By SPENCER BATES
BRADFORD, PA — For the first time in the history of the NY/PA Corporate Cup Soccer Showcase, one state has claimed victory in each of the four matches.
A lopsided 7-1 victory for the New York girls Gold team over its PA opposition in the final of the four slated games gave the Empire State ownership of the event’s first-ever sweep.
And as New York girls Gold team head coach Derek Houser admitted, the possibility of staking claim to such a feat did cross their minds once or twice. Luckily, his girls welcomed the challenge.
“We knew that going in, that every other (NY) team had won, and you don’t want to be the one that drops the ball when you’re that far along,” Houser said. “There was pressure, but I think they welcomed that pressure. We had a lot of girls from last year, and it was such a hard-fought, tough loss last year, that I think they really wanted to come out and get a little bit of payback for that.”
Houser’s squad wasted no time in exacting their revenge, taking control of the affair from the first whistle. After putting the day’s hosts — as the event was held at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Kessel Athletic Complex — under substantial pressure early on, they jumped in front after just seven minutes thanks to a goal from Maple Grove sophomore Kylie Kress. Her goal was assisted by Wellsville junior Addyson Clark, who linked up with Kress to put together a dazzling move down the left flank before breaking the game open.
Pennsylvania did manage to find an answer as Brockway junior Rheanna Spinda slotted into an empty net 15 minutes later. However, the time the sides spent knotted up was short as NY jumped back in front just six minutes later as Allegany-Limestone senior Abby Peck found the back of the net with a long-range strike.
Kress wound up providing a brace with her second goal of the first half, a long-range effort that she placed well after a ricochet coming off the Pennsylvania goalkeeper found its way right to her foot. But New York was not done there. Just seconds before extra time was about to expire in the first half, sophomore Grace Gariepy, who led Portville with 33 goals in the 2024 season, found her way onto the scoresheet.
Houser’s squad took a 4-1 lead into the halftime break, a big reason for that being the fluidity his side managed to operate with.
“That really gives you a big advantage, when you can put on a fresh, new set of players, and the quality of play doesn’t drop at all,” Houser said. “We tried to keep players who were familiar with each other (together), just to kind of help that process along a little bit. But they were the stars. … We had six different people score a goal. I think that is a really good reflection of the talent on this team and just how deep it was.”
Portville’s Grace Gariepy (31) battles with a Pennsylvania defender. Gariepy found the back of the net once for New York’s girls Gold team in their 7-1 win. (Hunter O. Lyle)
Luckily for Houser — who coaches at Southwestern during the school year — and the rest of the New York girls Gold team, their second half was going to provide even more sparks.
Just shy of 20 minutes into the second interval, Southwestern sophomore Marlana Cresanti got the NY goal-scoring machine up and running again, finding the back of the net off an assist from the eventual New York girls Gold MVP, Cuba-Rushford senior Cloey Larabee. Less than two minutes later, the Empire State had their second of the second half and it was Larabee popping up once again, this time scoring for herself. Seven minutes later, New York scored their seventh and final goal of the game, courtesy of Allegany-Limestone junior Madison Honeck.
“These girls really played amazing, and I knew they had it in them to play like this, but you just never know until the game starts,” Houser said. “There’s nerves, there’s heat, there’s all these different elements and they just came out, from the first whistle, ready to go, and it just never stopped. They were very fluid in their play and I just couldn’t have been more proud of the way that they came together, with really only a few practices, and were able to showcase their talent.”
The victory was spectacular, and what it represented — the first full-slate sweep the Corporate Cup had ever seen — is not insignificant. But ultimately, what Houser was the most happy with was the stage the Corporate Cup event itself provided for the players.
“It’s special for the girls and it’s special to all of us coaches, to get to see them play like that, and knowing that they’re getting recognized,” Houser said. “Some of these girls don’t get to shine the way that they were able to shine tonight with the team that they’re on in high school, or in some of their clubs. … Some of the players really got to step into the spotlight tonight and really show just how good they are. … And the great players were being great. I mean, it’s just fun to see some of those plays and those combinations. It was just really top notch soccer.”
Despite being on the wrong end of the final scoreline, Pennsylvania girls Gold team head coach Mike Puhala, who is now set to retire after 26 years of coaching, finds himself with a similar mindset.
“It’s all about getting the kids the exposure,” Puhala said. “There’s college coaches here, I was contacted by a couple college coaches, so they’re here and they’re watching it online. There was a couple thousand people watching it. … As far as the coaching end of it, it’s really (an honor) to get asked. People don’t realize the time you put into it. We would have definitely rather had a bigger, better outcome, but it is what it is.”
The New York girls Gold team lifts their trophy after their Corporate Cup win. Their 7-1 win gave New York the first-ever full slate sweep in the history of the Corporate Cup. (Hunter O. Lyle)
In the girls Silver game, New York rolled to another one-sided victory, controlling just about every aspect of the game en route to a 4-0 final scoreline.
The Empire State’s offense was potent, putting a total of 11 shots on target, four of which found the back of the net. Its defense was just as solid as it did not concede a single shot on target throughout the entire affair.
Olean freshman Leea Kopp, who was eventually named the New York girls Silver team MVP, stole the show for New York, as she opened the scoring just over 10 minutes into the first half. Her goal was the lone difference between the sides at the intermission, but less than 10 minutes into the second interval Kopp would double up her goal tally on the day, leaving Pennsylvania’s goalkeeper no chance with a shot that found an upper corner.
From there, the floodgates opened and the Wellsville duo of Jaden Dunbar and Emily Stuck provided the third and fourth goals, respectively, for NY.
