Youth/High School Soccer
Late goal wins Methacton PAC girls soccer title
A late goal from Methacton’s Jessa Greenberg was enough for a win on Thursday night, leading Methacton to a 1-0 victory over Owen J. Roberts and the Pioneer Athletic Conference Girls Soccer title in their first ever PAC playoff run.
It was a late start for the PAC Girls final on Thursday night, as the Phoenixville vs. Spring-Ford match that kicked off beforehand went into a penalty kick shootout. Still, there was no lack of atmosphere in the building at kickoff. Owen J. Roberts were the hosts of the PAC tournament, carrying their home field advantage into the final. Methacton, on the other hand, brought a section of traveling support called “The Tribe” that remained rowdy from kickoff to the final whistle.
Neither team could find a breakthrough by halftime. Methacton controlled more of the ball, but struggled to create any clear-cut scoring chances. Owen J. Roberts released pressure by finding forward Anna Sjostrom on multiple occasions. Sjostrom had a couple of long-range attempts in the first 40 minutes, none of which bothered Methacton goalkeeper Penny Wolf too much.
Methacton began to impose their will more throughout the second half. The long balls that were on for Owen J. Roberts dried up as the match went on, and the home team found themselves defending more and more as time went on. The deadlock was broken on a late corner kick swung into the Owen J. area. The out swinging ball was nodded down in the area and turned home by sophomore forward Jessa Greenberg, giving Methacton a late lead and sending the away fans into a frenzy. Greenberg’s goal was the only of the match, and Methacton claimed the title on enemy territory with a 1-0 win.
Methacton coach Bret Smith spoke with Philadelphia Soccer Now after the match about his team’s performance. “It was really intense. We were still kind of learning how to play in these kind of games. Tuesday was our very first playoff game of any of them,” Smith explained. “We didn’t play our best, but Owen J, I thought played a really good game. They were really on us. We were having trouble just stringing passes together. Just glad we found a way to get on the end of it towards the end there.”
It was neither team’s sharpest offensive performance, but it was a clean sheet for the champions. Smith commented on his team’s resilient performance under pressure. “We’ve been playing really well defensively. That’s our 13th shutout I think, we’ve only allowed seven goals so far all season. They’ve just been really solid,” Smith explained. The defense has led Methacton to a 16-2-1 record on the season, bound for a high seed ahead of district playoffs. “They work really well together. They keep a shape pretty well. They’ve got the speed to make up for things… they just work really well as a group.”
Smith took a second to thank the fans who showed up for his team. “I’ve been around a long time. That was probably the biggest crowd we’ve ever had. Just really, really kept us going. All night, it was fantastic.”
The deadlock is broken! Methacton’s Jessa Greenberg fires home from the set piece for a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes from becoming PAC champions! https://t.co/fbPcBCMiOm
— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) October 23, 2026
