Central Bucks West field hockey made history Saturday when the Bucks faced Emmaus in the PIAA 4A state title game at Cumberland Valley High School.
PIAA 4A Field Hockey Tournament final
#11-1 EMMAUS 3, #1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2
Their medals were silver, but they could just as easily been gold, and while the record will show they came up short against an Emmaus squad that won its fourth state title in six years, the Bucks – who had an early lead in the game – certainly held their own against the nationally-ranked Green Hornets.
When it was over, it didn’t take a whole lot of time for the players to put the loss in perspective.
“Going into the season, we wanted to just get further than last year, and we did,” senior captain Aida Ierubino aid. “Obviously, it would have been great to come away with the gold medal, but the fact that we even got as far as you can go in the PIAA – it’s such a great, surreal, bittersweet day.
“I had so much fun, and even on days when we didn’t have a game or didn’t have practice, we would just all come together, hang out. It’s just such an amazing group of girls, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to spend my last four years playing with CB West.”
The game was a classic battle between two highly skilled teams, and it was the Bucks taking an early lead when Ierubino worked her magic, scoring less than six minutes into Saturday’s state final.
Less than a minute later, the Hornets were on the attack, and only a clutch save by goalie Kendra Pitts allowed the Bucks to hold onto their tenuous lead.
In the second quarter, the Hornets scored a pair – the first less than a minute into the frame by sophomore Ella Horner and the go-ahead goal with just under three minutes remaining in the half by sophomore Marissa Gigliotti to send Emmaus into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
“That second goal – they beat us to the ball,” West coach Lori Ierubino said. “We had come up with it and were making a play out of our defense. They just stepped to the ball, and we didn’t. Little things like that – you can’t make those mistakes against a team like Emmaus.”
The Bucks evened the score when Ierubino pounced on the rebound of a goalie save of a shot by Grace McGrath and put it in the cage.
Three minutes later, the Hornets took a lead they would not lose on a goal by junior Gracie Huffer. The Bucks battled until the final horn, but the Hornets would not be denied.
“At this point, everyone can beat everyone,” Pitts said. “We’re very evenly matched, but they just came up with it today, but we fought, and I’m very proud of how we played. I’m proud of how far we’ve come from my freshman year. I’m happy that we’re going to leave on a pretty high note.”
The 2025 state crown was the 16th in program history for Emmaus.
“I think maybe that was the one thing they had checked on their box that we didn’t – that history, that experience,” coach Ierubino said. “They’ve been through it, they’re used to it. “Our girls didn’t give up until the final horn. Even when we thought things were going to go our way and didn’t, we just got right back in the play, so I’m very proud of how they represented West. I’m proud to be their coach.”
Senior captain Eve Damsker acknowledged feeling a lot of different emotions.
“Obviously, I’m upset, but I’m really proud of how far we’ve come,” she said. “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we deserve to be here and gave it our all.
“We had such a great season and a great four years. I’m just so proud of how far we’ve come. I love playing with everybody, and I’m just happy to be part of this team.”
If anyone can relate to the emotions the players were feeling, it was their coach – who as a senior was the star on a Council Rock squad that also faced Emmaus in the state title game, which ended in a 1-1 tie. The teams were declared co-champions.
“It did feel very similar, and I told the girls that,” Ierubino said when asked about it after the game. “I told the girls that – ‘You’ll forget details, but you won’t forget this whole experience and what it felt like to be part of this whole process to get you there.’
“It’s been a great season. We went as far as we can go. We got second in a really good field hockey state, so I’ll take it.”
Scoring summary
First quarter
Aida Ierubino (CBW) 9:39
Second quarter
Ella Horner (E) 14:23
Marissa Gigliotti (E) assisted by Addison Povilaitis, 2:57
Third quarter
Aida Ierubino (CBW) 13:14
Grace Huffer (E) assisted Sarah Palazzo, 10:43
Fourth quarter – No score
Getting defensive: Kendra Pitts has spent her four-year varsity career excelling in goal for a West squad that has been the class of the SOL, winning the last three Colonial Division titles and leaving its mark in the postseason.
This year, the senior captain had nine shutouts on her resume. None of those came during a postseason run that has
included a pair of games – and West’s only losses in the postseason – against nationally ranked teams in Emmaus and Villa Maria Academy. In both, the Bucks more than held their own, thanks in no small part to Pitts and the Bucks’ stingy defense.
After Saturday’s title game, Pitts was asked about the players who have stood tall in front of her in the defensive backfield – Laney Hall, Heidi Schoenleber and Margot Trask as well as defensive center mid Eve Damsker.
“They’re lovely, they’re incredible,” Pitts said fighting back tears. “I really feel like I’ve grown up with them. We’re very much a unit that’s grown together.”
Hall - a junior committed to compete in track and hockey at Bloomsburg – said the players are very close outside of hockey.
“And that helps a lot,” she said. “We’re always pushing each other to be better, and we’re always supporting each other. Every day at practice, we’re always just looking for a way to improve our game. We’re always striving to be our best.”
Coach Lori Ierubino acknowledged the immense contributions of her defensive backfield.
“Laney started the season as a forward,” the West coach said. “Last year she was a defender, and we missed her. I said, ‘Laney, we need you back there,’ and she did it without hesitation. She’s lightning fast, and while she was learning some of the defensive skills, she had the speed to save her, so she did an awesome job.
“Margot Trask was originally a forward, but she just has good positioning and good communication skills so we moved her into the backfield.
“Heidi Schoenleber is also a mid or forward – she has really good stick skills, and she has that beautiful lift. Again, just a good team player that plays where we needed her.
“Eve Damsker is just an all-out hustler, team player, and she’s just a great kid.”
And together they played a key role in putting this year’s squad in the program record books.
The season ends here: The Bucks were one of the last two PIAA 3A teams still playing field hockey on the final day of the season, and the silver medals they received after a game that could have gone either way were not a consolation prize but hard earned.
“Second (in the state) is very good actually,” Hall said. “We obviously wanted to win the game but coming this far – this is the second time in history that West has made it here. We’re very proud of ourselves, and we’re going to just look for ways to be better next year.”
“It’s been so amazing,” Ierubino said. “I think we really showed how CB West plays and who we are, and we put ourselves on the map for next year, and I’m really excited to see where these girls go.”
West closed out its historic season with a 20-4-1 record, a Colonial Division title and a runner-up finish in both districts and states.
Central Bucks West 1-0-1-0 2
Emmaus 0-2-1-0 3
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