WEXFORD — It was an uphill climb the Seneca Valley girls soccer team hadn't faced this season.

And, in the end, a two-goal deficit was simply too much for the Raiders to overcome.

Norwin tallied a pair of first-half goals and received stellar play from goalkeeper Ali Viola in the final 40 minutes as the Knights scored a 2-0 victory in a PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal playoff Saturday afternoon at North Allegheny's Newman Stadium.

It was the Raiders' first and only loss this season.

"I think we did everything we had to do to give ourselves a chance to win today," said Raiders' coach Dave Sylvester. "It's just that we weren't sharp today and they were. I give credit to Norwin."

Twice in the first half, Seneca Valley forward Kate Kelly appeared to be tripped in the penalty box while on a breakaway, though no penalty kick was awarded either time.

"I can't control the officials," said Sylvester.

It was the Knights (18-4-1) who broke the ice when, in the eighth minute of play, a free kick from 35 yards out was directed to senior forward, Dana DelleFemine, to the right of SV's goal.

Free of Raider defenders, the University of Pittsburgh recruit beat SV goalkeeper Keara Lydon with a shot in the left side of the net.

"That was a set play we've been working on," said Norwin coach Danielle Baginski. "I think we caught (SV) off guard."

It was Norwin's second score that changed the complexion of the game.

Moments after hitting the left post with a wide open shot, Rachel DelleFemine found the net from 13 yards out on another uncontested scoring chance.

With just 2:35 left before halftime, the Knights had taken a 2-0 lead.

"The second goal, that was big right before halftime," said Sylvester. "We've done that to teams right before halftime and we know it can take a lot out of a team."

Playing with desperation in the second half, the Raiders' scoring chances increased, but Viola was up to the challenge.

Jessica Zack had played in net for the Knights in the first half and made two saves.

Norwin, which has used two goalkeepers for much of the season, received five stops from Viola in the final 40 minutes.

One of the keeper's saves came in the 49th minute of play when SV's Shayna Elser fed Madison Kozlowski with a centering pass.

But the midfielder was stonewalled by Viola and the Knights retained their 2-0 edge.

"We just ran out of gas on defense," said Baginski. "But Ali made some great saves for us."

Grace Emmerling and Mandy Cerminara also had solid scoring chances, only to have the ball miss the net by a few feet.

"We came out pretty strong in the second half, we had a stronger push," said Sylvester. "Unfortunately, we had a couple of breakdowns."

Lydon saved four shots for the Raiders.

The 2009 season saw Seneca Valley win its second WPIAL title in three years. The Raiders finished the campaign with an overall record of 22-1-1.

It was the final high school game for SV's four seniors — Cerminara, Emmerling, Kelly and Ashley Wack.

"We're going to be losing four great kids who meant a lot to the program," said Sylvester.

Norwin will face McDowell, a 2-1 winner over Peters Township, in the state semifinals Tuesday.

Jamel Manning's corner kick was deflected into the net with less than seven minutes remaining to give Palmyra a 2-1 victory over Mars in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals at Chambersburg High School Saturday.The Cougars (25-1) had jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Brett Jankouskas goal before Mars' Ryan McKenzie knotted the game at 1-all with 15:25 left in the first half.Mars, the two-time WPIAL champion, finished the season at 22-2. Palmyra will face Hampton on Tuesday in a state semifinal contest.In-Line Hockey<B>Butler 8, Hampton 6 — </B>Charlie Beers had four goals and two assists and Robbie Barnhart two goals and two assists to lead the Tornado.Aaron Jamison and Matt Steighner also scored for Butler, who travel to face Avonworth/Northgate on Sunday.