JACKSON TWP — Guarding a three-goal lead entering the fourth quarter, the plan for the Seneca Valley lacrosse team was to maintain possession in its WPSLA Division I playoff game against North Allegheny.

Run with it. Make high-percentage passes. Run some more. Just keep possession.

For the most part things went according to plan, but the Tigers netted three goals in a 3-minute, 20-second span to knot the score at 10 with 1:26 remaining.

The Raiders reverted to their offensive ways, needing just 23 seconds for Rob Fyock to fire a shot past Tigers goalie Chris Rullan and making it stand in an 11-10 victory.

The win was the Raiders' first against the Tigers, but, more importantly, it gave them the North Champion title.

SV will face the South Champion winner, either Mount Lebanon or Bethel Park, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bethel Park.

"That's what makes North Allegheny so tough," said Raiders coach Peter Hoffman. "They're really aggressive defensively. It's hard to kill the clock."

The Tigers received a goal from Brian Faber with 4:46 remaining, then a Raiders turnover resulted in another goal, this time by Grady Wirth 1:05 later, to make it a one-goal game.

Seneca Valley goalie Ryan Mayeda made a crucial save following an intercepted pass, but Wirth responded with the game-tying goal.

The deadlock was short-lived, however, as Fyock used a pass from Jake McAndrew to give the Raiders the lead for good.

"We tried to get the ball away from them," said North Allegheny coach John Rullan, who politely deferred any questions to the victors.

"We knew we could be better offensively," said Hoffman. "Knowing that we did not have the lead and because we have to keep it inside the box, it kept things tougher on us.

"It allowed us to stay aggressive, and when we're aggressive, we are in good shape,"Hoffman added.

The Raiders (14-5) received four goals and two assists from Colin McDonoghue while Jason Handerhan added two goals and an assist.

"Colin has been a big cog in our offense, but he really benefits from the other players," said Hoffman. "One of our successes offensively is usually we win when we have five, six, seven guys score."

McDonoghue and Handerhan accounted for the Raiders' first two goals, which gave the team an early 2-0 lead.

The Tigers (15-4), however, (15-4) answered by scoring the next three goals and four of the next five — including two more by Wirth — to give North Allegheny a 4-3 lead with 9:51 left in the second quarter.

The Raiders countered by scoring three consecutive goals and four of the next five to take a 7-5 lead into halftime.

A pair of saves by Mayeda in the final 40 seconds of the half kept momentum on the side of the Raiders.

The game was a complete turnaround from earlier this season when North Allegheny won 14-3, although the Raiders were missing a few key players due to injuries.

"We were really not comfortable running our lines yet," said Hoffman. "Being a little more settled helped us prepare for them the second time around."

Mayeda was a huge key to the game, making 15 saves, including several remarkable stops that kept NA from turning the tide.

Notes: Brent Rotz and Jake McAndrew had one goal and one assist each, while Tyler Bond and Matt Hamill also scored for the Raiders and Sam Jarrett added an assist. ... The Tigers had four goals and one assist from Wirth, two goals apiece from Faber and Adam Mills, and a goal and two assists from Uhler. ... SV backup goalie Andrew Branscum made two key saves late in the third quarter when Mayeda sat out the final 1:08 due to an injury. Mayeda returned at the start of the fourth quarter. ... Country singer Sarah Marince, whose mother is a Seneca Valley graduate, sang the National Anthem.