Rule No. 4: No drama.
That was one of several rules that Nazareth coach Ziggy Lewis enforced this season, and while it can seem impossible to enforce for many, especially those involved with high school aged girls, the Nazareth girls soccer team was not like everyone else.
The sting of previous defeat, the hope of a championship run and the leadership from every level made abiding in this rule, and winning as a whole, look easy.
That resulted in a historic 23-2-1 record, the program’s first district championship in 15 years, including the first during a fall season, and just its third ever victory in the PIAA Tournament. Now, the Blue Eagles are The Morning Call’s 2025 girls soccer team of the year.
“It meant everything to us. It’s all about the team and our fans. I feel like the fans were a big part of the success this season and our administration as well,” Lewis said. “It just means everything to everybody, and I was very grateful for everything.”
“As a team, we were so close from the summer. A lot of these girls have been playing with each other for a long time, we’ve been friends on and off the field, so I think that helped us a lot,” junior midfielder Abby Kilareski said. “We really just all came in with the same goal this season and we knew that getting a district [championship] win and going farther in states was something that we all truly wanted. I think having the same goal and the same thing that we wanted to accomplish really helped us too.”
The season started exactly like the previous – nine wins and one 2-2 tie against Parkland – in which the Blue Eagles dropped out in the semifinal round of both postseason tournaments. On the outside, everything looked the same. Internally, there was a collective sense that things were going to be different.
“Our team’s overall hope this year … it was just this weird feeling, like, I think we have a chance of winning this year,” senior midfielder Isabella Danise said.
“Ziggy often asks us if we believe,” Kilareski said. “I think in years past, yeah we do, but this year I think we truly meant it.”
They were right.
Nazareth celebrates a goal against Lower Merion on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, during the first round of the state 4A girls soccer tournament at Nazareth High School. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Instead of dropping a 1-0 result in the regular season to Allentown Central Catholic, five different goal scorers contributed to a 5-0 victory and sparked an unbeaten end to the regular season as the Blue Eagles entered the EPC Tournament as the top seed with a 17-0-1 record.
That kind of scoring balance, with 21 different goal scorers and nobody scoring more than 18, was another factor that made Nazareth special. Someone was always ready to step up if another struggled. The chemistry, the selflessness, the continuity – it was all unmatched across the area.
“I feel like the talent on our team was definitely spread out between everyone,” junior defender Maddie Ott said. “It wasn’t just one person we had to rely on. I felt like we could rely on a bunch of different people to get the job done.”
“As a goalie, I’m not really up there on the field, but from my vantage point I can see the connection that everybody up there has when they’re attacking,” senior goalie Emma Houchin said. “Maybe someone in the middle has the ball and then they just know where somebody on the wing is going and can pass it…I see the bunch of connections and the passes they make, and how we all were attuned to each other during the game.”
All of that was put to the test as the league’s top seed looked unrecognizable in a 3-0 defeat to No. 3 Parkland in the EPC Championship. It was the sixth championship appearance of Lewis’ career at Nazareth with no gold medals to show for it.
Suddenly, as he and his team lined up to receive their silver medals, an all too familiar feeling dampened a season that felt so special to that point.
But, again, things were different this year.
Lewis took the lessons from his previous experiences, and not only allowed his team to rest ahead of the district tournament, but also challenged some of his players individually, demanding that he needed more from them if things were going to change.
“I felt like losing that battle against Parkland made us a better team heading into the rest of the season,” Lewis said. “I spoke to a few players individually and said, ‘hey, I need more from you. I need more leadership from you. I need you tomorrow to step your game up because if you play well, or if your body language is well, and if your tone is right, the team follows you.’
“I felt like those players did a great job and just felt like our seniors were great leaders.”
For this kind of mentorship, and his ability to battle through personal adversity while leading a championship season, Lewis is The Morning Call’s 2025 girls soccer coach of the year.
“We’ve known Ziggy for quite a long time. I’ve known him since I was three years old, so we’ve definitely become super close with him and we really care for him as a coach,” Kilareski said.
“A lot of us know him on such a personal level, and knowing how much he does for all of us, showing that back to him meant a lot for us,” Ott said. “He tries so much not to just seem like a coach, but as someone that we can talk to and someone who supports us. He sacrifices so much for all of us.”
The girls responded well to his challenge by defeating Northampton, the defending district champions, for the third time in the district quarterfinal round, but on the day of the semifinal against No. 3 Emmaus, tragedy struck in Lewis’ hometown.
Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane that made landfall on October 28, decimated Jamaica with horrific damage and a death toll of at least 90 people, according to USA Today.
The girls now had a far more significant cause to rally around: their beloved coach.
“That Emmaus game, especially, we just said that he does so much for us behind the scenes, and he always wants the best for us, so we really need to get that win,” Kilareski said. “We knew how badly that he wanted it and that it would put a smile on his face in such a hard time for him.”
Danise buried two goals in the first 25 minutes while Kilareski added another 10 minutes later to lead the Blue Eagles to an emotional 3-1 win over the Green Hornets, qualifying for the PIAA Tournament and setting up a rematch with top-seeded Parkland in the district championship.
“That Emmaus game, there were times where I was there but I wasn’t there because my mind was in Jamaica,” Lewis said. “Just to know that the leadership from everybody was at an all-time high meant everything to me. I could rely on these girls even when my mind and heart is not there.
“It was inspiring to know how much they fought just to put a smile on my face in that moment and say ‘that one is for you, coach.’”
Danise’s heroics didn’t stop there.
The University of Buffalo commit not only notched the game-winning goal against the Trojans with just over 20 minutes remaining to deliver an unforgettable championship, but she also buried a pair of goals and a game-winning assist to sophomore defender Vera Ayala to knock off Lower Merion in the first round of the state tournament.
“She trains and works so hard every day and that hard work shows on the field,” Houchin said. “She’s made so many important goals, important passes that have led to goals, and she’s just not one who hogs the ball in the field just so that she can have all the shine. She’ll do whatever it takes to get a goal even if she’s not the one to make it.”
It was clear that all four players who were named to the all-area first team – Houchin, Ott, Kilareski and Danise – consider that district championship win as the best memory from an unforgettable season. It was a moment that made the agony of so many championship defeats in Lewis’ 11-year career fade away as his entire team raced to him for an embrace that he’ll never forget.
“Honestly, I didn’t even see them rushing over at first. When they rallied around me and hugged me, it was overwhelming in the best way. My heart had been torn in two all week – part of me trying to stay focused for the semifinals and finals, and the other part in Jamaica, worrying about my family and friends and if they were safe when the storm hit. There were long stretches of no communication and that was the scary part,” Lewis said. “When we won the semifinals and the finals, and the girls ran over and hugged me, it meant everything. In that moment, all the stress and worry lifted. On a week that was incredibly tough, they gave me something to smile about when I needed it most.
“I’ll never forget that.”
It was an embrace that signified what, or who, it took to make this dream season a reality and what made this team so special.
It took Houchin’s leadership and timely saves. It took talented defenders like Ott, Olyvia Hall, Ayala and Kaylee Rowbotton to limit the chances in front of their talented goalkeeper. It took the selflessness of Kilareski to embrace the role of a defensive midfielder and sit back despite her tremendous talent going forward.
Nazareth’s Madison Jankowski drives the ball down the field against Lower Merion on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, during the first round of the state 4A girls soccer tournament at Nazareth High School. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
It took clutch performances by Danise and the contributions of Ashley Baltz alongside her in the attacking midfield. It took Madison Jankowski’s blistering pace on the wing, Julia Sandt’s finishing up front and Katie Deaner’s relentless energy on the left wing.
It took players who would likely start on any other team in the district to accept their roles as spark plugs off the bench and injured players who still showed up every day to support their teammates. It took the sacrifices of the rest of the coaching staff – Hannah Garner, Abby Klump and Jenny Charles – to lead alongside Lewis.
It took the support of the fans and the administration and even members of the football team who travelled to Upper Perkiomen High School for a state playoff game in freezing temperatures.
It took everyone.
The gold medals, the long hug with Lewis, the celebrations that followed on the field and during memorable bus rides blasting the alma mater and God Bless the USA, made it all worth it.
“This season was so memorable in so many ways. The girls, the coach, the wins, the bus rides, everything about it was so memorable. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Kilareski said. “I think it was a really great way to send our seniors off even though we’re definitely going to be sad that they’re not going to be here next year.”
“23 wins…that’s a lot,” Lewis said. “I’m going to remember the leadership. I’m going to remember the tears. And the fans, and the administration, and just walking into school when playoffs started. It got overwhelming at times where everybody was like, ‘hey, when’s the next game?’
“But, I don’t want it to be a one year thing, to be honest with you. I know we’re losing some very, very important players, but I hope the younger girls took notice and then the leadership next year needs to be on point, so we could have another great year,” Lewis said. “Because I don’t want it to be another 15 years before the next championship.”
Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.