Oct 30, 2025
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice The Williamsport girls soccer team with their championship plaque and medals after defeating Wilkes-Barre Area 2-1 in double overtime during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
PLAINS TWP. – Adisyn Zangara could feel her heart beating through her skin.
Standing over the ball with a district championship on the line, the Williamsport senior did the one thing she always does when in a pressure moment.
She laughed.
“I tried to make some jokes, and I was thinking about my teammates,” Zangara said.
It was Zangara that was laughing when coach Beckham Sibiski put the District 2-4 Class AAAA gold medal around her neck.
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre Area’s Anna Cielski (1) tries to get the ball past the Williamsport defender during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
Tied 2-2 in the shootout period, Zangara went high to the left corner on the Millionaires’ shot in the fifth round as Williamsport used a 3-2 edge in the shootout to knock off defending champion Wilkes-Barre Area, 2-1, Wednesday night at Wolfpack Stadium.
For the District 4 school, it was sweet redemption after losing to the Wolfpack, 1-0, in last year’s title tilt where Wilkes-Barre Area scored with 12 minutes left in the match.
The victory sends the Millionaires (10-9-1) into the state tournament where it will host the third-place finishers from District 1 on Tuesday.
For Wilkes-Barre Area, it’s the second-straight night the soccer program has lost in a shootout. On Tuesday night, the boys’ team were edged by Valley West, 5-3, in the shootout period for the boys’ Class AAAA title at Spartan Stadium.
“Even before our summer practices, we write goals on our board. And we write every goal for the season, and this was our biggest one,” Zangara said. “We wanted to come back from some of those tough losses. And we did it. We completed all of our goals this year.”
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Williamsport plays Wilkes-Barre in Wednesday’s District 2-4 Class AAAA championship.
Before Zangara blasted home the game-winning kick, it was keeper McKylee Vollman that set up the moment.
The senior made back-to-back saves on the Wolfpack’s second and third attempts of the shootout period, and watched as WBA’s fifth shot just sailed high of the crossbar to set up Zangara.
“It’s all up to you,” Vollman said of her mindset. “Everyone tries to make you feel better and tell you that it isn’t on you, but no matter what, you are always going to feel that guilt if it doesn’t go your way. I just tried to think of saving the ball, not for myself, but for my teammates and coaches. It’s more than just me. It’s a family. I wanted to win this for my family. God was with me.”
That set up the junior. Earlier in the shootout, Jaelynn Helmrich went high left to knot up it up at 1-1 after WBA sophomore Addison Corchado opened it with a goal.
Williamsport’s Deborah Shultz gave the Millionaires a lead in the third round, while Wolfpack sophomore Jackelynn Rico tied it at 2-2 in the fourth round.
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Williamsport’s Calissa Reed (33) and Wilkes-Barre Area’s Elizabeth Pachucki (23) head the ball during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
“I was so nervous,” Zangara said. “My team motivating me, and telling me that I had this, helped me to get the ball in. I just kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to get this in. I’m going to get this in.’ We’ve had such unlucky results the last few years, and I wanted to change that. I just hit it as hard as I could.”
It was Shultz that gave Williamsport the lead in the first half as Helmrich played a beautiful through ball between two Wolfpack defenders to set up the 1-on-1 opportunity for Shultz.
Wilkes-Barre Area (15-5) kept the pressure on in the second half, firing 10 shots at Vollman, but the senior keeper made several sensational saves to keep the Wolfpack off the board.
But on the Wolfpack’s ninth shot of the half, Corchado connected with the net off an assist from Leah Pryor to knot the match at 1-1 with 7:30 left.
“It’s tough, and a terrible way to lose a game. Our girls did a good job battling back from the 1-0 deficit,” WBA coach Desiree Kreidler said. “We changed our lineup a little bit, moving Leah to the striker position in the second half, to get a little more offensive firepower. And she and Addy were able to able to generate that goal to get us into the game. It’s just hard to lose in penalty kicks.”
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre’s Lily Sopkie (6) looks the pass the ball past the Williamsport defender during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
Corchado had the best look in both overtime periods – taking a pass from Pryor in the center of the field – only to see the rocket off her foot slip just high of the crossbar.
The two teams combined for just eight shots in the two 15-minute overtimes.
“My coach that I have been working with told me about looking at the patterns of their feet. If their feet is open wide, they are going to go the same side, but if their feet is crossing, it’s going to the opposite side,” Vollman said. “That’s really the only strategy I had.”
W–Deborah Shultz (Jaelynn Helmrich), 28:18. WB–Corchado (Pryor), 7:30.
Shots: W 18, WB 16. Corners: W 3, WB 3. Saves: W 7 (McKylee Vollman), WB 8 (Luna).
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre Area’s Jackelynn Rico (13) stretches for a high kick against Williamsport during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre Area’s Leah Pryor (15) tries to get a shot past Williamsport’s goalie Trinity Alba (3) during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre Area’s Jackelynn Rico (13) moved the ball past the Williamsport defender during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre Area’s Addison Corchado (4) heads the ball against the Williamsport defender during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
PHOTO PROVIDED/Citizen’s Voice Wilkes-Barre Area’s Jackelynn Rico (13) kicks the ball past the Williamsport defender during the PIAA District 2/4 Class 4A Championship on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Wolfpack Stadium.
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