Central Bucks East advanced to Saturday’s District 1 6A title game while Souderton kept its bid for a state berth alive with a win. Check out Andrew Robinson’s Kwik Goal recaps. CB East/CR South photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Class 6A semifinals
No. 1 Central Bucks East 1, No. 4 Council Rock South 0 (OT)
Even for Kiera Sleicher, this one hit differently.
The Central Bucks East senior, a midfielder bristling with talent bound for James Madison University, has a long register of big goals during her four years with the Patriots including the opener in last year’s state title match. So for her to say a certain goal in a certain game instantly ranks among her most memorable, it carries a little extra weight.
Sleicher had good reason to make that claim Tuesday, her scintillating strike with 1:50 left in the first overtime lofting CB East past a terrific CR South side and to its second District 1 4A final in the last three years.
“I’m proud of us, that was a heck of a game and definitely one for the books,” Sleicher said. “That’s already one of my favorite games, and I’m just glad we were able to come out on top.”
With the SOL’s crossover matchups resetting this year, the Golden Hawks and Patriots didn’t meet in the regular season. While both were handling business in their own divisions – the SOL Patriot and Colonial respectively – it wasn’t hard to miss what the other was doing piling up some impressive wins.
There’s differences between the teams, CB East is a senior-dominant squad while CR South only has four seniors
on its roster for instance, but similarities as well from their tenacious defending to the way the ball moves from player to player. The teams had almost identical records in the regular season, so it wasn’t a major surprise that Tuesday’s semifinal played out as a tightrope act between two balanced sides.
“It’s one of those teams, Nick’s been doing this a long time and he’s an incredible coach, this team is always very well organized and they know how to pick up on weaknesses and they can make the game chaotic,” CB East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “I think in the first half, we saw through some really difficult moments and probably got our heads down a little more than I would have liked. Once we found a good rhythm to us in possession, even when the game starts to get stretched out, I thought we defended pretty well for the most part.”
CB East can certainly throw a lot at an opposing team from an attacking standpoint. Aside from Sleicher, who has a lot of shooting range from the run of play and on set pieces, there’s seniors Taylor Roumy, Rylie Leedy, Mattie Williams and, of course, Mia Forney to account for.
Roumy, who along with her twin sister Ella is heading to Richmond, had an 11-game scoring streak during the regular season and can dice defenders with her footwork. Leedy, heading to Lock Haven, has been a solid first-year starter at center forward while Williams, a Villanova recruit, is another quality on-ball player and covers a lot of ground in midfield.
Forney, off to Maryland, has been half of a dynamic duo with Sleicher since they arrived as freshmen. The forward was named to the High School Soccer All-American Game roster earlier this week – Nesteruk will also be going to Baltimore as a coach for the West roster on Dec. 12 – and had a couple of legitimate chances of her own on Tuesday.
It was a big order for CR South’s defense, but the Hawks rose to the challenge.
“A win or a loss, how proud I am of their effort doesn’t change, they were fantastic,” CR South coach Nick Heim said. “They put in a unique game plan to try and handle a unique beast and had one practice to do it, one hour, and they executed it flawlessly. They gave everything they had, look (East) is a tough team, they have talent all over the field, they have experience, it’s a tough matchup and there’s a reason they’re the number one seed, and we played really, really well.”
Outside backs Lianna Shikvarger and Krissy Philip were aggressive against East’s flanking attackers while the center back pair of Maddie Mohr and Kait Hickey covered for each other and cleared a lot of threats out of the back. Senior Ruby Bross was also relentless in defending the midfield, often shadowing Sleicher in a man-mark and winning plenty of challenges.
Behind them, goalkeeper Maddie Hyams was outstanding. The keeper posted double-digit saves, including a quartet of absolute denials in the first half that kept it scoreless at the break then picked right back up after halftime.
“Maddie was fantastic,” Heim said. “We haven’t really had to call upon her a ton this year, it’s not that she was knocking rust off, but she hasn’t faced that kind of consistent pressure, especially in the second half. We said we had to weather the storm early and the storm seemed to come at the beginning of the second half – we woke them up a bit, I think – and she answered every call.”
Tuesday was equally a test for East’s defensive unit. The Patriots have employed a three-back line for most of the season with seniors Ella Roumy and Susquehanna recruit Addie Langlois flanking senior Cece Hayes in front of Rowan-bound senior Maddie Thompson in goal while getting plenty of support from senior midfielders Ava Mignon and Mackenzie Peters.
Hayes, who is committed to Davidson to play lacrosse, acknowledged it’s a bit different than what the team has done in the past but feels like the group has meshed well despite a couple of them being first-year varsity starters. The senior center back also noted they had a tough assignment on Tuesday of trying to contain a CR South attack that’s gotten numerous goals from several different places on the field.
“Our bond on and off the field really helps with our connection,” Hayes said. “We’re such great teammates on the field but when we come off the field, we still have that same bond, so I think that really helps us connect. Our talent in the back is insane, our two outside backs are amazing, they can both play on the offensive side or the defensive side and that really helps us connect with our forwards or our midfield and score from there and they’ve both had many goals this season so it just shows they’re incredible dual-role athletes.”
Hayes cited CR South’s Anna Horn as the main player the Patriots were focused on, giving the Hawks midfielder props for the way she connects the rest of their attack. That didn’t mean East was ignoring the other threats like Lylah Day or Guiliana Conetta up top, Brooke Pavlow and Riley O’Halloran out of the midfield or Claire Vizza and Zoya Joshua coming off the bench.
“We wanted to step up on Anna Horn, she connects to their forwards very well, they play a lot of long game and not as much to feet so we wanted to contain them early,” Hayes said. “On the long ball, we just had to communicate through the back. I thought Ella and Addie had an amazing game and Maddie as well, our 
communication is key, especially on those long ball, kick and run so I thought that was really important tonight.”
East had chances in the first half, a thumping header from Langlois in the waning minutes among them, but the Patriots felt like they weren’t at their sharpest. Sleicher gave all the credit to Nesteruk for the halftime adjustments, and a notable tweak the Patriots used in the second half was the addition of a fifth midfielder in sophomore Delaney Ralph.
Ralph, who along with Liz Mooney had played some good first half minutes, added an extra body but also an aerial presence in the middle
“Jake made some really good adjustments,” Sleicher said. “They did adjust to us, they were man-marking us pretty well, they matched us up well, so having Delaney in there, being able to create more space and get open a couple times definitely helped. Just the way we moved off each other, especially in the second half and into overtime led to some big moments.”
It took one decisive touch by Taylor Roumy, the forward looking to her right just as Sleicher yelled “Taylor!” while starting a trailing run and playing the ball right into the midfielder’s path. Roumy’s pass was perfectly weighted, carrying Sleicher toward the outside and away from South’s retreating defenders.
Sleicher only needed one small touch to set up her look and even about 25 yards out, she wasn’t hesitating.
“I’m just glad I was able to finish it,” Sleicher said. “It was a great play leading up to it. Delaney turned and played it in to Mia, she played it in for Taylor and Taylor just played me a great ball. So glad I was able to do that, we worked so hard this game, this was a heck of a game and I’m just glad I was able to get the team a win.”
Sleicher tipped her cap to Hyams and said the CR South goalkeeper’s performance factored into her decision to shoot from distance.
“Once I saw my opening, I thought ‘I’m not passing this up, I’m not losing this chance,’” Sleicher said. “(Hyams) had a great game, she kept them in it and made some very big saves for them so knowing that, I wanted to kind of hit it as hard as I could and not really give her a chance to dive on it or anything.
“Once I saw it hit the back of the net, I was really happy.”
CR South will host rival CR North on Thursday in the third place match. The teams met twice in a five-day span back in September, playing to a 0-0 draw the first time and South taking a 2-0 win in the return leg.
East’s win sets up a heavyweight bout for the District 1 4A title on Saturday as the last two PIAA champions square off for a trophy that eluded both of them last season
Four players from southeastern Pennsylvania schools were selected to participate in the High School Soccer All-American Game next month in Baltimore. Saturday, two of them will go head-to-head for the district title.
Downingtown West, which fell to Pennridge in a shootout last year in the district final, also brings a talent-laden roster to the table led by their All-American in senior striker and West Virginia recruit Camryn Bayly. The Whippets, led by senior defender and West Chester recruit Paige Makiewicz, have also been airtight defensively with 16 shutouts on the season and have not allowed a goal in the postseason thus far.
There’s a little history between the teams in the postseason as well. Back in 2024, CB East defeated Downingtown West in the district semifinals, but the Whippets turned the script a few weeks later in the PIAA semifinals en route to the state crown.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
No Scoring
2nd Half
No Scoring
OT
CBE – Kiera Sleicher (Taylor Roumy) 1:50
CB East coach Jake Nesteruk: “We’ve been playing with pressure and kind of relishing it since day one. The freedom of knowing you’re going to be in states helps a little bit but this team doesn’t change the way they play. I can only coach one way and they can only play one way. In the moment, they know how important that 
second trophy is to the season and their legacy and I think they rose to the occasion and dealt with the pressure accordingly.”
CB East senior midfielder Kiera Sleicher: “Especially after last year winning states, we want to keep the standard and we want to do it again for the people who weren’t able to do it my freshman and sophomore year. We’ve all been playing together for the past four years and being a team pretty much made up of seniors on the field, we know how to play with each other and our movement with each other, our friendship as well, it’s helped us get to where we want to go to.”
–Defensive effort: “What impresses me most is how calm they are on the ball. They don’t really get frazzled that much and especially playing three in the back, that’s something new we tried this year, the way they pass the ball with each other and aren’t afraid to drive forward as well, they’ve had some really big moments and especially in this game, their defending was huge for us.”
CB East senior defender Cece Hayes: “We just want it so bad, it’s all head and heart together. We play as a team, we play together, we play as a unit, and we play to our strengths. Our teamwork, working together and the way we bond on and off the field with everyone is just incredible. I think our connection is what’s going to help us push forward and our motivation is so strong. We’re playing for the people here now but also the people who have left us in our seniors last year and our seniors the year before, so our head and heart together is working really hard this season.”
–Senior dynamic: “A lot of us have played together our whole lives, I think some of us can say pre-K to now so throughout club or throughout high school, we’ve had so much time to bond together and I think that really helps our strong connection on the field but also how we’re closing out. We’re all committed (to a college sport) so we know we have a next chapter, but we want to finish this one out with a bang.”
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 1 – 1
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 0 – 0
No. 2 Downingtown West 2, No. 14 Council Rock North 0
The Whippets ended CR North’s quest for a district title in the semifinals.
In a weird twist, it was also Downingtown West that had ended CR North’s last bid at a district final appearance back in 2015, the Whippets then edging the Indians 3-1 in a shootout following a scoreless double overtime draw. Downingtown West scored both its goals in the first half and while CR North threatened several times, couldn’t get one to find the back of the net to potentially turn things around.
It was only the third time all season that CR North had been held without a goal, the last coming on Sept. 30. What didn’t end on Tuesday was CR North’s season, the No. 14 team having qualified for states – also for the first time since 2015 – by value of its two upset wins in the prior two rounds.
“I think it’s important for us to take away some positives from this game as we move into States next week,” CR North coach Gavin Flannigan said.
CR North will battle cross-district rival CR South on Thursday in the third place game. The teams met twice in the regular season, playing to a 0-0 draw on Sept.19 with CR South claiming a 2-0 win five days later on Sept. 24
Scoring Summary
1st half
DW 30:13
DW 16:56
CR North coach Gavin Flanningan: “Tough loss this evening, I thought the girls executed what we asked of them very well, and we were unlucky not to score. Keagan Terry hit the crossbar soon after Downingtown’s first goal and we had another good chance through Sofia Cozza shortly after that. Although it was 2-0 at half time, we fought back in the second half and created some more good opportunities but couldn’t put one away.”
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 2 0 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 0 – 0
Playbacks
No. 12 Souderton 3, No. 9 Garnet Valley 1
It was, in a way, like returning to the scene of a crime.
Last year, playing in its first district playoff game since 2019, Souderton left everything it had on the pitch at Garnet Valley, but had its hearts broken when the host Jaguars snared the game-winner with less than 10 seconds left in double overtime. The stakes were similarly high this time around, with only the winner advancing in the playbacks to keep their season and a shot at the state tournament alive.
The Jags didn’t need to wait until the final seconds either, scoring early and putting Souderton down again. That’s where the visitors seem to be most comfortable however, and for the third time in four playoff games, the Big Red rallied back to pick up the win.
“We are grateful to get another game for a chance to get to states,” Souderton coach Melissa Lollar said. “The girls truly earned that chance this evening.”
All three Souderton goals came from the senior class, with Providence-bound midfielder Hannah Beckett hitting the equalizer in the first half. Lily Heron took control in the second half, the La Salle recruit setting up Julia Purvy, the St. Joe’s recruit bagging her third game-winner of the playoffs, before putting away the insurance goal.
Souderton will look to secure the fifth and final PIAA spot from District 1 on Thursday when it travels to No. 7 Downingtown East.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
GV
S- Hannah Beckett
2nd Half
S – Julia Purvy (Lily Heron)
S – Lily Heron
Souderton coach Melissa Lollar: “After last year’s season ending loss at Garnet Valley, our girls were ready to show how much they have worked over the year to come back a better team. GV got their goal rather early with a perfectly placed shot for Cam Lobel to lose the ball in the sun. It took us a bit to settle into the game as well, but once they did it started to really take more control of the game. Hannah Beckett returned the favor with a beautiful shot to tie the game going into half which was big for us.”
Standouts: “I think Lily Heron had such a high energy game that created so many chances for us and made it challenging for their offense. Our back line of Aidia Manners, Kylie Cummings, Lilly Fisher and Maddie Moreland played a very composed game. Our midfield was so strong in the second half which shifted the game as well. Julia Purvy just proved to be a threat anywhere and was able to maintain possession to let us settle down when needed.”
SOUDERTON 1 2 – 3
GARNET VALLEY 1 0 – 1
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