Norwin girls shake off adversity on road to WPIAL semifinals

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 4:40 PM

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Adversity can come at teams without warning in the WPIAL soccer playoffs.

There are yellow cards and ill-timed fouls, short benches, cramps and injuries.

The Norwin girls encountered their share of misadventure Thursday in the quarterfinals before Leesia Phetsomphou’s clutch winner inside the final minute of the second overtime produced a 1-0 victory over Mt. Lebanon.

The third-seeded Knights (15-3), who will meet No. 2 Seneca Valley (11-3-2) in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Monday at North Allegheny, had two key players, Tatum Casper and Bella Buscemi, exit the game with yellow cards in regulation. Then, in the first overtime, defenders Alexa Kobus (injury) and Cam Reed (yellow card) went to the sideline.

The lineup was boosted by the bench, and reshuffling bought time as those players waited to return.

“Even with all the stoppages, we kept playing through it,” Norwin coach Ashley DeVito said. “We kept working to create more opportunities. We were still very much in it.”

The mark of championship-caliber teams often is how they handle trouble. Norwin negotiated it, using its strengths — skill, depth and experience — to its advantage to extend the season into the semifinals for the first time since 2019.

“It was incredible how my kids battled,” DeVito said. “If this was last year, our girls would have succumbed to that.”

One example of an adjustment was Casper moving to outside back to help fill a void. A few other players slid to different spots.

Phetsomphou’s goal was created by Gianna Marts, who kept the ball in play and touched off to Siena Ali, whose feed in front hit a defender and came to Phetsomphou. The freshman made a quick, left-footed jab, and the ball struck the inside of the right post and found the back of the net for the golden winner.

“We felt like a goal was coming,” Ali said. “We had a lot of chances on net — good, quality shots. If you get one, that’s all you need.”

Keeping a strong Mt. Lebanon lineup — a team that upset the Knights in last year’s first round — off the scoreboard tested Norwin’s tolerance as the game stretched into extra time.

“We do a lot of mental preparation and talk about mental health a lot,” DeVito said. “I think that has helped our girls a lot.

“I think last year, our girls didn’t feel like they belonged (in the playoffs) and weren’t comfortable with being there yet. This year, it’s different. I think they believe they should be here.”

DeVito said Phetsomphou has a bright future in the program, but so do many others on the roster.

“I believe in all of them,” DeVito said. “(The goal) could have come from any number of our girls.”

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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