Norwin downs Penn-Trafford to take sole possession of top spot in section

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, September 15, 2025 | 10:14 PM

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Substitutions, set pieces and strength fit the alliteration theme as Norwin continued a streak.

The newly ranked team in the TribLive Class 4A girls soccer rankings played to its strengths in an impressive 3-0 victory over rival Penn-Trafford to run its winning streak to five and take over first place in Section 1.

Balanced scoring and immense depth carried on for No. 5 Norwin (6-2, 4-0) as Hannah Amantea, Siena Ali and Nicole Bown scored goals in the victory, and 17 girls saw playing time Monday night at Warrior Stadium.

“This was a complete, unified team effort,” Norwin coach Ashley DeVito said. “Every single girl played her role. What is impressive is how the girls were able to perform like that in an hostile environment. It’s a tough place to play. The student section was rocking.”

The Lady Knights sent a barrage of shots at the Lady Warriors (3-3-1, 3-1) — 20 in total — and possessed the ball with success to deny the home team chances.

“We didn’t play our game,” Penn-Trafford coach Jimmy Mastroianni said. “We looked very nervous and didn’t find our feet. Norwin is strong and fast. They are everything we thought they would be.”

Penn-Trafford saw a four-game unbeaten streakcome to an end. The highest-scoring team in the section was limited substantially.

Both teams played wide, but Norwin was more productive and precise offensively, giving its back liners a lead to work with.

“We played like a ranked team tonight,” Norwin midfielder Nicole Bown said. “We came out on fire. We wanted to take it to them.”

Norwin has outscored its opponents 27-6, including 20-1 in section.

Norwin sent a dozen shots at Penn-Trafford goalkeeper Alannah Hall in the first half, but only one got through.

Hall finished with a career-high 14 saves.

Amantea, a Clarion recruit, put the Lady Knights on the board late in the opening half.

She took a feed ahead, touched right and sent in a shot from about 20 yards away. The ball landed in the top-middle of the net to make it 1-0 in the 37th minute.

Early in the second half, Norwin went ahead 2-0 off a set piece. Tatum Casper sent in a well-placed free kick and the ball bent toward Ali, who headed in the shot in the 44th minute. It was her team-leading fourth goal of the season.

Norwin has one of the most balanced scoring teams in the WPIAL. Thirteen girls have found the back of the net.

Youngstown State commit Bown gave the Lady Knights a three-goal lead when she redirected a corner kick from Neeve Grahame and sent in a shot in the 55th minute to make it 3-0.

The defense took it from there to preserve its fourth shutout of the season.

“Our defense is rock solid,” Bown said.

Hall made back-to-back saves in the early minutes with Norwin on the attack, an indicator she was in for a busy night.

She also stopped a long shot by Leesia Phetsomphou in the opening 12 minutes.

Rebecca Kostrobala had a quiet night, thanks to the defenders. She made two saves.

Tori Yurt, who is back after offseason knee surgery, started for Penn-Trafford and played about 40 minutes.

Lauren Francis played sparingly in her return from injury. The Warriors have been trying to get a healthy lineup together for the better part of a season-and-a-half.

“We’re constantly putting people in different positions,” Mastroianni said. “We’re still trying to find chemistry. We’ll get there.”

The teams split two section games last year with both winning on the road.

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

Tags: Norwin, Penn-Trafford