Seneca Valley girls soccer beats Norwin in WPIAL semifinal epic on Houser, Marcotte’s shootout heroics
WEXFORD — Mark Perry trusted his intuition.
The Seneca Valley coach’s unexpected decision — switching backup goalkeeper Brynn Houser in for usual starter Sydney Postler late in a WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer semifinal — paid off.
“We’ve been practicing, and I just had a gut feeling that she would just maybe make a save,” Perry said.
Houser, who’d played in only a few contests this season, made the biggest stop of the No. 2 Raiders’ campaign by diving right and denying No. 3 Norwin’s initial try in a penalty kick shootout Monday night at North Allegheny High School.
Bella Gianfrancesco, Madelynn Connellan, Karly Majeski, Cassie Leonard and Madeline Marcotte all connected on theirs to give Seneca Valley a 5-4 shootout win after a scoreless regulation and two overtimes.
“You do it, and if it works, you did a good move,” Perry said of his goalie substitution. “And (if it doesn’t), then you’re gonna get criticized. It’s tough. I mean, Sydney’s done awesome for us this year. ... I just decided to do it.”
The win sends the Raiders (12-3-2) back to Highmark Stadium, where they will play No. 5 North Allegheny, which beat Peters Township 1-0 in Monday’s other semifinal. The final date and time is to be determined.
The Raiders also liked up a PIAA tournament berth.
“I felt like she was going to the right, and I just knew I was gonna get to the post, whether the ball hit me on the way or not,” Houser said of her crucial save.
Marcotte said Seneca Valley’s matchup on the doorstep of this WPIAL final was “almost the exact same game” as last year’s district championship loss against Peters Township. In that game, she plunked a shootout attempt off the crossbar.
She felt more composed approaching her this time around.
“I just tried to think that my team has my back if anything happens,” said Marcotte, who scored the game-winner in double overtime of the WPIAL quarterfinals. “And they had my back last year. ... I was a little worried because I was the last shooter and it was leaning on me again.”
Houser shook off her nerves and got excited by reminding herself she’d prepared for the moment.
“Just hearing my friends reactions (helped),” Houser said. “My entire team got behind me, and they were telling me, ‘Brynn, you’ve got this. Don’t worry about it. You’ve done this. You can do it.’”
The Knights finish their season with a 15-3 mark. Houser’s effort was one her teammates will remember for a while.
“We couldn’t have done it without her,” Marcotte said.
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Seneca Valley goalie Brynn Houser (0) makes the game-winning save against Norwin during a shootout in a WPIAL Class girls soccer semifinal game Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at North Allegheny High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley midfielder Madeline Marcotte scores the game-winning goal against Norwin during a shootout in a WPIAL Class girls soccer semifinal game Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at North Allegheny High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley goalie Brynn Houser (0) celebrates with her teammates after defeating Norwin in a WPIAL Class girls soccer semifinal game Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at North Allegheny High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley girls soccer celebrates after beating Norwin in a shootout in a WPIAL Class girls soccer semifinal game Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at North Allegheny High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley senior Madeline Marcotte (7) celebrates with teammates Madelynn Connellan (28) and Karly Majeski (13) after scoring the game-winning goal against Norwin in a WPIAL Class girls soccer semifinal game Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at North Allegheny High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
