‘Beeline-style soccer’: Freeport girls soccer races past North Catholic in critical WPIAL section clash
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North Catholic's goalie Jules Tralongo (53) stops Freeport shot in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeports Alyssa Alcorn (55) stops a North Catholic shot in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic head coach DJ Sharpless yells instructions while facing Freeport in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Maggie Conger (30) takes the ball up field against North Catholic in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Alyssa Lovgren (3) and Alyssa Alcorn (55) celebrate the win over North Catholic in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Camryn Woods (22) celebrates after scoring a goal against North Catholic in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic's Anna Francesca Liberati (10) looks to pass the ball against Freeport in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic's Mikaela Canzian (8) takes the ball up field as she is chased by Freeport's Cecelia Schlegel (24) in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Camryn Woods (22) celebrates with teammate Cecelia Schlegel (24) after scoring a goal against North Catholic in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Peyton Los (18) takes the ball up the field while looking to pass against North Catholic in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Camryn Woods (22) looks to pass the ball as she is followed by North Catholic's Breanna Rock (15) in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport head coach Steve Kukic gives the team instructions during halftime of the girls soccer game against North Catholic on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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North Catholic's Anna Francesca Liberati (10) stops the ball with a Freeport defender behind her in a girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at J.C. Stone Field North Park. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
McCANDLESS TWP — While Freeport’s Cecelia Schlegel, Natalia Urik and Nia DiSanti didn't dent the scoreboard themselves in a 4-0 win Wednesday night, they sure had a say.
The persistent, field-stretching Yellowjackets (5-1-0, 3-0-0) swarmed North Catholic's end during a WPIAL Section 2-2A girls soccer clash at North Park's J.C. Stone Field. Junior forward Camryn Woods netted a pair of goals on perfectly placed lead passes in the 15th and 57th minutes, bookending Elena Jenkins' header score off an Ella McConville corner kick in the 56th.
Schlegel, a sophomore forward, and Urik set Woods up on the respective tallies. Less than a minute after belting a try into Jules Tralongo's waiting mitts from close range, Schlegel rolled her helper from the left wing, allowing Woods to bounce it past the Trojanettes' goalkeeper to break the seal.
Urik hit Woods in the second half to stretch their team’s lead to three in the second half.
“We noticed that their back line was sitting very flat, so the through balls were working and they just found me very quickly on their first few touches and I was in behind every time,” Woods said. “Kudos to them for finding me.
“I kinda get a little nervous coming up to them, but I have to stay focused and make sure I place it before anything.”
“They just tried to kick the ball over the top and run on it,” North Catholic coach D.J. Sharpless said. “And they did a good job of that. ... It’s a challenge to any team. I always say that’s beeline-style soccer. You stretch the field and you just try to run onto it.”
The Trojanettes’ chances were few and far between. Freeport dampened the best of them.
McConville, a sophomore midfielder, walled off Erika Mitchell in the 28th minute, allowing senior goalkeeper Alyssa Alcorn to hit the deck, absorb the ball in the box and keep it off Mitchell's foot. Alcorn made a diving, one-handed save on a Trojanettes (5-3-0, 1-2-0) attempt in the 64th minute.
“Alyssa Alcorn, our goalkeeper, made a couple big saves in the second half,” Freeport coach Steve Kucic said. “It kinda woke us up a little bit, I think. I think maybe we got a little bit complacent. ... Overall, I’m really happy with the performance.”
On another lead pass, this one from DiSanti, Jenkins added one more marker in the 66th minute.
It was North Catholic's second section setback in a row. Burrell edged out the Trojanettes by a 1-0 count Monday. North Catholic is set to travel to Shady Side Academy on Monday.
Freeport has come out on the wrong side of just one section contest since the beginning of last season, a 4-0 decision against North Catholic almost a year ago to the day. Burrell will try to change that when it visits the 'Jackets, also on Monday.
