Nov 11, 2025
Kiki Woodward of Muncy celebrates her game winning goal against Schuylkill Haven with her team mates at Central Columbia High School Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 2-1 in double overtime. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
For one area soccer team, this is uncharted waters where the program has never been before. For the other, it’s common ground they’ve seen many times over the last decade.
Muncy’s girls soccer team is in the PIAA Class A semifinals for the first time ever after an enormous win on Saturday against Schuylkill Haven, 2-1 in double overtime, and the Lewisburg boys are back in the PIAA Class AA semifinals for seventh time since 2010.
And both teams face the same opponent tonight: Faith Christian.
A breakdown of both area state semifinals.
PIAA CLASS A GIRLS SEMIFINALS
Lexi McKeta of Muncy celebrates her game tying goal against Schuylkill Haven at Central Columbia High School Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 2-1 in double overtime.DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Muncy (20-2-1) vs. Faith Christian (16-4-1) at North Schuylkill, 5 p.m.
Muncy had its toughest test on Saturday and saw itself fall behind to Schuylkill Haven less than two minutes into the game, 1-0. But the Indians played outstanding defensively and Eva Nagel had the best game of her career so far in goal by recording 17 saves and keeping Muncy in the game. Lexi McKeta put in a huge game-tying goal wtih less than four minutes in regulation and Kiki Woodward buried the game-winner with less than three minutes to play in double overtime. And now, the Indians are hoping to keep their history-making postseason run going.
But up next is an extremely talented team in District 1 champion Faith Christian.
Muncy’s players were quick to point out after Saturday’s quarterfinal win that coach Jason Gresh keeps his team loose and doesn’t put on added pressure and that’s a big reason the team is playing in the Class A Final Four
“He doesn’t put any pressure on us whatsoever. He wants us to go out and play our game,” McKeta said.
Ava Eyer of Muncy takes a shot on goal as she’s guarded by Bella Murphy of Schuylkill Haven at Central Columbia High School Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 2-1 in double overtime. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
“I love all our coaches, Gresh really keeps us in the game and focused,” Nagel said.
And that’s why the Indians have won 20 games entering today.
Muncy’s defense played outstanding Saturday as the back line continued to keep Schuylkill Haven’s best scoring threats wide and didn’t let them get looks up the middle. And when they did fire a shot, Nagel was there with a save and made numerous athletic blocks to keep it a one-goal deficit and then kept the Hurricanes from putting in a game winner.
Muncy knows defensively it’ll have to play just as well on Tuesday.
Faith Christian has been on a tear throughout the state playoffs. The Lions pummeled District 12 champion Julia R. Masterman 8-0 in the first round before cruising past District 4 runners-up Southern Columbia, 6-0, in the quarterfinals. To the Tigers’ credit, Southern held the Lions to just two first-half goals, but Faith Christian ultimately proved to be too much and scored four second-half goals to put the game out of reach.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg’s Viktor Permyashkin meets his teammates on the sidelines after scoring during the District 4 Class AA boys soccer championship match at Milton on Saturday. Lewisburg won 2-1.
Faith Christian entered the postseason as the eighth-ranked team in Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association poll in the organization’s final rankings (Oct. 19).
Muncy has plenty of confidence in the playoffs though. The Indians beat Southern Columbia, the seventh-ranked team in the state entering districts, in the district final before beating Schuylkill Haven, who was ranked tenth. The Indians are ranked sixth in the state. Faith Christian was the second-ranked team in Class A in the District 1 rankings.
Faith Christian defeated Delco Christian in penalty kicks, 4-3, before blanking top-seeded Dock Mennonite in the District 1 Class A final, 1-0. The Lions have scored 86 goals this season and have allowed just 15.
Muncy has put up 107 goals this year with 29 allowed. Muncy has allowed just two goals through five playoff games and Nagel has an area-high 10 shutouts.
PIAA CLASS AA BOYS SEMIFINALS
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg’s Keegan Crosby (6) celebrates after scoring during the District 4 Class AA boys soccer championship match against Midd-West at Milton on Saturday. Lewisburg won 2-1.
Lewisburg (22-0-1) vs. Faith Christian (20-1-1) at North Schuylkill, 7 p.m.
The Green Dragons are the second-ranked team in Class A according to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association’s final poll (Oct. 19) and Lewisburg is playing like their ranking would indicate. The Green Dragons have a stout defense that doesn’t allow many teams to score against it. Lake Lehman scored twice against Lewisburg in the first round and were the only school so far through five postseason games to put more than one goal in the net against the Green Dragons.
Lewisburg secured a trip to the state semifinals thanks to a 2-0 win against Devon Prep on Saturday. Lewisburg got a boost offensively from Dylan Vogel and Jack Johnson who both scored. It also was just the second goal all year for both players as they helped spark the offense when players like Viktor Permyashkin and Isaac Ayres were being defended well.
“It’s always good when your bench kind of gives you a lift knowing when you put guys in, your level of play can get better,” Lewisburg coach Ben Kettlewell said after Saturday’s win.
Lewisburg is a team that has a ton of confidence in not only goalie Gabe Pawling, who has 18 shutouts this year and 41 for his career, but also a back line that makes life tough for opposing midfielders and strikers. The Green Dragons, however, will have a very tough opponent in District 1 champion Faith Christian.
The Lions had a huge win on Saturday by knocking off defending state champion Northwestern Lehigh, the No. 1 ranked team in the state, handing Northwestern Lehigh just its second loss of the year, 2-1 in overtime.
The Lions were ranked No. 6 in the state after the final poll entering districts. Faith Christian has a talented defense that has allowed just 12 goals all year and offensively, the Lions have scored 110 goals. Faith Christian has allowed just three goals since a 2-0 loss to Delaware County Christian on Oct. 2. The Lions also have 13 shutouts this year.
In Faith Christian’s 20 victories, the Lions have recorded at least three goals in a game 14 times and have put up double digit goals in a game three times.
“Any game in the state semifinals is going to be a hard one,” Kettlewell said. “We’re expecting hopefully a good match that we can come out and find our moments to make a couple palys and stay organized and be relentless.”
Lewisburg has one of the district’s top goalies in Pauling, a back line that’s extremely hard to get by and scoring threats up top with Permyashkin, Ayres and others who can rifle shots at will. But the team’s biggest strength?
“I’d probably just say our togetherness and kind of playing and being able to win in different ways,” Kettlewell noted. “Communicating and supporting each other. Really just us as a team and not relying on one person or blaming one person. It’s all of us stepping up when we need to step up and do our jobs.”
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