Norwin boys in position to make late-season magic again

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Norwin was banged up and flirting with missing the WPIAL boys soccer playoffs last year when everything began to click at just about this same point in the season.

“It was the Baldwin game,” Knights coach Scott Schuchert said. “We were chasing … almost not making the playoffs. We had some guys injured, and we had to grind out games. That was a pivotal point for us.”

Norwin had to put reserves into key roles and find ways around injuries, something that ended up being a blessing in disguise. Players healed and rejoined the rotation just in time for the Knights to make a run to their first WPIAL championship as a No. 8 seed in an eight-team field.

“There were layers we built, and different rotations allowed guys to add depth,” Schuchert said. “We had that depth for the playoffs. It took some time, but once everyone got up to speed, it worked out.”

A similar situation happened this season with senior starters Ryan Dooen (goalkeeper) and George Bunovich (defense) and junior Tristan Josephic (forward) missing time with injuries. They have worked their way back, along with junior midfielder Ian Natale, who became a key substitute late last season, to set the table for another run.

Norwin is getting healthy at the right time for the second year in a row.

Pending Tuesday’s results, the Knights (9-4, 7-1) will try to win a section championship for the first time since 2021 when they host first-place and unbeaten Plum (12-0-3, 7-0) on Thursday night. Then, it’s on to the postseason to defend their title.

“It gets us fired up (to think about a repeat),” sophomore midfielder Chase Molinaro said. “We have to keep working. There is more pressure on us now, and teams are coming for us.”

Dooen filled in for Anthony Scalise in goal last year late in the regular season, but Scalise came back for the playoffs and was spectacular at times as he kept the Knights in games and allowed them to win three playoff games on penalty kicks, including the WPIAL championship game against North Allegheny.

“We had a lot of one-goal games, last-second games,” Schuchert said. “That helped to test our guys to handle those situations and gave them great competition.”

All six postseason games for the Knights were one-score games.

“I know how nervous I was last year being in the top five for PKs as a freshman,” Molinaro said.

Dooen missed seven games this year with a fractured bone in his hip, an injury that occurred in a 7-2 loss to Seneca Valley in late August.

“I made a swing at the ball, and my hip popped,” Dooen said. “I couldn’t move I was in so much pain.”

He returned against Hempfield and is 4-0 since.

Bunovich, who not only helps to anchor a solid back line but also helps to set up goals, is back to being effective.

“I have confidence in everybody on the field,” Dooen said. “We have to play as a team, and we can make another run.”

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

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