Former Norwin standout Carter Breen, 25, takes over boys soccer program

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 11:01 AM

Carter Breen got an up-close-and-personal look at being a head coach in 2023 when Norwin penalty-kicked its way to its first WPIAL boys soccer championship.

Breen, Norwin’s all-time leading goal scorer with 68 tallies, was an assistant coach that year and stepped in as interim head coach when Scott Schuchert was suspended and couldn’t be at Highmark Stadium for the finals.

Winning a championship in his first go-round in the leadership role was exhilarating, and Breen hopes to do it again as the official head coach of his alma mater.

Breen was hired earlier this month – on his 25th birthday — to replace Schuchert, who resigned after 14 years.

“I always desired to coach from a young age,” said Breen, who spent four years as an assistan to Schuchert. “That is kind of how I wanted the game to stay with me. That opportunity fell in my lap. I was able to step in and look through the eyes of what Scotty saw.”

Schuchert went 177-70-18 and never missed the WPIAL playoffs, collecting double-digit wins in 13 seasons.

Norwin made the PIAA semifinals in ’23 for its deepest postseason run.

Norwin was 11-5-3 last season after falling to Plum in a shootout in the WPIAL 4A quarterfinals.

“Scotty has always been a big family guy,” Breen said. “When he decided to step down, we talked about one of us (assistants) keeping the tradition alive. Me, Matt (Klingensmith) or Dave (Kozak). Scotty taught me a lot as a player and coach, tactically and with pride and support.”

Uniquely, Norwin will return 10 starters, a group that Breen is anxious to make his own.

“That’s one of the deepest teams we’ve ever had,” he said. “I am going in with open-mindedness from coaching aspects. I am always thinking of some ideas. Scotty leaned on us a lot. He always ran everything through us. That is part of having a good coaching staff.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Norwin