NA girls soccer shuts out Butler, 4-0
BUTLER TWP — Speed is not everything in soccer, but if you have it, it makes everything else a whole lot easier.
North Allegheny’s girls have used it to frustrate their opponents this season and Butler tried to withstand it Monday night ... without success.
NA threatened Butler’s net for much of the night in a 4-0 victory over the Golden Tornado at Art Bernardi Stadium. The Tigers had defeated Butler 4-3 in Wexford Sept. 7.
“We are not a very deep varsity squad to begin with and we were down three of our top players tonight,” said Butler coach Brittni Grenninger. “We came into this game with a mind-set of survival as opposed to actually winning.”
Butler goalkeeper Delaney Yaracs, who made eight saves on the night, had to deal with breakaways on several occasions as Tigers got behind her defense.
She had already made one save when NA’s Riley Cerqua lined up in the fifth minute to take a free kick 35 yards from Butler’s net. The senior defender placed her shot perfectly, just below the crossbar and out of the reach of a leaping Yaracs for a 1-0 lead.
Following the goal, the Tigers (13-1, 9-1) kept the heat on Yaracs, earning four corner kicks in a span of just two minutes. Butler’s goalkeeper stood tall amid the pressure, however, including making a save when Abby Stager blistered a shot from 10 yards.
“We had a good many starters back from last year,” said NA coach Chuck Kelley. “Some other players have stepped up to fill in the other spots. We’ve been fortunate and are focusing on one game at a time.”
Late in the first half, Yaracs came off her line in an attempt to thwart a scoring chance by Allie Burns, who had maneuvered around a Butler defender. Burns side-stepped the goalie, too, and her uncontested shot smacked off the right post before Tornado defender Paige Griest cleared the ball.
Butler (5-6, 4-5) first challenged NA keeper Natalie Rak with Kaitlyn McGuire’s shot in the 28th minute. Rak made four saves on the night.
The Tigers blew the game open with three goals in the second half — two by Lucia Wells and one by Anna Bundy. Wells’ tallies came just over three minutes apart early in the half.
“With it just 1-0 at halftime, we were still within reach,” said Grenninger. “But those two quick goals took us out of it.
“Down three players, we just can’t compete with a team like NA for a full 80 minutes.”
Butler plays a section game at Allderdice Thursday afternoon.
