Burrell defeats Bedford girls in 2A soccer rematch from 2025
· Yahoo Sports
BEDFORD, Pa. – It didn’t take long for the Burrell Buccaneers to seize momentum in Wednesday’s PIAA Class 2A first-round girls soccer match at Bedford High School.
The District 7 runner-up housed a trio of goals in the first half, with its first coming in the 11th minute.
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As Burrell followed with four more goals throughout the evening, the Bedford Bisons couldn’t solve the back of the Buccaneers’ formation in a 5-0 decision, knocking the District 5-8 champions out of the field in the 11th straight year that the Bisons had reached the PIAA tournament.
“We had some dinged-up kids, which didn’t have everything to do with it,” Bedford coach Jeff Thomas said. “We couldn’t get things going. We tried a couple different times to move some kids around, but it’s tough.”
Burrell (17-2-4) had beaten Bedford (14-4-2) 2-1 in a 2025 2A quarterfinal on its way to a PIAA runner-up finish. With the Buccaneers bringing the bulk of their core back from that run, there isn’t a lack of motivation to quell naysayers this season.
“We read some of the things that were said last year about us,” Burrell coach Frank Nesko said.
“Messy soccer and a style of soccer that is unconventional. I think they took that to heart. We boarded the bus (Wednesday) with something to prove.”
Shots challenging Burrell goalkeeper Leah Waldsmith were at a premium, which was in part to a physical approach to defending and a stingy back four.
“We’ve worked hard on it, but that’s the benefit of playing four years together,” Nesko said. “That backline is three seniors (Eva Wilson, Parker Moore and Leila Kariotis) and one sophomore (Peyton Coury). The sophomore back there, she’s a super-talented phenom.
“I think the fact that we’ve been able to play together as long as we have is the reason why.”
The Buccaneers posted their first goal in the 11th minute thanks to a shot from Makiah Buchak that skidded to the low right of the Bedford net.
McKenna Miller followed in the 27th minute as her shot from roughly 25 yards away thumped the crossbar and landed across the goal line.
Katie Harris’ buzzer-beating shot to close the first half curved to the high left corner, giving Burrell a 3-0 advantage.
During a set-piece sequence, Kendall Coury chipped a shot to the high left of the net with Eva Wilson getting credit for the assist on the 63rd-minute strike. Allie McMahon capped the scoring 49 seconds later, booting a ball through high traffic in the penalty area and past goalkeeper Elise Oaks.
While Wednesday’s result was not ideal, Thomas had praise for his outgoing seniors – Kaitlyn Crist, Makayla Ford and Olivia Jackson.
“They’ve been here all season, and I hate to see them go,” Thomas said. “They had a great season again. Also another district title, eliminated in the first round of (the state tournament). They’ve been there for us all season, and all four years. I hate to see them go.”
The veteran Bedford coach, who led the program to a 2018 PIAA title, also said that returning underclassmen and players rising to varsity age will have a busy offseason heading to the 2027 campaign.
“My message was to them, ‘We need to put more time in the offseason,’ ” Thomas said. “It was pretty much from the beginning of the season on this year, that makes it rough to try to compete at a high level.”
Burrell will face Cathedral Prep, a 4-1 winner over South Park, Saturday in the quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
Shawn Curtis is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5085. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnCurtis430.