Norwin girls keep faith in win over Mt. Lebanon

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | 10:49 PM

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Seeing was believing for the Norwin girls soccer team.

When senior Cameryn Reed scored off a corner kick from sophomore Tatum Casper just three minutes in — for the team’s first goal of the season — the Lady Knights’ confidence began to rise in their matchup against No. 5-ranked Mt. Lebanon.

“That meant a lot,” Norwin coach Ashley DeVito said. “We knew we had it in us. You see it go in, and it reinforces that belief. You start to taste it. Each goal makes it more real.”

The early momentum carried over and gave Norwin the self-assurance it could score again after Mt. Lebanon tied it. Ultimately, it led to a 2-1 nonsection upset Wednesday night at Norwin Knights Stadium.

“We didn’t play well against Pine-Richland (in a 1-0 loss in the season opener), and we had a training session that was extremely intentional,” DeVito said. “We wanted to isolate the things we needed to work on. This showed what we worked on. I am happy for the girls.”

Norwin (1-1) had six one-goal losses last year and in the opening defeat this season but found a way to win a tight game this time. It scored again three minutes into the second half on junior Siena Ali’s goal and then repelled several pushes by the Blue Devils (3-1), who had scored nine goals and allowed one in their opening four games.

“I saw Gianna Marts run inside, and there was a huge gap,” Ali said. “The ball came to me, and I toed it into the net.”

Freshman Leesia Phetsomphou was credited with the assist on the go-ahead score, which put the onus on a dependable back line to preserve the lead.

DeVito, in her second season leading the Knights, said this was one of her biggest wins with the program.

“Being that it is a rival, Penn-Trafford last year was pretty big,” DeVito said. “But this is a big win for the girls.”

Ali has mainly played center back and lined up there against Pine-Richland. But DeVito moved her to forward, and she came through after Mt. Lebanon’s equalizer by Becca Braunsdorf found the back of the net in the 22nd minute.

“We moved Siena up top,” DeVito said. “I am especially proud of her.”

Ali said the bad taste of the opening loss is gone, and the upset win provides waves of confidence.

“Pine-Richland was a different game,” she said. “We come into every game wanting to give our maximum effort. We gave it our all, and this was a much cleaner game for us.”

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