Eden Christian girls soccer hopes to turn making playoffs into a habit

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, September 8, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Eden Christian Academy was a WPIAL playoff qualifier in girls soccer last season.

The Warriors are determined to repeat their postseason posture again in 2024.

“Last season, we were able to make it to the playoffs, something that hadn’t happened for a few years,” coach Alex Davis said. “We are excited to use that momentum and build off of our success last season and keep moving forward — onwards and upwards.”

This year, the Warriors are members of Section 1-A, which added five teams from Section 3-A in the WPIAL’s recent two-year realignment process.

Along with Eden Christian, the section consists of Freedom, Mohawk, Riverside and South Side. Also added to the section are Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and California, which is new to WPIAL competition.

Eden opened the season with a 6-0 win against South Side, a 1-1 tie at Riverside and two loses in the West Allegheny tournament.

“As coaches, we want to see our team have success on the field and in our section,” Davis said. “We’ve got a great group of girls with a strong soccer IQ and skills and plan to use that to help us be successful when competing against other teams and to make adjustments as we need.

“Our vision for the team, though, extends far beyond success on the field. We want these girls to grow as young women. I love athletics because it teaches valuable life skills (like) how to be a team player, how to push forward when adversity hits, how to set goals, how to deal with success gracefully, how to develop the habit of dedication and commitment.”

The Warriors assistants are Lillian Giannetti and Brook Swinston.

“Our focus this season is to play the game in such a way that God be glorified in all we think, say and do,” Davis said. “With that at the forefront of our minds, we pray it impacts not only our play but our team once they are off the field.

“I am so thankful for my coaching staff. Coaches Giannetti and Swinston are excellent and bring great soccer knowledge. It is a bonus that we all have fun on the field together.”

Eden’s early season lineup consists of sophomore GK Emmie Smith, senior D Nnenna Agwuocha, sophomore D Kaylee Ryan, sophomore D Allie Emswiler, senior D Tayla Meyer, senior MF Lanie Brogdon, sophomore MF Alex Nacey, senior MF Dylan Divers, senior MF Beatriz “Baya” Swinston, senior F/M Lara DeFazio and sophomore F/M Violet McKinney.

Swinston and Emswiler are co-captains.

Key reserves include senior midfielders Leah Ondrasik and Gabriella Ricci, juniors Aleiah Prude (GK) and Tabby Hogan (MF), sophomores Maris Milliken (MF) and Tabbie Hogan (GK) and freshmen Annemiek Meyer (D), Johna Prude MF) and Amara Aqwuocha

Swinston is a senior midfielder who was an all-section selection last year. She was lauded as a top player in Class A in the WPIAL girls soccer preview by Trib HSSN.

“My expectations are for us to be consistent in our play, keep winning our matches and hopefully make it through to WPIALs,” Swinston said. “We are excited to start a new standard and momentum for the history of Eden girls soccer.”

Swinston, who owns a 4.31 GPA, has participated in track and field at Eden and in travel soccer for two years. She also has been involved in the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra as a cellist.

Her aim during the fall season with the Warriors is to improve her game by staying away from the injuries she suffered previously in her career.

“Yes, I have a few individual goals,” Swinston said. “These include maintaining a healthy body and staying injury free, as well as improving my skill as a winger.”

Emswiler and (Alex) Nacey, both sophomores, are players to watch this season.

“Allie plays center back for us and is a wall back there,” Davis said. “She’s a powerful player and knows how to get the job done. Her understanding of the game, ability to see the field and make adjustments are just what our team needs.

“Alex’s game is fierce. She’s always pushing herself to give a little more. She’s got fast footwork and a love for competition.”

Emswiler is the younger sister of former Eden baseball standout Caleb Emswiler, senior pitcher/corner infielder in 2024 who was named Class A player of the year by Trib HSSN. Emswiler hit .425 with six home runs and 40 RBIs.

Another brother, Noah Emswiler, will be a junior pitcher/outfielder on the Warriors baseball team in the spring. He hit .297 and scored 30 runs.

As it turned out, all three Emswiler athletes experienced an outstanding 2023-24 school year.

“We had a pretty successful season,” Allie said, “finishing second in our section. Since we are returning almost all of our entire starting lineup and other teams have had key players graduate, I believe we have a good shot at winning our section and (going to) WPIALs, and advancing pretty far in states.”

Emswiler also plays for Beadling’s 2009 Girls Academy team, which corralled first place in the regular season. The team is nationally ranked in the top 20.

“I’ve been selected to participate in multiple USYNT ID (U.S. Youth National Team) events and Mid-Atlantic GA IDs,” Emswiler said. “This summer, I was selected by soccer.com to train and play in Scotland with some of the best players across the country as part of Partner XI with Celtic FC.”

Emswiler, with a 4.25 GPA, is a center back on the pitch. She also competes in basketball at Eden.

“I have a goal every game to not allow any goals,” she said. “This year, I’ve set a goal of having shutouts in at least 10 of our games.”

The Warriors finished with a 7-3 record in Section 3-A a year ago, 8-6-1 overall.

WPIAL champion Freedom finished first in the section with a 10-0 record and racked up a 19-4 overall record.

Eden was the section runner-up, followed by Sewickley Academy (6-4) and Riverside (4-6). The Warriors outscored their five section opponents by a 28-24 margin and gained a 48-22 scoring advantage for the season.

Eden Christian held seven teams to one goal or less including two shutouts. In fact, only one opponent was able to score more than two goals against the Warriors.

Tags: Eden Christian