New coach takes over Pine-Richland girls soccer team with young, talented roster

By: Jerin Steele
Sunday, August 27, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Alessandro Moreira knows the Pine-Richland/North Allegheny rivalry quite well.

For 15 years, he was an assistant for the Tigers’ girls soccer team and helped them win consecutive WPIAL championships in 2019-20.

Now he’ll be leading the other side.

Moreira is the new varsity girls soccer coach at Pine-Richland and he’s ready to try to help the Rams get to the next level.

“I want to play good soccer and have good possession,” Moreira said. “I want to play with a good intensity and help the girls reach their potential. I’m still learning the program. It’s still new to me. It’s a process. We have to develop the team and the players to keep Pine-Richland a strong program like it’s always been.”

Moreira is a native of Brazil. He played soccer professionally in Brazil and Costa Rica.

After his long tenure of success as an assistant at North Allegheny, he spent last two years as the boys soccer coach at Sewickley Academy. The Panthers compiled a 28-6-2 record in Moreira’s two years and won a pair of section championships.

He takes over at Pine-Richland for Rachelle Dixon, who coached the previous three seasons.

The Rams have made the playoffs each of the last three seasons, but Moreira inherits a team that lost 11 seniors including a pair of Division I players in Gianna Koss (Kentucky) and Stephanie Cornelius (St. John’s).

Last year, Pine-Richland made a late-season run to finish fourth in Section 1-4A to get into the postseason but lost to Mt. Lebanon, 5-0, in the first round.

There are four seniors returning: Eve Barrett, Madeline Schiffer, Sophia DeJesus and Abigail Rosenwasser. Riley White (sophomore), Emerson Kline (sophomore) and Molly Baker (sophomore) are a part of a large group of freshmen, sophomores and juniors who will contribute to the lineup.

“We have a lot of young talent that can become very important players for our team,” Moreira said. “It’s a brand-new start. We’re a very young team, and we need to develop them well.”

For the second consecutive year, there are only two girls soccer sections in Class 4A.

The Rams will be in Section 1 with Butler, North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Shaler, Fox Chapel, North Hills and Allderdice. North Allegheny is the defending WPIAL champion and Seneca Valley was a semifinalist.

It should be an extremely competitive section again this fall.

“We always look forward to the challenge,” Moreira said. “This is a very tough section. We’ll prepare very well to compete against them.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland