Muncy girls a win away from district final as seniors look to leave mark
- DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazettea Ella Nagel of Muncy pushes the ball against East Juniata at Midd-West High School in Middleburg. Muncy won 5-0.
- DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Eva Nagel of Muncy waits to block the shot as Makaylyn Peters of East Juniata lies it up at Midd-West High School in Middleburg. Muncy won 5-0.
- DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Ava Eyer of Muncy races down a ball as she plays East Juniata at Midd-West High School in Middleburg. Muncy won 5-0.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazettea Ella Nagel of Muncy pushes the ball against East Juniata at Midd-West High School in Middleburg. Muncy won 5-0.
Last year’s senior class was an outstanding one for Muncy’s girls soccer program. That group of girls broke a glass ceiling for the program. They won a program-record 15 games, they won two playoff games for the first time in a single-season, and they reached the program’s first district championship game.
That group of seniors also won the program’s first Mid-Penn championship the year prior.
For Muncy coach Jason Gresh, that group was special. But there’s always more to accomplish and more heights to reach.
This year, Muncy is doing exactly that and continues to break marks and raise the existing bar to new heights.
Muncy’s 5-0 rout over East Juniata on Saturday at Midd-West High School in the District 4 Class A quarterfinals gave the Indians their 16th win this season, a new single-season wins mark for the program, and a Mid-Penn title on top of it.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Eva Nagel of Muncy waits to block the shot as Makaylyn Peters of East Juniata lies it up at Midd-West High School in Middleburg. Muncy won 5-0.
“Another Mid-Penn championship which was awesome. This is 16 (wins), the most wins we’ve had in one season. Raising the bar again,” Gresh said. “That’s what it’s about: leaving a legacy. What are they going to do to leave that legacy?”
That legacy is being left by seniors Emma McCormick, Rylie Hall, Alexis McKeta, Anna Zalonis, Ella Nagel, Katie Shipton and Kailie Minier. That talented group of seven players is taking the torch last year’s seniors handed off and running with it to new heights.
Muncy hopes that success continues as well. The Indians are playing in the District 4 Class A semifinals on Tuesday for the second straight season and will face Line Mountain at 6 p.m. at Shikellamy.
The Eagles have a pair of double-digit scorers with juniors Milena Mariano (15 goals, six assists) and Cora Moyer (12 goals, 12 assists). In addition, junior Reagan Boyer has 11 assists, second-most on the team.
Muncy’s team features a who’s who of scorers.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Ava Eyer of Muncy races down a ball as she plays East Juniata at Midd-West High School in Middleburg. Muncy won 5-0.
Mark Ava Eyer (31 goals, 10 assists)? No problem, Kiki Woodward (29 goals, nine assists) will get shots off and score.
Mark both Eyer and Woodward? Nagel is more than happy to find the back of the net. Add in Zoe Kunkle, Amelia Beckman, Mikaila Ganoe, McKeta and Rosie Zalonis, and Muncy has a number of players who can score.
“It’s just the diversity of it. That just talks about the diversity of what we have. Kiki’s goal (Saturday) was the 100th goal we scored this season and it’s just a diverse group of kids who are doing it. It’s not just one person,” Gresh said. “Yes, Kiki and Ava have had big seasons, but the rest of the team is equally capable of doing that, and they do. That’s super important because you can’t come out, we’ve had teams that man-mark Ava and Kiki does her thing, or they man-mark Kiki and Ava does her thing. Or God forbid they man-mark both, we have other girls who can score. So it’s not about shutting one person down. It’s super important that diversity is key to the success we have.”
That was evident in Muncy’s 5-0 win vs. East Juniata in which five players found the back of the net as the Indians spread the ball around offensively.
And having that diverse offense has been a huge part of Muncy’s success this year and the team leaving behind a legacy by raising the bar constantly.
“I talk about it all the time with them in both sports: what’s your legacy going to be?” Gresh said. “What are you leaving behind, and they’re just setting the bar higher and higher and higher, and keep working at it. That’s all we can do.”
Regardless of Tuesday’s outcome, the seven seniors have raised the bar for Muncy’s program yet again.






