Trips to WPIAL finals, PIAA playoffs made season unforgettable for Sewickley Academy girls

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The only way to beat the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team in 2025 was via a shutout.

And that happened only three times.

The Panthers won the Section 3-A title with a 12-0 record, advanced to the WPIAL championship round at Highmark Stadium and saw their season end in the PIAA quarterfinals.

“The season was a great success,” Sewickley coach Gary Weber said. “We accomplished our goals of repeating as section champs and reaching the WPIAL finals. We wanted to qualify for the state playoffs, as well.”

Sewickley finished 20-3 overall, losing only to rival Quaker Valley, 4-0, early in the season, Bentworth, 1-0, in the WPIAL finals and Springdale, 1-0 in a shootout, in the PIAA quarterfinals.

The shootout went nine rounds before finally being settled.

“The playoffs are always a challenge as each team that qualifies feels they have a chance to win the overall tournament,” said Weber, who was assisted in 2025 by Emma Scanlon and Ron Wilcher. “It was a great experience for the players to reach the final and play at Highmark Stadium.

“The team had a great season. While it was not the outcome we hoped for, it is still pretty special to reach the WPIAL finals and compete for a title. These players will have great memories. While the results didn’t go our way in two games this year, we have no regrets on how we played and what we accomplished.”

The Panthers were sparked offensively this season by junior forward Emma Eannarino, who knocked in 33 goals including the 50th of her career — “without even realizing it” — against Serra Catholic.

“We’re all so incredibly proud of (our) performance this season,” said Eannarino, a preeminent three-sport athlete. “We had such a great team, and we made a really great playoff run. Even earlier in the season, we played through so many battles.

“We’re even prouder of our undefeated record in the section because we had to fight for it against some really good competition. Being section champs this year was something we were aiming for going into the season, so it was a great feeling to have accomplished it.”

The Panthers ended the regular season with a near-perfect 15-1 record and took a 16-game winning streak into their matchup with Bentworth in the district tournament.

In all, Sewickley secured a 70-9 scoring advantage in section play, outscored the opposition 96-17 overall and posted 11 shutouts. The Panthers averaged 4.3 goals per game while allowing just 0.7 goals against.

“We worked really hard for a long season, having started early in August and continued playing through November,” Eannarino said. “I couldn’t be happier with the year we had. We made some unforgettable memories, both on and off the field. We’ll all miss our seniors so much.”

Four players — Eannarino, senior forward Makenzie Dice, junior defender Emilia Carrabba and freshman midfielder Claire Karsman — were all-WPIAL selections.

Dice finished with nine goals and 16 assists this season.

“This season has been one of our strongest and most connected yet,” Dice said. “We played with confidence, grew closer as a team and stayed consistent from start to finish.

“Our playoff run was something I’ll never forget. We made it to the second round of states and got the chance to play at Highmark, which has always been a dream of mine. Experiencing that with this team meant everything. Even though we didn’t get the outcome we had wished for, I’m still incredibly proud of everyone.”

Sewickley ran through its section schedule most impressively and finished with a two-game edge over runner-up Seton LaSalle.

Eannarino, Dice, Carrabba, Karsman, junior midfielder Olivia Stefanik and junior defender Grace Jardini were named all-section.

Carrabba, Jardini, senior Bella Ballard and junior Josie Courtney anchored the Panthers’ defensive corps in front of sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Edmunds.

The midfield area was dominated by the likes of senior Marin Edmunds, freshman Sara Merryman, Stefanik and Karsman.

Sewickley outscored the opposition 13-3 in the postseason, winning three of four games in the district tournament and going 1-1 in the PIAA tournament.

“Our performance in the playoffs was so impressive,” Eannarino said. “We won so many consecutive battles, beating teams that had beaten us in previous years. We gave every game our all and showed up in long back-and-forth games.

“We’re so thrilled to have made it to the WPIAL championship game. We had such a fun time playing on the incredible field downtown with what felt like our entire school coming out to support us. The energy was amazing, and we loved every minute of the game even with the outcome we had. It was really an unforgettable experience that we’ll cherish forever.”

The Panthers blanked Ellis School, 7-0, and Carlynton, 2-0, in the first two rounds of the WPIAL playoffs and edged Springdale, 2-1, in the semifinals before losing the tough one-goal decision to Bentworth in the championship round.

Sewickley rebounded with a 2-1 win against Karns City in the PIAA opening round.

“Winning a state playoff game was also such a fun experience,” Eannarino said. “Even the long drive was made worth it with the competitive game that ended in a huge win. It was everyone on our team’s first (PIAA) playoff game, so to have come out on top even with our lack of experience was so amazing.

“We had such a great run this year, and I’m so happy to have been a part of it with the most talented squad.”

The Panthers appear ready to make another strong playoff run in 2026 with six juniors, two freshmen and one sophomore in this year’s starting lineup.

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