Norwin boys soccer team beats Mt. Lebanon on penalty kick

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 | 10:14 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Shutouts are nice. But Norwin will take wins any way it can get them.

Whatever keeps the streak hot.

Alex Brown scored on a penalty kick with 1 minute, 34 seconds to play in overtime as the fifth-ranked Knights ran their winning streak to 11 with a 2-1 victory over visiting Mt. Lebanon on Tuesday night.

The Section 2-4A thriller had Brown beaming following a dogpile celebration.

“There’s nothing like scoring a game-winner, especially one like that,” said Brown, who leads the Knights (11-4, 10-3) with 13 goals. “We’re playing with a lot of drive right now, super-physical and winning every ball. We’re playing with grit.”

Mt. Lebanon (7-9, 7-6), which was basically in a must-win situation to keep its playoff hopes alive, played strong defense behind goalkeeper Cole Barton, who had six saves. But Barton didn’t get a seventh despite guessing right on the penalty kick after Brown was fouled in the box.

He lunged left, but Brown scored low and right, under the keeper.

“We knew (Mt. Lebanon had to win), so we knew they were going to come out and battle,” Norwin coach Scott Schuchert said. “Alex and Daniel Maddock keep getting better. We played well as a team. We had some guys out of position again. At Norwin, we create soccer players, not position players.”

Norwin, which has outscored opponents 36-5 during the win streak, opened the game down three senior starters, who sat out for disciplinary reasons.

They did not check in until the second half but merged into a physical matchup and contributed.

“We needed to send them a message, but I think it lit a spark under us,” Schuchert said. “We didn’t have them for 40 minutes.”

Norwin keeper Anthony Scalise made six saves, and the Knights outshot the Blue Devils, 13-7.

Mt. Lebanon represents win Nos. 3 and 11 in Norwin’s best winning streak since 2010.

The 2010 team also won 11 in a row.

Alex Brown with the penalty kick and Norwin beats Mt. Lebanon 2-1 in overtime (1:34).@norwinathletics @BoysNorwin @MtLebanonSports @TribLiveHSSN pic.twitter.com/sM45PowMfK

— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) October 12, 2022

“We kept our heads up the whole game,” Brown said.

Norwin opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Maddock ripped a shot past Barton.

But it quickly was tied as Mt. Lebanon retaliated in the 19th minute on a score by John Hamilton.

Hamilton emerged from a scrum in front and scooted a shot past Scalise to make it 1-1.

Scalise made a diving stop to keep it deadlocked in the 58th minute.

Norwin had a pair of 35-yard free kicks stuffed by Barton inside the final 10 minutes of regulation.

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

Tags: Mt. lebanon, Norwin