“It’s a tremendous achievement for us,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Joe DeLeo said. “We felt over the last couple years that we have had the teams to get this far. Whether it was a bad break or just not executing when we needed to, we had not been able to do it until this year. We’re really happy for this opportunity.”

Winning the championship against District 1 champion Faith Christian Academy might be harder than all the challenges it took to make it this far combined. The two squads will face off at Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Northeastern High School at 7 p.m.

Faith Christian has several top-tier players, including several international transfers from Spain. One of those, Paula Marti-Font, scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Dock Mennonite in the District 1 championship game. Dock had been the two-time defending PIAA champion and the blockade Faith Christian had struggled to get past.

“We had hoped to beat Dock last season, but fell short,” Faith Christian coach Ben Sauers said. “It was absolutely heartbreaking for us, but not defining for us. Sometimes our timeline is not God’s timeline and our wants are not what is best for us in that moment — it requires faith and patience. This season, I believe God used the challenging games to build an unshakable belief in these girls that they can win.”

Bishop Guilfoyle Academy girls soccer goalkeeper Cece Rumfola (right) gets a squeeze from her mother, Stacy LoCastro, during the team’s send-off on Friday to the state final in Manchester. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“We started off the season with a very tough schedule playing high-ranked teams in 4A, 3A and 2A. Losing some of those matches, I think people began to question whether this team could break through that cloud that has lingered over this program for four years, but we didn’t,” Sauers said. “Even though we lost those matches, we stayed competitive and learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a team. We used those games as our training ground for conference play. After winning the semifinal district game against Delco (on penalty kicks), it was like a switch went off and we became laser-focused on beating Dock. Dock was a huge win for us — a turning point for sure.”

District 1 has just one team entry into the state tournament, so prior to this season, Faith Christian did not have the opportunity to play PIAA playoff games like Bishop Guilfoyle has been playing.

The Lady Marauders made it to the PIAA semifinals in 2023 before falling to Riverview and lost in the PIAA quarterfinals to Springdale last year.

BG avenged that loss on Tuesday with a 2-1 double overtime win over Springdale in the PIAA semifinals after trailing 1-0.

“We have state playoff experience with at least half of the team now over the past three years,” DeLeo said. “That experience has been really important. We were down in the last game 1-0, but we knew as a team that didn’t mean anything was over. They have weathered such storms in other playoff games, and that was really important in that comeback. They have come a long way with high-pressure playoff games.”

Members of the Bishop Guilfoyle Academy girls soccer team are cheered on during the team’s send-off on Friday to the state final in Manchester. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

But though Faith Christian doesn’t have a lot of state playoff experience, it plays in an extremely tough region.

“Philadelphia has a very big soccer focus,” DeLeo said. “I’m confident the kids there are playing high-level soccer from a young age. There’s a lot of skill, talent and competition in that area. It’s probably the competition they get in league play more than anything. They have a lot of very close scores, even with teams at the bottom of their conference.”

Like Bishop Guilfoyle, which has had contributions from many different players throughout the season beyond leading goal-scorer Emma Marasco, Faith Christian leans on its teamwork.

“Culture. It is the foundation that holds everything else together,” Sauers said. “We have an amazing group of college-level soccer players on this team that could have easily made this season about them and their own personal ambitions. Each girl chose to prioritize the good of the team, building a culture of unity and selflessness that now serves as an example for younger players to follow. Team culture is so important to lasting success.”

DeLeo knows BG is in for a challenge.

The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Marching Band leads the Bishop Guilfoyle girls soccer team through the school during the team's send-off on Friday to the state final in Manchester. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“We see a whole bunch of speed and a whole bunch of skill,” DeLeo said. “They are obviously a very good team. Their back line defense has tremendous speed and soccer knowledge. Those are the things that have stood out. They have no weaknesses, not that you would expect any from teams this far into the tournament, but they have a lot of speed and talent.”

Despite that, BG’s coach believes in his team and said their belief is crucial if they want to win on Saturday.

“We have to play to win and not play not to lose,” DeLeo said. “It will be about reminding the girls about their talent and being confident without being cocky. We have to play 80 minutes with intensity. The good news is for us, we have had a host of intense games over the past two weeks, like our two games against Bedford, districts, the state playoff game against Seneca, and if we bring that, we believe we can play with anyone in the state.”

Faith Christian, which defeated District 4 champion Muncy, 3-0, in the other state semifinal, has been scouting the Lady Marauders.

“I think we need to be ready for those overloads in the defensive third and skilled players in the forward positions,” Sauers said. “They like to play down the sidelines quite a bit looking for that cross, so I think that’s also something we need to be ready for defensively.”

But beyond the strategy, skills and gamesmanship, expect both teams to treasure a moment that has been years in the making.

“There is nothing like this feeling,” said Bishop Guilfoyle’s Meggie Ritchey, who scored the game-winning goal in the semifinals. “It’s just so exciting. I can’t wait to get out there and play.”