Mount Lebanon captures WPIAL soccer championship

Blue Devils edge North Allegheny on penalty kicks

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Mt. Lebanon poses with its championship trophy after beating North Allegheny in a shootout to win the WPIAL Class 4A soccer title.

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Mt. Lebanon players jump for joy after watching the final penalty kick during a shootout to decide the WPIAL Class 4A champion. Pictured from left are Ava Silva (7), Savannah Peer (13), Scarlett Pryor (25) and Rebecca Braunsdorf. All successful converted their PKs during the phase of the game, which favored the Blue Devils, 5-4.

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Circling to celebrate with goalkeeper Makenna Tappe (1) after she made the key save in the shootout against North Allegheny are Mt. Lebanon players are Scarlett Pryor (25), Rebecca Braunsdorf (35), blank and Ava Silva.

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Viviene Slack (2) and Savannah Peer (13) battle Rosalia Varlotta (11) and other North Allegheny players on a header during WPIAL Class 4A girls championship soccer action. In a shootout, Mt. Lebanon defeated the Tigers to capture its first district title in 18 years.

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Scarlett Pryor (25) prepares to take a shot after controlling the ball agains Rosalia Varlotta (11) during WPIAL Class 4A championship soccer action.

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Mira Lombardi of Mt. Lebanon gets a foot on the ball as she beats a North Allegheny defender to the play during WPIAL Class 4A championship soccer action.

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Mt. Lebanon defeated North Allegheny, 1-0, in a shootout to capture the WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer title.

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For the first time in 18 years, Mt. Lebanon was a champion in girls soccer after beating North Allegheny in a shootout during the Class 4A final played on Nov. 7 at F.N.B. Stadium.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Makenna Tappe. “I wasn’t even alive.”

While Mt. Lebanon leads the WPIAL with 10 titles, including the first five from 1980-84, the Blue Devils last captured a championship in 2008.

“It means the world,” head coach Seth Young said of bringing a title back to Mt. Lebanon.

For Young and Tappe, however, the reality was they were delighted to win for each other.

“They’re wonderful kids,” Young said. “I tell these girls all the time, I’d rather lose with you than win with anyone else.”

Tappe concurred.

“It feels great,” said the junior goalkeeper. “It feels great to know that I’m winning with my best friends and to just do this withl all of our seniors, it’s just so exciting.”

The Blue Devils feature nearly a dozen seniors, five of them starters including Mira Lombardi, Emma Curren, Caitlyn Horgan, Rebecca Braunsdorf and Anastasia Lombardi. The others are Liliane Schaerli, Clare Bigham, Carys Rowles, Laurel Hazard, Caroline Rost and Kianna Patrick.

Curren, as well as Tappe, played the biggest roles in the outcome, which came down to penalty kicks after 110 scoreless minutes of action.

“I wish it didn’t come down to penalty kicks,” Young said. “The reality is it took two great teams to have a game like this.”

In the penalty phase of the contest, which occurred after 80 minutes of regulation and two, 15-minute overtime periods, Mt. Lebanon cashed in on all five of its PKs..

Ava Silva, Savannah Peer, Scarlett Pryor and Braunsdorf converted their chances. Curren then stepped to the line and her shot was saved by Jordan Beemer. Officials, however, ruled the NA keeper jumped too soon and Lebo was awarded a retry. Curren connected on her second attempt.

“I think you need a little luck to get to the playoffs,” Young said. “For their keeper stepping off the line, that’s unlucky. For us, it ended up great.”

The Blue Devils felt great because they had Tappe on their side.

“Makenna has ice in her veins,” Young said. “Two years ago, she took a penalty kick for us against Norwin and scored. She’s an excellent goalkeeper. We’re lucky she lives in Mt. Lebanon.”

The Blue Devils were fortunate Tappe was on her game. She came up with the decisive save when she deflected Kieran Shannon’s penalty shot. The Middle Tennessee State recruit was NA’s top scorer and one of the top strikers in the WPIAL.

“We’ve watched them take PKs, so I knew where they were going,” Tappe said. “I kind of knew what she was going to do. So I wasn’t really nervous.”

The Blue Devils though were apprehensive every time Shannon touched the ball and she proved dangerous, getting off two of the best shots in the match. Seventy-four minutes into the game, she had a free kick that sailed out of bounds.

“She’s excellent. She’s dangerous,” Young said. “She’s scored in every round (of the playoffs). There’s a reason that we had to pay attention to her.”

The Blue Devils were weary of all the Tigers, including Rosalia Varlotta, who put four shots on goal. While Lebo held the edge with 13 shots, Tappe picked up three saves in regulation.

“NA is an excellent team with excellent athletes,” Young said. “Their front three are fast. Their keeper knows what she’s doing. In the back is this absolute brilliant defender.

“So the game could have gone either way,” Young continued. “We just happened to be on the fortunate side of the penalty kicks.”

After sharing a section banner with Peters Township and Canon-McMillan, each posting a 7-1-2 slate, the Blue Devils were fortunate to receive the No. 1 seed in the tournament. After a first-round bye, Mt. Lebanon defeated Upper St. Clair, 3-0, and Fox Chapel, 3-1, to reach the championship match against North Allegheny, which beat Norwin on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals and Peters Township, 2-1, in double overtime in the semifinals.

With the win against the Tigers, the Blue Devils improved to 16-1-2 overall and advanced to the first round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs where they hosted Mechanicsburg on Veterans Day.

The state championship game is set for 1 p.m. on Nov. 21 at F.N.B. Stadium.

Mt. Lebanon last won a PIAA state title in 1992.