C.W. North wins 1st title

Even while playing for this season’s WPIAL championship, all the Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic boys soccer team could think about was a year ago.

In 2016, the Trojans lost a 1-0 decision to Sewickley Academy in a heartbreaker that resonated with the players until Friday night.

They returned to Highmark Stadium and came away victorious, 2-0, against Springdale in the WPIAL Class 1A title game for the first championship in school history.

“This was our mission from Day 1,” said sophomore striker Joe Kearney as he touched the gold medal which was draped around his neck.

Kearney scored the second goal by tapping in a feed through the box from fellow sophomore Bryce Kopchak. The Trojans’ first goal also came via a feed from Kopchak, who lifted a pass to Mike Dramble, who came flying toward the net to head it in. “I was just trying to swing the ball into a dangerous area,” Kopchak said.

Both goals were scored in the second half. Each team has qualified for the PIAA tournament.

This was the third time that the Trojans (20-1) took on Section 3 rival Springdale (15-5-1).

The first matchup saw CWNC score a 7-1 victory. The second clash was much closer, with the Trojans pulling out a 1-0 win in overtime. That matchup saw the Dynamos pull back and focus more on defense, and they employed the same strategy while competing in the championship.

“It’s a smart way to play a high-powered offense like we have,” CWNC coach Aaron Kelly said. “We eventually wore them down and slipped one in and that spread them out and opened the game for us.”

The Trojans have outscored the opposition, 1386, this season. Kelly said he knew his squad would figure out a way to crack the Dynamos defense after a scoreless first half.

“The guys have such a high soccer IQ,” Kelly said. “They read them and from there, they figured out the smartest way to attack them.”