The perfect season continues for the Wyomissing Spartans as they captured the first BCIAA championship in school history on Tuesday night.
It was a rematch of the 2023 county championship, where the Raiders came out on top 7–6; this time, it was the Spartans’ turn in 2025.
Wyomissing took a 9-7 victory at Alvernia University in the BCIAA girls lacrosse championship.
“It’s surreal just to be able to be here,” senior Audrey Hurleman said. “We fought so hard for this every single year, and we really wanted it.”
“Absolutely elated,” Spartans coach Rachel Shappell said. “They’ve worked so hard for this. This was step one in their journey.”
In her first year as head coach, Shappell etched her name into Wyomissing girls lacrosse history by leading them to the school’s first title.
Both teams are not only the top two seeds in the Berks County playoffs but also the top two Class 2A teams in the state.
In late April, in their lone regular-season matchup, Wyomissing took a 7-3 victory where the game was tied in the second quarter.
On Tuesday, with rain falling, the Spartans once again came out on top in a game that was up for grabs at one point.
Hurleman opened the scoring for the Spartans (19-0) just over a minute into the game.
The score was followed by goals from Kacey Maggs and Molly Macrina, taking a 3-0 lead.
In the second, Emily Maturi scored back-to-back goals to extend the lead to 5-0.
“It feels great, everyone contributed, everyone did what they needed to do,” Maturi, a freshman, said. “It was amazing.”
“This isn’t the first time she’s stepped up for us on the big stage,” Shappell said of Maturi’s performance. “She’s been doing a fantastic job all season and showing the potential she has. Excited to see how she progresses from here.”
Midway through the quarter, after a timeout, the Raiders (16-3) found life.
Ellie Kaplan scored two goals before the end of the half to gain some momentum.
The Spartans held a 5–2 lead, one that vanished in the blink of an eye in the second half.
Wyomissing’s Mackenzie Maggs scored a quick goal before the game turned into the Kaplan show.
The junior scored three of the next four goals for the Raiders, tying the game at 6-6 with 4:17 remaining.
Twin Valley had stormed back, draining the life out of the Spartans, from the bench to the fans.
“Making sure our energy was up and our mindset was right,” Shappell said about the team’s focus after the game was tied. “We’ve been in this position before, most recently with Wilson (semifinal game), where they made a comeback, and having the confidence of knowing we can get back on top.”
Then, with seven seconds remaining in the quarter, Hurleman scored her second goal of the game to take back the lead.
Wyomissing held the single-point lead for most of the fourth quarter until Maturi scored her third goal of the game to take an 8-6 lead.
“Stay composed, stay aggressive, and everyone contributed,” Maturi said about what was discussed down the stretch.
With under five minutes remaining, the Spartans began to drain the clock, holding the ball at the top.
“Possession was key, and we had to keep it and stay patient,” Hurleman said. “They really sped us up in the fourth quarter, and we realized once we had the ball, we had to be patient.”
With 2:42 left, Hurleman scored her third goal to put the game out of reach.
Kaplan was able to score her sixth goal of the game, but her scoring efforts still weren’t enough in the end.
For the Raiders, outside of Kaplan’s scoring outburst, Kylie Duke scored one goal.
After an almost devastating second-half collapse, the Spartans stayed strong and came out with a victory that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
“It’s amazing having the opportunity to be here and play against this competition, it’s really special,” said Hurleman, who won the fifth county title of her high school career. “Then, just being able to come out on top, it’s even more special. And just having your best friends surrounding you the whole time is really cool.”
Source: Berkshire mont