PIAA 4A girls soccer: Nazareth edges Lower Merion on late goal
To capture Nazareth’s first district championship in 15 years on Saturday, sophomore defender Vera Ayala assisted senior midfielder Isabella Danise for the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Parkland at Salisbury High School.
On Tuesday night at Nazareth High School’s Andrew S. Leh Stadium, the two stars switched roles as Danise delivered a perfect corner kick into the box that Ayala headed into the bottom corner with 4:20 remaining to give the Blue Eagles a 3-2 win over Lower Merion in the first round of the PIAA 4A girls soccer tournament.
“I really just didn’t want to go into overtime,” Ayala said. “We’ve been working since the beginning of the summer to get here, and it feels really good to be here now, and it’s just amazing.”
Danise was already growing into a program legend after her game-winning goal against the Trojans last week and two goals in a district semifinal win against Emmaus to clinch a spot in states. She added to her legacy even before delivering the game-winning assist to Ayala.
The University of Buffalo recruit scored with 20:42 left on the first half clock and just a minute and a half into the second half on a penalty kick, giving her team 1-0 and 2-1 leads against the third-place finisher from District 1.
The third go-ahead goal, according to Nazareth coach Ziggy Lewis, was simply a testament to the leadership of Danise and a core of experienced stars who added at least a few more days to the program’s dream season.
“It’s a special group, especially because of the leadership we have,” Lewis said. “Our fans have come out in numbers and supported the team, and I just could not be more happy for this team.”
It’s especially gratifying for Lewis, a Jamaica native, who is dealing with considerable emotion off the field due to the catastrophic damage that Hurricane Melissa delivered to his home country. Still, once he arrives at the field with his team, there’s only one thing that takes precedence in his mind.
“Emotions have been high because of what’s going on back home in Jamaica, but once I’m here, I’m focused on these girls because they deserve full attention as much as possible,” Lewis said.
The District 11 champions dominated the first 30 minutes against the Aces and paid off the early pressure by capitalizing on a rare mistake by Lower Merion senior goalkeeper and Louisville commit Cate Cantu. Maddie Ott delivered a free kick from well outside the box into a dangerous area, and while Cantu left her line to claim it, she couldn’t secure it as it fell in a perfect spot for Danise to score an easy tap-in.
“Maddie played a perfect ball over the top. I give that credit to her,” Danise said. “She’s an amazing goalkeeper, but I just wanted to make sure I followed up because you never know the mistakes that goalkeepers can make.”
Ott, an all-EPC first-team defender, helped contain a talented frontline for much of the first half, but one big chance was all Dylan Steinberg needed for Lower Merion. The Cornell commit got on the end of a long ball by Lily Barrabee and fired a shot into the bottom left corner to equalize with just 55 seconds remaining in the first half.
Nazareth needed just a minute and a half to respond out of halftime.
“I can’t tell you what I said,” Lewis said with a chuckle. “But, I think it worked.”
Junior forward Madison Jankowski used her blistering pace to get to the end line on the right wing and fired a cross into the box that deflected off a Lower Merion defender’s hand to give Danise a premier chance from the penalty spot. She buried it with exceptional composure and a perfect finish into the bottom left corner.
“I usually go bottom left, and I just make sure I breathe before and stay composed as much as I can,” Danise said.
More individual brilliance got the Aces back on level terms with 25:42 still left on the clock. Junior forward Nieve Clifford received a pass through the middle, spun past a defender, and blasted a shot from outside the box that deflected off the post and nestled into the back of the net, adding another layer of drama to an already terrific game.
It came 10 minutes after senior goalkeeper Emma Houchin, getting back up off the ground, denied Ryan Cromer from point-blank range to highlight another extraordinary night for the All-EPC first-team goalkeeper. She stood tall after Clifford’s stunning goal and handled the light pressure that came in the aftermath before her right back delivered.
“Me and Bella [Danise] work really well together,” Ayala said. “We have a lot of goals that were put together with each other, and I just saw the opportunity and just went for it.”
“I give all credit to Vera on that one,” Danise said. “She had an amazing finish.”
The Blue Eagles (23-1-1) earned their first win in the state tournament since 2021 and will advance to play Central Bucks South (16-6-1) in a PIAA 4A quarterfinal on Saturday at a site and time still to be determined.
“I just think this group is a special group, and we’re going to continue this ride, and hopefully it continues,” Lewis said. “We’re going to rest and get ready for whoever we play on Saturday.”
As they keep stacking incredible moments together, the emotions will continue to be beyond comprehension for seniors like Danise.
“It means everything, especially to be able to do it my senior year with the best people,” Danise said. “It just feels amazing because I’ve been playing with these people for four years, so to be able to get this far, I have no words.”
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Derek Bast is a freelance sports writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at [email protected].
https://www.mcall.com/2025/11/04/piaa-4a-girls-soccer-nazareth-edges-lower-merion-on-late-goal/
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