CB East saw its season come to end in a tightly contested loss to Downingtown West in a state semifinal.
#1-3 Downingtown West 1, #1-1 Central Bucks East 0
The reddened eyes of CB East seniors Sydney Ralph, Mikayla Gray, Jessie Bernabe and Savannah Hayes said plenty on their own.
It was a ride they felt had stopped too soon, which meant their group was forced to split up earlier than any of them wanted to. There’s no easy way to just get over a loss in the state playoffs, let alone in the semifinals and so agonizingly close to a chance to play for another trophy, but this Patriots team went out playing to the end.
Even in the aftermath of a devastating loss and an understandably prolonged final team huddle, the quartet of seniors added plenty of context to their tears as they summed up a remarkable season.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better season or better teammates or better coaches,” Hayes said. “Things don’t always go your way, but the ride has been amazing. It’s the best season I’ve ever had in soccer, so just a big thank you to everyone.”
Playing at Spring-Ford for the third time this postseason on a night when the autumn chill finally seemed to catch up to the date on the calendar, the Patriots expected a tough test from a Downingtown West team they’d knocked out in the district semifinals two weeks prior. That’s just what CB East got, the Whippets employing a low block defense they’d put in specifically to counter the Patriots’ strongest attributes offensively.
It was a chess match of a game, East prodding and poking here, there and everywhere while Downingtown West shifted, compacted and held its ground by whatever means possible to prevent that last incisive pass or touch in behind.
Even when the Whippets scored with 16:29 left in the game, capitalizing on a recycled ball into the box following a corner kick, the door refused to close on CB East. A missed Downingtown West penalty kick with 4:40 left in the game provided a lifeline, and while they knew they were up against it, the Patriots still had confidence they could seize it.
“Never put our heads down, always think we can get one back because we can,” Gray said. “We’re that type of team that can get five back in two minutes, so we’re not going to stop until the final whistle.”
Gray, who played in her third game this season – all of them coming in the state playoffs – had one of the team’s last looks in the final minutes. All eight of the team’s seniors had their own respective roles and paths, not only this fall, but their collective four years, and they unified to form the team’s backbone this season.
“It shows the grit of our team,” defender Sydney Ralph said. “That shows the way we’ve been coached and the way we prepare to play every game. We didn’t quit until the last second, and it’s a credit to how hard we work on the field, how hard we work together and how much we care about this program and what it means to be a part of CB East soccer.”
East finishes the season 23-2 with an outright SOL Colonial Division title and a District 1 4A championship, the program’s first since 2015. Gray, Bernabe and senior goalkeeper Mae Leedy were part of two district finals in their four seasons, and this year’s class allowed their talented sophomore teammates to shine repeatedly.
Mia Forney, Kiera Sleicher, Ava Mignon, plus Ella and Taylor Roumy will return along with juniors Magee Williamson and Aralynn Patterson as the next generation fills in around them.
“I hope the underclassmen don’t take the season for granted, I feel like that’s how all seniors end their season by saying that, but I think this group was really special,” Bernabe said. “I hope the next classes can continue what we’ve set the standard to be. I think the last four years especially, our class has really put in the effort every single day on and off the field to really help build the culture and team here.
“I hope our underclassmen continue that without us here.”
There’s more soccer ahead for Bernabe (University of Buffalo), Gray (Maryland), Leedy (Shippensburg), Madelyn Hill (Muhlenberg) and Stella Genin (Stevens). Hayes and Ralph will shift gears to basketball in a few days, but they, along with Joey Williams, can hang up their East soccer jerseys knowing they helped elevate the program.
“Our class has seen so many good players ahead of us and so many positive role models, so I hope we were those positive role models this year,” Ralph said. “I hope they continue the standard of soccer. The last few years, we’ve gotten knocked out in the first round of states, but the fact we went to the semifinals this year just raises the standard of the program for the generations to come.”
While the bracket will show the 2024 CB East Patriots ended their season in the state semifinals, it won’t show all the moments that went into the campaign, on or off the field. District titles don’t go away, nor do the good memories of four-plus months together, and that’s what this team will reflect on whether its a few months from now when the seniors are graduating or a few years down the line
“The season we had is something to be really proud of,” Gray said. “All of us as a team, on and off the field, we’re just so happy we got to do it together and with each other.”
“I think the fact we’re going out this sad – it just shows how special the program is,” Ralph concluded. “I hope the girls coming back see how we feel and come back determined not to let it happen to them.”
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0 1 – 1
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 – 0
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