DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Elizabeth Wolfe of Hughesville breaks away during the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals against Wellsboro. Wolfe is one of three Spartan seniors who will play college next year. Wolfe will play at Lock Haven, Caradyn McGinley will play at DeSales and and Avery Puderbach will play at Penn College. That trio and Hughesville’s other seniors never won less than 14 games a year and reached the District 4 Class AA semifinals each of the last two seasons and reached last year’s district final.

Having a senior commit to play college in their respective sport is far from unusual. Even two seniors who have played great and signing isn’t out of the norm.

But it isn’t all that common for three teammates to be graduating and all going to play soccer at the next level. For Hughesville’s girls soccer program, a trio of teammates are doing just that

Hughesville seniors Caradyn McGinley, Elizabeth Wolfe and Avery Puderbach saw their final seasons in a Hughesville uniform come to an end this past week with a tough 1-0 loss in the District 4 Class AA semifinals to Troy. But that trio will still get to continue their soccer careers at the next level.

McGinley will compete at DeSales, Wolfe will play at Lock Haven University and Puderbach committed to play at Penn College.

“In the first three years that we had the program, we had three girls total go on to play in college. This year, having three in one class, it shows that we as a program are unified,” Hughesville coach Cody Hack said. “Everyone gets trained the same no matter the position or talent level. This enables us as a unit to adapt whenever needed. We don’t run our system through any particular player, but more as a unified structure. They have found a way to include every member of this team in their culture, and that is why I love being a member of this program.”

Hack noted that McGinley, Wolfe and Puderbach mean a lot to the Hughesville program.

“Those three seniors, let alone this entire senior class, have really set a good mindset for their future teammates. Besides all the wins, goals and shutouts, seeing those girls interact with every player on our team was nothing short of incredible,” Hack said. “We as a coaching staff understand that coaching doesn’t just happen from the people in charge, but moreso in the leadership and opportunity that you give. Our halftime huddles are not me standing there giving instruction, they are every single person giving their input and thoughts and then we tone and shape that as a unit. Mind you, I’ve only had 80ish games with them, so the credit really goes to their work ethic to get to the next level.”

The Spartans reached the District 4 Class AA semifinals in consecutive seasons and last year appeared in the district championship game for the first time in program history and secured its first trip to the state tournament in 2024 since 2002. That group of seniors in Wolfe, McGinley, Puderbach, Ava Snyder, Kylie Temple, Aly Taggart and Carly Converse have raised that bar.

Those seniors won at least 14 games every year and posted three consecutive seasons of 15 wins to end their careers 59-21-1 with four district appearances.

McGinley, Wolfe and Puderbach also all played together for STN North Penn which reached nationals at their age division this past summer.

“This group is something special. They have attained the best four-year winning percentage in Hughesville girls soccer history at 72.6%. They have set not only a bar, but a mindset expectation that should never be taken lightly,” Hack said. “Their talent and poise speaks for itself, but I’m more impressed with the human beings that they have become. I’ve gotten to see the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with this group, and we’ve battled any storm that came our way. You know, a lot of people only look at wins and losses as the defining factor in an athlete, but seeing individuals grow exponentially as a student athlete, and more importantly as a kind human being, is something that I hope very person that leaves our program feels proud about.”