By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BROCKWAY, PA – Once again meeting their Class 3A rivals on the biggest stage of the season, the Bradford soccer team was unable to exact revenge and return to their throne atop District 9, instead losing to DuBois for the second consecutive year in a 3-2 finals defeat.
The meeting between the Lady Owls and Lady Beaver comes as one in a long-fought feud that stretches over the past decade. For years, the two squads have met in the championship match and up until recently, Bradford has always found the upper hand. However, last season DuBois snapped the Lady Owls’ six-year title streak. Earning an opportunity for redemption after beating Clearfield in the semifinals, Bradford finally got their sought-after rematch.
“It does feel (like a tradition.) It’s where we want to get back. They’ve beaten us in the last six matches now but even during the season when we got blown out, they’ve been one-goal games in the finals,” said Bradford head coach Jim Warnick, whose team lost both regular season matchups with DuBois this year. “It’s a game the girls really want so they really step up. Even against Clearfield we were kind of thinking, ‘hey we have to beat Clearfield, we want DuBois.’ There’s a sense of history.”
Despite stepping off the bus with a head full of steam, Bradford’s poise failed to translate onto the field. Facing a quick crashing attack from DuBois, the Lady Owls immediately began struggling to release the pressure. Although they were able to get an odd streak or two down the field in the opening minutes, Bradford found themselves on their heels from then on as passing lanes were continuously collapsed by the Lady Beavers.
DuBois tallied the first shot of the day in the ninth minute, which was blocked by Bradford’s senior goal keeper Maddy Stark, but routinely found looks at the net as they continued to dominate possession. Using a web of crisp forward passes, the Lady Beavers cut lanes into the defense as Bradford scrambled to cover.
Less than three minutes after their initial shot, DuBois broke the ice. Streaking down the field on a breakaway, Anna Korney weaved through a one-on-three attack against the Lady Owls before punching a shot into the back of the net, tallying her 113th as just a sophomore.
Meanwhile, Bradford continued to struggle to get any sort of offense in motion. Seemingly lacking a sense of urgency and communication through the initial 40 minutes, their long ball and through passes went unreceived, trapping the Lady Owls within midfield. Despite a few streaks late in the half, they ultimately walked off the pitch down 1-0.
“Everything we worked on all week, it just wasn’t there. How to attack, wanting to challenge for the ball, it wasn’t there and that’s what (DuBois) was beating us at,” said Warnick. “That was our big talk at halftime. Everything we did at practice had to start showing up.”
Regrouping and refocusing, Bradford changed the tide immediately. Whereas they lacked energy and aggression in the initial half, the Lady Owls took to the field with both in ample supply to begin the second.
Starting with the ball, they instantly pushed up field and into DuBois’ box, asserting themselves and seemingly taking the Lady Beavers by surprise. Although they still searched for a significant shot on goal, Bradford continuously drove deep into enemy territory through the opening minutes and just six and a half minutes after the break, their efforts paid off.
Earning a corner kick in the 46th minute, Karissa Chamberlain crossed a beautiful pass from the right which soared just above Alyssa Mangold. Rising above the crowd, Mangold headed the ball into the back of the net, evening the score at one-a-piece. From then, the Lady Owls had a new lease on life. They continuously probed inside, leading to a handful of shots on goal as well as a sequence of three consecutive corner kicks.
However, DuBois slowly began striking back with counterstrikes that became more and more frequent as the clock continued to empty. As the momentum began to snowball in favor of the Lady Beavers, their pursuit into the box produced a peppering of Bradford’s net. Fortunately for the Lady Owls, Stark held strong with several saves, handfuls of which came in rapid succession.
“That was an incredible performance. She had a one-on-one save where she made a kick save after a dive,” said Warnick of Stark, who ended the game with 15 saves. “We ask her for three or four big saves a game and she did a lot. She did way more than that.”
Ultimately, the Lady Beavers would eventually wear the defense down. In the 64th minute, Lauren Graeca carried the ball down the right side of the pitch, two Lady Owls in tow, before launching a sharp-angled shot across the net. Bouncing off the left post, it then ricocheted behind Stark for the Lady Beavers’ second goal of the night. Three minutes later, DuBois’ pulled ahead 3-1 after Korney beat Stark to a loose ball to score her second of the night.
With the season on the line, Mangold put the team on her shoulders. Less than 30 seconds after the Lady Beavers’ third goal, Mangold intercepted a pass and then streamed down the field before launching a deep shot from 30-yards out. Soaring over the goalkeeper’s head and hands, the shot would bring Bradford back to within one.
Once again reinvigorated, the Lady Owls pushed on the gas. Frantically scrambling on both offense and defense, their manic effort came away with multiple stops, steals and in turn, shots on goal. Continuously led by Mangold, who stripped passes and single-handedly carried the possession across midfield, Bradford crashed the net as they prayed for one last break.
“It was the effort we wanted for the last 40 minutes. It was a sense of panic and then everything kicked in,” said Warnick. “I think it’s that sense of urgency, that sense of panic that sets in and then everything just goes. Just trying to get them started sooner is our biggest goal moving forwards.”
However, DuBois continued to fend them off, keeping them just one pass away from a look on goal with fast feet that clogged the passing lane. As the final 20 seconds broke, the Lady Beavers retreated to their backfield and one last clear would seal the victory. For the second year in a row, DuBois had denied Bradford a District 9 title.
Despite the season-ending loss, Warnick’s initial impression of the 2025 campaign remains bitter sweet. For him, a season that began marred with questions and injuries to result in a chance at a championship, shows resilience and toughness.
“The season actually was kind of a shocker, because we lost a big playmaker (from last year) and then had to move people around and try to find others. I think at one point we had seven underclassmen playing so we were a lot younger of a team,” said Warnick. “They really stepped up. They were scrapers this year. They fought for everything.
Starting the last three or four games, everything just picked up at practices, at games and I think that summarized their season,” Warnick continued. “Their want, their work. They just had to scrap for everything and it was fun to watch. They fought for everything and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
