The Central Bucks East boys’ and girls’ soccer teams will both be playing for state titles at Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday.
The numbers are nothing short of staggering.
After 50 games against some of the stiffest competition the state has to offer, the Central Bucks East’s girls and boys soccer teams are a combined 49-0-1 entering Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA title games. That’s 50 games without a loss between the two squads.
It’s extremely rare for two soccer teams from the same school to play for a state title – Peters Township was the last school to do it in Class AAA, and that was in 2008. It’s unheard of for both teams to be undefeated.
The boys’ team takes a perfect 25-0 record into Saturday’s title game against Seneca Valley at Hersheypark Stadium. Perfection has been hard earned for a Patriot squad that simply refuses to lose.
“It’s very intense, and we’ve been able to step up to that intensity the entire year, and to sustain that is pretty darn hard to do,” coach Mike Gorni said. “For me, I look at it and say – they’re unbelievably tenacious but composed, and that’s carried us through.
“It’s not just words when we say we respect the opponents we’re playing. We just focus on the game at hand. As much as people say, ‘that’s trite. It’s coaches’ cliché’ – well, maybe it is, but that’s why it works.”
Saturday’s trip to the state final is the program’s second under Gorni. In 2010, the Patriots fell to Hempfield 2-1 in overtime. The Patriots are coming off an emotional 2-1 semifinal win over Conestoga in a rematch of the district title game.
“That in itself is the biggest hurdle that we independently are going to have to conquer this week, and that is that everyone was saying that the (state) final was us and Conestoga,” Gorni said. “Well, it wasn’t. It was the semifinal, and if we approach it that way, we’ll go down.
“Seneca Valley is a very good team, and you’re not going to be in the state final without being that. I think the guys are ready to go. They’re respectful of our opponent, they’re confident in themselves. We’re going to go out, and we’re going to battle.”
The girls’ team is 24-0-1, and with Tuesday’s 2-0 state semifinal win over Cumberland Valley, the Patriots got over the hump of the state semifinals. Twice in the three preceding years, the Patriots fell in the state semis.
Saturday’s trip to the state championship game is the program’s first, and the goal of a trip to Hershey trumped keeping their team’s undefeated record intact.
“I feel like that’s never really the thought process,” senior captain Maddie Myrtetus said. “It’s not that we can’t lose because we have an undefeated season. It’s we need to fight for each other to get over that (state semifinal) hump to get to Hershey.”
“We take every game at a time,” senior captain Paige Weiss added. “I don’t think it’s really looking at the record. It’s more just looking at the game and what we need to get accomplished.”
Only a win over District 7 runner-up Upper St. Clair at Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday stands between the Patriots and a state title.
Whatever the outcome, it’s been a historic season for both squads.
“It’s very much about the journey,” Gorni said. “It has been a long season, but we love to have long seasons. Are we tired? Probably everybody is, but it’s a good tired. Everybody wants to be playing in late November because then you know you’ve had phenomenal season, and that’s what we’re playing for.
“The journey is incredibly important. We’ve had a lot of teams that may have gotten knocked out in the quarterfinals or the semifinals or we got knocked out in the final in 2010, but all of those guys played in a lot of big moments and for a long time into the season. That’s what has been really enjoyable. You’re training when you know everybody else is at home. Playing in that number of big games is a great thing, and very few get to do it.”
On Saturday, the two Central Bucks East squads will try to add to a legacy that will be difficult to match.
Girls
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #7-2 UPPER ST. CLAIR (at HersheyPark Stadium, 4 p.m.)
Central Bucks East Patriots
- 24-0-1 overall
- 13-0-1 in league play; SOL Continental Champions
- Only blemish a 1-1 tie on Oct. 21 to Souderton
- Offense led UPenn-commit Emma Loving, who has 32 goals.
- Captured program’s first ever District One AAA title after finishing as district runner-up in 2014.
- First trip to state title game after advancing to the state semis in three of the last four years.
How they got here:
- In Tuesday’s state semifinal game, Maddie Myrtetus scored in the second minute off a Paige Weiss corner kick, and Central Bucks East took a 1-0 lead into halftime over District Three runner-up Cumberland Valley. Senior Emma Loving scored on a free kick with 7:13 remaining in regulation for the 2-0 final.
- In an all-SOL state quarterfinal game against Council Rock North, the Patriots broke a scoreless tie with 17 minutes remaining when a cross by Emma Loving deflected off a North player into the net. A late goal by Loving gave the Patriots a 2-0 win over District One’s third place team.
- In a state opening round game, Central Bucks East dominated play but needed a goal by Hannah Zach in the 94th minute to earn a 1-0 overtime win over Cedar Cliff, the fourth place team from District Three.
- In the District One AAA title game, the Patriots received goals in the second half from sophomore Delaney Kennedy (Abby Brown assist) and Megan Mannato to earn a 2-0 win over 10th-seeded Downingtown West.
- CB East defeated fourth-seeded Spring-Ford 1-0 in a hard fought district semifinal battle. Senior Emma Loving found the net with a free kick with just over nine minutes remaining in regulation to account for the game’s only goal.
- In a district quarterfinal contest, the Patriots defeated archrival Central Bucks South, the tournament’s 24th seed, 2-1. A goal by Emma Loving (Megan Mannato assist) put the Patriots on top 1-0 at halftime, and Mannato’s goal in the 51st minute made it a 2-0 game before South’s Kelly Senour connected for the 2-1 final.
- After an opening round bye, the Patriots – sparked by Emma Loving’s hat trick – defeated 16th-seeded Wissahickon 6-1 in a second round game. Hannah Zach added a pair of goals, and Abby Brown scored a single goal.
Upper St. Clair
- 19-2-1 overall
- 10-1-1 WPIAL Section 5 champion
- First trip to state title game since 1994 when it lost to Great Valley (2-1) in its only other appearance.
- Led by Johns Hopkins recruit Maddy Rocks (24 goals) and Penn State recruit Emma Hasco (17 goals)
- Panthers receive contributions from five freshmen, including keeper Nikki Gibbons.
How they got here:
- In Tuesday’s state semifinal, Upper St. Clair stunned WPIAL champion Norwin when senior Maddy Rocks scored 13 seconds into the game. Freshman forward Landy Mertz scored on a counterattack with 14:41 remaining in the first half to send Upper St. Clair into halftime with a 2-0 lead. Norwin – undefeated entering the game – cut that lead in half, but the Panthers held on for a 2-1 win over a team it had fallen to 10 days earlier (3-0).
- In a state quarterfinal contest, Emma Hasco scored with two minutes remaining in the second overtime to propel Upper St. Clair to a 2-1 win over Central Bucks South, the fifth-seeded team from District One. Bri Murgi scored in a second half that saw the two teams exchange goals.
- In Upper St. Clair’s 4-0 opening round win over District 10 champion McDowell, Landy Merz scored a pair of goals while Maddy Rocks had a goal and assist, and Rachel Witty added a single goal.
- In the WPIAL title game, Upper St. Clair fell to top-seeded Norwin 3-0.
- In a WPIAL semifinal contest, Upper St. Clair connected on all five of its penalty kicks to earn a 5-4 win over Fox Chapel in PKs after the two teams battled to a scoreless tie.
- In a 2-0 second round win over Mount Lebanon, Upper St. Clair received goals from Landy Mertz and Kelsey McCown.
- In an opening round WPIAL game against No. 14 Kiski Area, Upper St. Clair scored a pair of first half goals and went on to earn a 2-1 win.
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #7-3 SENECA VALLEY (at Hersheypark Stadium, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.)
Central Bucks East
- 25-0-0 overall
- First undefeated, untied regular season in 21 years under coach Mike Gorni
- 14-0-0 Suburban One League Continental Conference champions
- Back-to-back District One AAA champions
- Third consecutive and tenth SOL Continental title in 12 years
- Senior forward Evan Vare leads the Patriots dangerous attack with 41 goals.
- 14 shutouts in 25 games
- Scored over 80 goals and allowed just 13.
How they got here:
- In a rematch of the District One AAA title game in Tuesday’s semifinal, CB East defeated Conestoga 2-1. Edgar Mauge (Brian Gilligan assist) scored 10 minutes into the second half, and four minutes later, Joey Bowen found the net, also using a Gilligan assist.
- In a quarterfinal state game against Cumberland Valley on Saturday, the Patriots fell behind 1-0 but used goals by J.R. Eisold (Justin Chomik assist) and Andrew Walters to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead. They dominated play in the second half and added goals by Brian Gilligan (Evan Vare assist) and Vare (Andrew Zach assist) to earn a 4-1 win over District Three’s third-seeded squad.
- In an opening round state tournament game against Hershey, Central Bucks East received a goal midway through the first half from Edgar Mauge (Joey Bowen assist) and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Brian Gilligan (Justin Chomik assist) added a second half goal for the 2-0 final.
- In the District One AAA title game, top-seeded Central Bucks East defeated second-seeded Conestoga 2-1. The Patriots used goals by Andrew Zach and Alex Parasky (JR Eisold assist) to go on top 2-0 at halftime. Conestoga cut that lead in half 10 minutes into the second half. Goalie Austin Prime came up big with six saves, including a highlight reel diving save to preserve the tie.
- Evan Vare scored all four goals in CB East’s 4-1 district semifinal win over fourth-seeded West Chester Henderson. The Warriors took an early 1-0 lead, but the rest of the game belonged to Vare and the Patriots. Brian Gilligan assisted on three goals and J.R. Eisold had one helper.
- In a district quarterfinal war, the Patriots battled SOL Continental rival North Penn, the tournament’s eighth seed, to a scoreless tie after regulation and two overtimes. The Patriots – sparked by the play of keeper Austin Prime – earned a 3-1 win in penalty kicks with Evan Vare, Andrew Zach and Brian Gilligan connecting on PKs.
- After an opening round bye, the Patriots defeated 16th-seeded PW 4-0, breaking a scoreless halftime tie with four second-half goals. Evan Vare and Alex Parasky each had a pair of goals.
Seneca Valley
- 18-2-1 overall
- 10-1-1 WPIAL Section 2 champions
- Third seed out of District 7
- First trip to PIAA playoffs
How they got here:
- In Tuesday’s semifinal game, Seneca Valley defeated Springfield-Delco 1-0 in overtime when Griffin Matthew scored on a Matt Saluga cross.
- Seneca Valley upset WPIAL champion Canon-McMillan 1-0 in a state quarterfinal game. Matt Saluga scored the game’s only goal with 10:14 left in regulation, allowing the Raiders avenge a WPIAL semifinal loss to Canon-McMillan.
- In its state opener, Seneca Valley defeated District 6 champion State College 5-1. Griffin Matthew scored a pair of goals – one in each half – to lead a balanced attack. Matt Saluga, Macen DiPaolo and Zach Turley each added single goals.
- In a consolation district game for third place, Seneca Valley defeated Kiski Area.
- In the district semifinals, Seneca Valley lost to eventual district champion Canon-McMillan 1-0.
- After an opening round bye in the WPIAL Tournament, Seneca Valley defeated Central Catholic 1-0 in the second round.
About the Author
