Let's call it even: shaler girls soccer chooses to compete with 10 players to match depleted Penn Hills during 7-1 section 1-3a win

Shaler's Naudia Zotter, right, passes the ball to a teammate while Penn Hills' Callie Hankey applies pressure Wednesday night at Nate Ferraco Field. The Titans picked up a 7-1 win. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

"He came up to me before the game and said you guys can play 11. I’m like, dude, we’re not doing that to your guys. We’re glad these girls came out and they’re doing something at their school."
- Shaler coach Bill Ament on his decision to play with 10 players

PENN HILLS - Ava Alter expected to be tired following the Penn Hills girls soccer match Wednesday night at Nate Ferraco Memorial Field. The Indians had no backup during a 7-1 Section 1-3A loss to Shaler.

Penn Hills didn’t have enough players to fill out an entire lineup. The Indians, who played with 10 players on consecutive nights, didn’t have the manpower to keep up with the Titans. 

Alter said this is the most tired she remembers being after a match.

“You could say that,” Alter said. “It was a bit hard.”

Shaler coach Bill Ament refused to extend Alter and her teammates' suffering. Nor did the Titans boss want to have an 80-minute power play.

Ament told Penn Hills coach Ron Cook that the Titans would also play with 10 players. 

“We actually talked about it as a team,” Ament said. “(Ron’s) a great dude. He came up to me before the game and said you guys can play 11. I’m like, dude, we’re not doing that to your guys. We’re glad these girls came out and they’re doing something at their school.”

Ament understands what it’s like to have a program struggling with numbers and fielding a competitive team. Shaler made the playoffs for the first time in 37 years last season.

From 2018 to 2021, the Titans went through a stretch where they finished with a 8-53-1 record and never won more than three games in a season. Ament, who is leading Shaler’s program for the fourth season, won five games during his first season, seven his second and the Titans finished 8-9-1 last year.

“We’ve been there,” Ament said. “We’ve played North Allegheny, we played Seneca Valley when we were outnumbered. So we get it. We understand.”

Penn Hills coach Ron Cook appreciated the gesture. Cook said that Fox Chapel also played with 10 players for the majority of the game when they played the Indians on Tuesday night.

Penn Hills (0-3, 0-3) has been outscored 22-2 so far this season.

“It’s awesome,” Cook said. “It’s awesome that in the way things are today in sports where winning is everything and scoring that there's decency among the players and respect for each other. And (Ament), he and I talked about it earlier and I told him not to play down. He said ‘You know, I'll play down if you're gonna play down.' I can't ask for a better, better group of coaches in our division and just friends overall.”

The Titans (2-1, 1-1) didn’t take long to create their first scoring chance. Addy Paladin was able to get loose in the box and tap in a shot 20 seconds into the match.

Naudia Zotter followed up with a goal nine minutes later to double the lead.

Paladin, who scored on another tap-in in the 24th minute to put Shaler ahead 4-0, said the Titans were focused on practicing how to build their attack.

“We wanted to focus on building out and not dribbling through the team and still on piecing things together,” Paladin said. “We didn’t want to just run through them.”

Atheena Burnett was busy in goal for Penn Hills. The Indians senior stopped 30 shots. 

Lilly Trgovic, Callie Grimes and Melina Poliziani also scored for the Titans.

​Penn Hills did have one bright moment in the attack. During the second half, the Indians were able to break through and score in the 47
minutes. Alter scored her first varsity goal.

“It meant a lot,” Alter said.

Cook said he was happy for Alter, who has filled an important role for the Indians.

​“She’s been working so hard these last two years,” Cook said. “For her size, this is a big morale boost for her. It truly is. I’m so happy for her that she was finally able to get a goal. She would have been the kind of person who would have been happy with an assist, but a goal works even better.”

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.