Lakeland’s Bria Hill (11) is covered by West Scranton’s Allessandra Kassisky (13) and Mailyi Diaz (27) at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton Wednesday, October 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Lakeland’s Leah Catanzaro passes the ball towards the West Scranton goal at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton Wednesday, October 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Lakeland’s Natalie Rude (1) and West Scranton’s Laisha Hernandez (20) battle for the ball at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton Wednesday, October 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
West Scranton’s Angie Euceda (6) controls the ball against Lakeland at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton Wednesday, October 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Lakeland’s Bria Hill (11) is covered by West Scranton’s Allessandra Kassisky (13) and Mailyi Diaz (27) at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton Wednesday, October 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
SCRANTON — Lakeland had one moment of confusion on the soccer field Wednesday.
The Lady Chiefs weren’t sure whether their first score was a goal or the referee ruled offsides.
Turned out Natalie Rude’s first of three scores was indeed a goal.
Other than those few seconds of uncertainly, Lakeland locked in like it has all season to defeat West Scranton, 6-0, and capture the Lackawanna League Division III girls soccer championship at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“We’ve played really well,” said junior forward Bria Hill, who had one goal and two assists. “We’re a really young team with no seniors this year, so we’re kind of just building off of each other and figuring it out together.”
Needing one win in their last two games to secure their first division title since 2022, the Lady Chiefs wasted no time, as Hill led Rude with a perfect pass and Rude ripped a shot into the left side of the goal for a 1-0 lead 3:12 into the game.
“I feel like Bria and I work very well together,” said the sophomore forward, who now has 53 career goals. “She knows where I am at all times. So, I feel like her getting it through, I just knew it was going to happen and that kicked us off from the start.”
Fifteen minutes later, Lakeland used three precision passes to go the length of the field. Olivia Beier booted a goal kick to Leah Catanzaro in the middle of the field. Catanzaro passed to Hill, who had a nice touch to Rude downfield. Rude ran the pass down and ripped her shot left of the goalkeeper for a 2-0 advantage.
“We’re best friends, so we know each other in and out,” Hill said. “So, we kind of just work together and we know what to do and we just get it done.”
Then, Hill ripped a shot from a tough angle on the left side into the left corner of the net for a 3-0 lead with 16:24 left in the first half.
“The good thing is Natalie has a lot of skill, Bria has a lot of speed and it works well together,” Lakeland coach Mark Gallagher said. “It really helped us solidify our center midfield, too, in getting them the ball so that we can move forward.”
Meanwhile, the defense stopped every West Scranton threat, as Angie Euceda, Reese Greer and Jocelyn Suhow pushed the ball into Lakeland’s zone. Beier was a force, stifling West Scranton runs, making steals and booting the ball downfield to start the offense. Jarelis Gonzalez also stopped several attacks, Greta Takach made two key saves and the Lady Chiefs secured their seventh shutout of the season.
“They’re a crucial part of what we’ve accomplished,” Rude said. “I feel like we wouldn’t be here without them. They know exactly where to put the ball, they work very hard back there, so that definitely helps us.”
Rude had a one-on-one opportunity a few minutes into the second half, but Stephanie Hernandez, who had four saves, made a nice save to keep it at a three-goal lead. However, the Lady Chiefs added to their lead about 10 minutes later, when Hill got the ball in the middle of the field and passed to Rude on the right side. Rude had a nice touch to Clare Reckless, who juked a defender and lined a shot into the right corner of the goal for a 4-0 lead.
Nine minutes later, Hill won a battle for the ball, and passed to Catanzaro at the 5-yard line. Catanzaro took a touch and ripped the ball into the left side of the net for a 5-0 advantage.
Rude secured her hat trick with 2:52 left.
“It feels great,” Rude said. “We worked for this all season. We just have to keep going.”
Lakeland is currently seeded second in the District 2 Class 1A power rankings with a .589 rating. Blue Ridge (.610) holds the No. 1 seed, and defending Class 1A champ Holy Redeemer (.578) is third. All three have one game left in the regular season before the district playoffs start Oct. 28
First: Rude (LAK) from Hill, 3:12. Rude (LAK), 18:11. Hill (LAK), 23:36; Second: Reckless (LAK), 14:37. Catanzaro (LAK) from Hill, 23:53. Rude (LAK), 37:08; Shots-corners: WS 2-3, LAK 10-5; Saves: Hernandez (WS) 4, Takach (LAK) 2; Records: LAK (12-3-2, 11-0-2), WS (4-7-5, 4-5-4).