The Story of How the Pennridge Girls Soccer Team acquired their first state title

Double overtime in the state championship. The pressure is on. The crowd is roaring, coaches are yelling, and the whole game is being live streamed to be watched at home by hundreds of viewers. Every minute counts. The competition is neck and neck and will be fought till the end of the game.

High school athletics as a whole are extremely competitive. According to the NCAA, nearly eight million students currently participate in a high school sport. Not to mention specifically for our area in Bucks County, soccer is one of the most cutthroat sports. Many students try out every year for a chance to get on the team. Any player knows they have to keep themselves in check to be played on that field. 

I interviewed one of the goalkeepers for the team who has played for twelve years, junior Sierra Shaeffer. I asked about how the Rams prepared for their unpredictable season. The team started with a long three-month preseason. Shaeffer explains, “it was for sure rough, but it helped us in the long run”. The effects of the pandemic actually made a lot of the players work harder. They had no idea when the season could end. Every game was played like their last. With a new team including many freshman starters, it was new to navigate. Struggles are expected when you have a group of girls who have never played together before. “It was a young team so not a lot of people had experience playing against older girls”, says Shaeffer. 

The entire game had the audience on the edge of their seats. Goals consistently were blocked, but neither team was pulling through with a clear shot. The teams went into double overtime.  Sierra Shaeffer, pictured above in green, says she remembers thinking, “if I make one mistake it could end it all. It was way worse because if we were scored on there is no chance to come back from that.” She recalls seeing the bright stadium lights blinding her vision and the roller coaster at Hershey glowing in the sky. The pressure is building up with each sound. The defense cheering, announcers calling out names after plays, and the friends and family in the stands screaming to win the game. 

Suddenly, Leah Malone takes hold of the ball and begins to dribble up the left sideline. She sees an opening, takes it, and she scores! The stadium erupts into cheers and the team begins to celebrate the exciting victory. 

The entire team lets out shrills of joy and celebration. I also interviewed Ryan Hodder, a junior on the team, who says, “When Leah scored my heart dropped and everything went on cruise control”. Hodder says she ran out on the field and felt the need to hug everyone almost by instinct. “It was unreal and one of the best feelings I have ever felt… it was  pure bliss…all the hard work we had put into the program had finally paid off”, says Sierra Shaeffer. Many were crying tears of joy but overall the spirits were high. “We finally did what we said we would do”, said Shaeffer.

With all the hard work and talent paying off, the 2020 Pennridge Girls Soccer Team left their mark on the school by bringing home the first place trophy for a state championship.