Even though it was an all-girls school from its founding in 1887 to 1991, when it became co-ed, Winchester Thurston didn’t have a girls’ soccer team until just nine years ago. A club team with 15 players, the program’s history of success started here. The team had winning seasons in 2015 and 2016 but wasn’t eligible to go further because they weren’t an official WPIAL team. In 2017, Winchester Thurston Girls Soccer finally became a full WPIAL team. However, the first three seasons ended early, and the team never qualified for playoffs.
In 2021, the team had its first playoff appearance after finishing the regular season in 2nd place. This year also marked one of the biggest freshman classes the team had ever seen, with 10 new players. This is no coincidence though, as winning would become a trademark of the class of 2025. The following year, the team finished the season at the top of the section (which had never been done before), making it to the second round of playoffs in their second WPIAL appearance ever. The 2023 season was almost identical to its predecessor, with the team ending as section champions and losing in the second round of playoffs. However, this season also ended with two knee injuries. A torn ACL to the top scorer, Meredith Snyder ‘25, and a torn meniscus to one of the best defenders, Gabriela Winston ‘25. With a quarterfinal game decided by penalty kicks with 2 of the first 5 to kick missing, the game ended 4-2 for the Bears. Because of this, at the end of the season, a question remained in everyone’s minds. Could we have gone farther?
Whether it was possible or not, every player stepped onto the field in August of 2024 determined to do everything in their power to make this happen. This season, the team had a unique challenge to deal with: a new section. With dominant teams that had been around for years like Springdale and Riverview, who always made it deep into the playoffs, nobody knew what this season would bring. The season started with a 1-1 tie against the previous WPIAL champions, Freedom Area HS. The team won their second out-of-section game 1-0 against North Hills and lost the third game 0-3 to Burrell.
The first challenges the Bears faced were Springdale and Riverview. The team lost to Springdale 0-4, even though every player knew a better outcome was possible. Straight after, the team played Riverview and lost this game 0-1. However, the 10 senior players refused to let their senior season end here. Led by their 3 senior captains: Gabriela Winston ‘25, Margherita Memoli ‘25, and Maeve Dever ‘25, the Bears won every game after this, beating Riverview 3-0 the second time playing them, losing to Springdale 0-2, and smashing every other team. This gave them a secured spot in playoffs as the 6-seeded team.
This is where the record-breaking began. Not only was the team ready to beat anyone who stood in the path between them and a spot in the WPIAL finals, the team also got the second player back who had gotten hurt around this time last year, Meredith Snyder, ‘25. As stated earlier, the Winchester Thurston Girls Soccer Team had previously only ever made it to the second round of playoffs. This was the threshold that every player knew they would beat. So, after their triumph against Chartiers-Houston in the first round 4-0, the Bears continued to the second round with another 4-0 win. Lastly was a 1-0 win against Seton LaSalle to send WT Girls Soccer to their very first WPIAL finals appearance, a historic moment for the team (plus, their first WPIAL semifinal and championship appearances).
Despite the season ending with a heartbreaking loss in double overtime against Karns-City in the first round of states, this season will forever be remembered as the season of firsts. The Bears’ first WPIAL quarterfinal win, the first semifinal appearance and win, the first championship appearance, and the first PIAA appearance. None of this could have been possible without the 10 seniors who fearlessly led the team and refused to back down no matter how stacked the odds against them were, and the energy and spirit brought by the rest of the team. Despite this season being one of the most successful and memorable seasons, the future teams to come will continue to grow and build off the foundation that this year’s Winchester Thurston Girls Soccer team has created. Two claps for that!
