Seneca Valley perfect from penalty spot in Class 4A shootout win over Norwin

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, October 27, 2025 | 10:06 PM

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Seneca Valley hadn’t attempted a penalty kick in a game all season.

The Raiders didn’t miss on five PKs Monday night in a semifinal shootout to return to the WPIAL girls soccer finals.

Madeline Marcotte, who hit the crossbar in last year’s WPIAL title match against Peters Township, redeemed herself in a big way, scoring the clinching goal as the No. 2-seeded Raiders edged No. 3 Norwin, 5-4, on PKs in a Class 4A semifinal at North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium.

The teams went to PKs after a 0-0 draw through regulation and two 15-minute overtimes.

“This was redemption for (Marcotte),” said Raiders coach Mark Perry, who is in his 10th season leading Seneca Valley. “I kept her at No. 5, and she came through. We had five good ones. Any time you make all five, you have a chance.

“The game could have gone either way.”

Marcotte scored the winning goal for Seneca Valley in a 1-0, double-overtime win over Upper St. Clair in the quarterfinals.

Seneca Valley (12-3-2), the runner-up last year, advances to play No. 5 North Allegheny (16-3-2) in the championship later this week at Highmark Stadium.

Norwin (15-4), in the semifinals for the first time since 2019, missed its opening PK as backup goalkeeper Brynn Houser stopped Cam Reed’s shot.

Bella Gianfrancesco, Madelyn Connellan, Karly Majeski and Cassie Leonard proceeded to convert their attempts in the shootout for Seneca Valley, and Leesia Phetsomphou, Ava Acalatto, Gianna Marts and Alexa Kobus scored for Norwin.

The move to use Houser in PKs was curious after starter Sydney Postler played 110 minutes and made six saves.

“I had a gut feeling,” Perry said. “I decided to make a change. I went with our backup. She had been practicing (PKs). It’s one of those things, if it works, it’s a good move. If you don’t, then you’re going to get criticized. We’re glad it worked out.

“Sydney gets the shutout, and Brynn gets the win in PKs.”

In last year’s WPIAL final, Peters Township went 5 for 5 in PKs to edge the Raiders, who missed one shot.

Norwin, which lost 4-3 in PKs to Mt. Lebanon last year in the first round, saw its keeper, Rebecca Kostrobala, made eight saves through regulation and overtime but could not shut down the Raiders in the shootout.

“In the playoffs anything can happen,” Norwin coach Ashley DeVito said. “I am proud of our game plan and proud of the way we executed it. We were in position to win the game.

“You look at all the teams left. They have seniors who have qualified for the playoffs every year. Mine are in the playoffs for the second time ever.”

Norwin, which won 14 of its final 16 games, yielded only 10 goals for the year.

The Raiders posted their 11th shutout and have surrendered only 10 goals all season.

Seneca Valley appeared to score with three minutes left in the first overtime, but Leonard was whistled for offsides on her putback.

Perry said Norwin challenged his side, and he respected the Knights’ play.

“They like to play soccer like we do,” Perry said. “They are a very talented, well-coached team.”

DeVito also appreciated the way the Raiders played.

“They are a super-talented squad,” she said. “Our girls have shown they can compete with the better teams. It’s a great steppingstone for our girls.”

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

Tags: Norwin, Seneca Valley