2023 PIAA Class 3A girls soccer championship preview: Abington Heights vs. Moon

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, November 17, 2023 | 5:02 PM

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PIAA Class 3A girls soccer championship

Abington Heights (23-0) vs. Moon (18-2-2)

4 p.m. Saturday at Eagle View MS

On the air: PCN-TV

Seeds: Abington Heights 2-1; Moon 7-2

How they got here: Abington Heights defeated Cocalico, 8-1; Archbishop Wood, 2-1; and Shilkellamy, 3-1. Moon beat Bradford, 2-0; Northern, 1-0; and Mars, 1-0.

Coaches: Errol Mannick, Abington Heights; Bill Pfeifer, Moon

Players to watch: Lilia Calvert, Abington Heights; Serayah Leech, Moon

PIAA titles: Abington Heights 0; Moon 5 (2012, ‘16, ‘17, ‘21, ‘22)

Corner kicks: District 2 champion Abington Heights is playing in the state final for the first time. The Comets are led by Calvert, who scored two goals in the semifinal victory over Shilkellamy. The sophomore has a single-season school record 64 goals this season. Allie Rothenberger also scored in the win. The Comets built an undefeated record, claiming Lackawanna League Division I and District 2 titles along the way. … Moon is quite familiar in the PIAA championship setting. The Tigers reached the state finals for the third straight season and the fifth time since 2016. They beat Upper Perkiomen, 2-1, in the title game last season. In addition to wins in 2012, ‘16, ‘17, ‘21 and ‘22, Moon lost in the finals in 2004 and ‘06. Moon had a 48-game unbeaten streak snapped this season. They are led by Hall of Fame coach Bill Pfeifer, who surpassed 500 career wins this fall. Leech, a senior keeper, has allowed just three goals and has 53 career shutouts. Moon had five players picked to the All-WPIAL team — senior midfielder Sydney Felton, senior defenders Gabrielle Larson and Marina Mollica, junior midfielder Lilly Snyder and Leech. Felton scored the game-winning goal with just over a minute left against Mars in the semifinals.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Moon