tigers in the semifinals earlier this week.
After 40 minutes of scoreless play, with much of that dominated by the Tigers, a goal by Madeline Marcotte of Seneca found the back of the net in the 67th minute to put the Raiders ahead 1-0. It appeared as if Seneca Valley was on its way to the school’s sixth WPIAL title and first since 2018.
But Kieran Shannon, a junior striker for the Tigers, responded five minutes later. Off a corner kick, a ball got deflected towards the opposite corner of the 18-yard box. Shannon blasted a diagonal rocket that found nylon, beating Postler. Her unassisted goal tied the game at 1-1.
Marcotte’s goal opened a bag of treats for the No. 2 seed when a cross from teammate Karly Majeski got off the hands of Tigers goalkeeper Jordan Beemer. Her well-placed shot just at the top of the 6-yard box opened the scoring and with 13 minutes left, all seemed lost for NA.
Raiders coach Mark Perry was gracious in defeat.
“I thought both teams played great,” he said. “Both teams worked very hard. We had the lead. Give credit to them. They tied it. It was going to take a great shot from someone to win it. Rosalia Varlotta hits it. I’m very proud of our girls. We have a chance to now make a run at things in the state playoffs.”
Conjuring up the spirt of comeback, Shannon registered the equalizer for the Tigers and the game was tied. It appeared as if both teams would play into overtime, but in the 78th minute, Shannon got free again and made a move on net.
Her shot was blocked, but it found itself at the feet of teammate Averie Bierker, a Miami (Ohio) commit who got free inside the 6-yard box and launched a shot that seemed destined to find the back of the net. That was until Postler dove toward her left and sent the ball away, keeping the game tied and then into sudden death.
After a scoreless first 15 minutes of overtime, Varlotta sent the NA faithful in attendance home happy and coach Chuck Kelley to another championship under his watch.
“We played a really good team.” Kelley said. “We played a lot of good teams this year. Seneca Valley was one of those teams that we battled with back and forth. We are just grateful. It’s a great win for a group of girls that never quit. They want to keep playing every time. They step up in big moments.”
As for the championship goal, Kelley spoke about what he saw from his spot along the sidelines.
“She placed it really well,” he said. “Had the space in front of her. She’s made some really big plays for us this season. I’m glad that she’s the one that scored it.”
Both teams have qualified for the PIAA playoffs, which start Tuesday, and will await who their first-round opponents will be, along with sites and start times.