Westtown School 2025 Friends School League Champions
Westtown girls soccer team poses with championship plaque after defeating Shipley in FSL championship - Photo by Josh Abrams for PSD
BY JOSH ABRAMS
(Photos by Westtown School's Easton Morrison '29)
West Chester, PA - When the second-half clock expired and the Westtown School girls' soccer team posed for team pictures after their 5-0 victory over Shipley School in the Friends School League title match, an array of "four" signs were held up by players and coaches.
The Female Moose continue to assert their dominance in the sport, as they won their fourth consecutive FSL championship on Tuesday afternoon. It is the first 'four-peat' in program history, and just the second in the FSL's existence, joining the George School squads of 2001-2004.
2025 marked the ninth time since 1995 that these two schools faced off in the FSL championship game. Shipley took the first three matches in '06, '07 and 2016. Since then, it has been all Westtown (2017-2019 and 2022), and the last two have not been particularly close.
Much like last year's title bout between the two FSL foes, the Female Moose dominated the Lady Gators on both sides of the ball in this year's match, scoring five goals and using a ferocious and swarming defense to win by a score of 5-0. Five different goal scorers found the back of the net for Westtown, and if this is the last time they face an FSL opponent they will finish with 46 goals scored and only one surrendered against league competition.
"I think we all came together, we were passing, and we just played (with the mentality of) 'we before me'," said senior Avani Patton, who might have saved the very best game of her career for the biggest game of her career.
The fourth-year leader didn't find the back of the net, but with her team holding possession for most of the game she was essential in setting up plenty of scoring opportunities for her teammates, including the goal that got the scoring started for the victors.
Westtown senior Avani Patton reflects on how she was able to put together an all-around performance in a crucial game (Video by Josh Abrams)
Westtown senior Maya Holt drains free kick to put the finishing touches on FSL title victory for the Female Moose late in the second half (Video by Josh Abrams)
The first 32 minutes of the game were scoreless until junior center midfielder Noelle Clabaugh snuck behind Shipley's defense and guided a deflected pass from Patton off her feet and past the goalie. Shipley deserves major credit for keeping Westtown off the board for as long as they did. A scoreless tie at half could have changed the entire complexion of the game.
"Shipley did a good job keeping us from scoring in the first half," stated Clabaugh. "But after we got that first goal I think it opened up more space... we knew we had to keep going and getting the score count up. The first goal is always the hardest to score, and once we found the beck of the net it was our game from there."
Less than three minutes after Noelle's tally got things going for Westtown, senior defensive midfielder Gabby Poyo scored to extend the Female Moose's lead to 2-0 with just over four minutes remaining. That score would hold going into halftime.
The second half was slow to start off, similarly to the first half, as it took just over 13 minutes for Westtown to find their groove again offensively. This time it was junior Kaitlin Boston taking a feed from Clabaugh off a free kick, shedding two defenders and firing it into the top right corner of the net. Shipley had three girls positioned in front of Noelle to try and block what they were assuming to be a cross pass towards the net. But with Boston alone on the left side left completely uncovered, it was a no-brainer to pass it to her and let her do the rest.
About 90 seconds later, another senior midfielder for Westtown, Linnet Laiser, got on the board with a goal that put her team up 4-0. The last but certainly not least exciting goal of the day came off the right foot of senior Maya Holt, who fired a beautiful free kick past everybody including the goalie.
Westtown players - and their faithful supporters - certainly have become used to this type of success over the recent years. That doesn't mean the titles aren't satisfying, however.
"This is a huge deal for us," Clabaugh said. "A four-peat has never been done before in Westtown history and... making history with our seniors for their last year was definitely a big deal."
Westtown junior Kaitlin Boston finds the top corner of the net and extends Westtown's lead to 3-0 in the second half of the 2025 FSL title game (Video by Josh Abrams)
Westtown senior Camille Bley talks about what it means to secure one last FSL title in her storied high school soccer career (Video by Josh Abrams for PSD)
All of the key contributors on Westtown's roster have now been apart of at least two magical seasons that resulted in FSL championships. For seniors like Camille Bley, this fourth and final title is the cherry on top.
"I'm extremely happy right now," expressed Camille. "I've been with this team since my freshman year, and I've seen how much we continue to grow... I'm really proud of the team. I'm happy, grateful, and excited for what we can do at states."
Westtown junior Noelle Clabaugh details how she was able to get the scoring started in the first half and credits her teammates (Video by Josh Abrams)
Clabaugh's tally with under 10 minutes left in the first half broke a scoreless tie (Video by Josh Abrams)
Holding the number one seed in the upcoming PAISAA tournament, Westtown seeks to repeat as state champions and build on the history they continue make to year after year. In addition to their seventh FSL title since 2017, the Female Moose are looking for their third overall PAISAA crown (2019 and 2024). The title they won last season became the most significant in the program's existence, as the school took home both FSL and PAISAA championships for the first time ever. If they do it again, that's twice in as many years.
Their quest to add onto the dynasty begins next week when they host 8-seed Kiski School, who will travel more than 270 miles east from just outside of Pittsburgh.
