Seneca Valley beats North Allegheny in overtime thriller to stay unbeaten

Seneca Valley senior Max Marcotte capped a spirited performance with a golden goal late in the second period of overtime to lead the nationally-ranked Raiders to a thrilling 3-2 win over North Allegheny on Tuesday night.

The two-time defending WPIAL 4A champs – which made it to within one win of a state title a year ago – improved to 9-0-0 on the season but were given a real challenge from their Tuesday night visitors at NextTier Stadium.

Despite having the bulk of the possession and chances early on, it took SV until the 33rd minute to find a breakthrough. It came off a well-struck corner kick from Marcotte to set up Connor Oros in the box. The lead, however, didn’t last long. Just three minutes later Luke Brady sent a long ball from near midfield that Zach Nash was able to volley past SV keeper Ryan Krumenacker.

Oros and Marcotte linked up again early in the second half to put the hosts back in front but it was Brady and Nash in the Tigers attack pushing for an equalizer that led to another emphatic response. After connecting in the final third, Nash was able to draw a penalty in the box in the 63rd minute. Krumenacker did well to save the spot kick from Ben Christian but Gabi Götz was there crashing the box to put home the rebound and tie the game once again.

Chances fell to both teams before the full time whistle but heading into overtime it was mostly Seneca Valley dictating play. The dagger came when Marcotte was able to collect a bouncing ball off the gridiron turf, fend off two defenders and beat NA goalkeeper Dante Accamando – who was excellent on the night – with a low shot that set off the final on-field celebration of the night.

With the loss, North Allegheny falls to 6-3-1 and 4-3-0 in section 1-AAAA while Seneca Valley improves to 7-0-0 in the section and 9-0-0 overall. The Raiders are ranked 18 nationally and third in Region III in rankings released by the United Soccer Coaches on Tuesday. They are the highest ranked team in Pennsylvania in both.