Confetti rained down from the Pine-Richland stands with a period to go in the WPIAL Class 3A field hockey championship game Tuesday. The odd thing? Neither the Rams nor their Class 3A rival, North Allegheny, had scored.
After a shot from outside the circle whizzed past North Allegheny netminder Alaina Roth straight into the back of the goal, fans in green set off their confetti cannons, believing the Rams to have taken the first lead of the night, not realizing it wasn’t a legal goal.
Less than 10 seconds later, junior midfielder Claire Mill followed a shot in front of North Allegheny’s goal, scoring the game-winner for top-seeded Pine-Richland. Mill added another for the Rams (17-3) in the fourth, clinching their seventh straight WPIAL title with a 2-0 win over No. 3 North Allegheny (8-9) at Newman Stadium.
Pine-Richland was in the finals for the 10th straight year after defeating No. 4 Norwin, 11-0, last Wednesday. North Allegheny, which owns the most WPIAL titles with 22, advanced to the championship round after defeating No. 2 Mount Lebanon, 2-1, in overtime. The Tigers then got the privilege of hosting the WPIAL title game, but that didn’t seem to matter to the Rams’ players and staff.
“Well, (we played here) before,” coach Donna Stephenson said. “It happened in 2017, and we won that, and one of our coaches played in that game. So we just had to bring our fanbase here, and I think our girls did a good job (of doing so).”
Mill used more recent evidence to back her confidence, citing the three-game sweep the Rams had over the Tigers during the regular season.
“Well, I mean, we’ve won here before …,” Mill said. “…We beat them three times before. So, just trusting our team, but also trusting that they’re going to come out strong, which they did. So yeah, just going out for force, not going in thinking that we’re going to win or anything.”
The game was scoreless after the first 15 minutes. Pine-Richland dominated the possession game, but North Allegheny’s defense stood strong, limiting the Rams to just two shots.
The Rams’ best look in the opening period came on a penalty corner from Alyssa Baculik. The junior midfielder set up Mill, whose shot was blocked in front of the goal.
In the second period, the Rams’ offensive pressure started to generate more clean looks. Senior forward Paige Luisi had a chance to break the tie two minutes into the period on a right-side shot, but Roth thwarted it away. Then, after a corner, Mill threaded a pass to sophomore Leyton Carlson, whose reverse chip shot was also saved by Roth.
At halftime, Pine-Richland had five shots, while North Allegheny had zero.
Pine-Richland’s relentless offensive attack continued into the third period. Baculik misfired on two shots, and one of Luisi’s follow-up chances was saved. Then, with 1:49 left in the third, Mill fired in the game-winner.
The Rams finished with 13 shots and didn’t allow a single shot from the Tigers.
Stephenson was proud of how her team had prepared for this year and met the standard set in the program. But while the work her team put in showed through on the field, Stephenson credited the environment her players created for the team’s seventh straight WPIAL championship.
“I think the biggest thing is that what the girls wanted was a great team environment,” Stephenson said. “They think of it as a family, that this is their sisters on the field. They’re very close, and they’re there to play together and support each other. So I think that’s what’s more important. It’s great to win, but I think what’s even better is like the bonds and the memories that these girls are going to have for a lifetime.”
Stephenson and her team will have a chance to make more memories as they head into the PIAA playoffs. The first round is set to begin Nov. 4, with the Rams’ opponents to be decided.