Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy soccer standouts pick up postseason honors

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Four Quaker Valley athletes were named Section 4-2A boys soccer all-stars in 2022, led by player of the year Nick Allan, a junior defensive specialist.

“I was very excited and humbled when I received the award,” Allan said, “because I know this is a big achievement and many great players have come through high school and achieved this award.

“I want to thank my teammates for pushing me all year and for J.J., Sean and Ryan for their great leadership.”

The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Allan is a two-time all-section player for the Quakers. He received honorable mention status as a sophomore.

Allan was joined on the all-section team by senior midfielder Ben Henry, senior goalkeeper Isaac Waller and junior midfielder Matteo Castellini.

“Nick leads by example and is always one of the hardest workers, pulling the rest of the team up to his high standard,” QV coach J.J. Veshio said. “A lot has been asked of Nick throughout his high school career, and he has played numerous positions, but has always done so with a positive attitude and a willingness to help the team.

“Nick is a game-changer. He is very relentless in his determination to progress the ball upfield, support his players and generate goal-scoring chances. I’m excited to see Nick develop and produce at a high level this coming year for his senior season.”

Allan is a three-year starter for the Quakers. He and Henry were team captains this past season. Allan also will serve as captain in 2023.

In his career, Allan has accounted for 45 goals and 21 assists. And game-winning goals are part of his soccer resume.

Allan scored the game’s only goal in a playoff win Oct. 27 against Avonworth.

“Nick is generally unassuming but gets extremely passionate about soccer when it is a high-stakes game,” Veshio said.

Allan’s game-winning heroics began in a big way during his sophomore season when he netted the winning goal on a penalty kick in the state finals.

“It’s always fun to get the game-winning goal, especially in a playoff game,” he said.

Allan is an honor student with a 3.8 GPA, a student council member and a three-sport standout.

“Nick is a model for others in how to achieve at a high level,” Veshio said.

Allan is a third-year starter on the QV wrestling team and a two-year letterman as a center fielder on the baseball team.

Allan wrestled at 138 pounds as a freshman, 145 last year and is competing at 145 or 152 this year.

Quaker Valley’s boys soccer team had the toughest of acts to follow in 2022, as the Quakers won PIAA, WPIAL and section titles and finished with a 24-2 record the previous season. Veshio was named PIAA Class 2A Coach of the Year in 2021.

This year, QV finished first in Section 4-2A, advanced to WPIAL semifinals and PIAA first round and ended up 18-5 overall.

Veshio repeated as coach of the year in the section.

“It is always nice to be honored by my fellow coaches,” he said. “We have some caring and dedicated coaches in our section. I am honored to be recognized by them.”

Through three seasons as the Quakers’ field boss, Veshio has attained a sparkling 52-8-1 record.

He expects more of the same next year.

“We will be returning seven or eight of our 11 starters,” said the veteran coach. “The boys will be fired up after losing in shootouts in both the WPIAL and PIAA tournament this year in games we know we should have won but just didn’t produce a complete game.

“We will be looking to make up for that and raise the level of our game.”

Allan agreed with his coach.

“We all have high expectations for the team next year as we do every year,” he said. “Ultimately, the goal is to win the WPIAL and states, and we definitely have the potential to do that next year.

“One thing I know for sure is that we will work hard every day.”

In girls soccer, two Quaker Valley players — senior defender Nora Johns and sophomore defender Mia Modrovich — were voted all-section in 2022.

Zorn named co-player of year

Adin Zorn is not just an outstanding baseball player at Sewickley Academy. He is, simply put, a highly talented athlete.

Zorn was lauded as co-player of the year in Section 1-A as a member of the SA boys soccer team.

“Yeah, it means a lot,” Zorn said, “but it definitely wouldn’t be possible without my teammates. There were a lot of good players in our section and to receive that recognition from the other coaches means a lot.”

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound forward shared the section honor with Eden Christian’s Ryan Merrick.

“Adin’s senior year (of soccer) was unbelievable,” SA coach Alessandro Moreira said. “He was one of our best leaders. He is fast and a strong player with a great attitude on the field and off the field. He’s good in a one-on-one situation.

“Adin’s shooting is really good. He helped our team with a lot of goals. This past year, he became the second leading scorer for our team.”

Zorn, who will continue his baseball career at Penn State, was a key member of the boys soccer program at Sewickley. He was a four-year starter and helped lead the Panthers to a 16-4 record and section title this past season.

The Panthers were section winners two years ago and WPIAL semifinalists at 12-2-1. SA was 10-2-1 in 2020 and 8-8-1 in 2019.

“It was a blast,” Zorn said. “I’m proud of what our senior class has accomplished in four years, and I’m proud of what we are leaving behind for the future.”

A career highlight for Zorn was qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs all four seasons.

“The energy and atmosphere is really unmatched, and it always extremely competitive,” he said.

Over the past four seasons, Zorn and the senior class led the Panthers to two championships and two second-place finishes in section action. SA was 20-1-1 in league play the past two years and 35-6-3 since 2019.

Zorn, who owns a 3.5 GPA, was one of nine seniors on the Sewickley squad.

“Adin has so many talents,” Moreira said. “He is a natural leader with a great personality that earns him respect from other players. He works very hard on the field and plays every single game with the same intensity. He never wants to come off the field. He pushes himself so hard. That is what makes him a special player.

“I will always remember him with his great attitude and positive energy in the locker room at halftime of our games.”

Zorn was joined by three other SA players on the all-section team: Hudson Colletti, Michael DiSantis and Lucas Mendoca, all senior midfielders.

SA’s Katherine Varghese, a sophomore forward, was tabbed all-section in girls soccer.

Tags: Quaker Valley