On Wednesday night, Moriah’s soccer team defeated He’Atid 4-0 to seal back-to-back championship titles. Building off last year’s success, the Moriah team was led by five starting 8th graders and dominated once again having achieved a record of 9-0-1 (with a regular season tie to He’Atid). The TABC gym was packed to capacity with standing room only in anticipation of this rematch. The crowd was not disappointed as the two teams delivered a highly competitive matchup.
The tense game was physical from the opening whistle leading to a scoreless first quarter. However, Moriah would not be denied in the second quarter and never looked back. The scoring opened after a magnificent defensive stop by Aela Bleier (8th) led to the first beautifully placed goal by Michal Gologorsky (7th). Moriah expanded its lead to 2-0 after a great finish by Mia Berger (8th) shortly thereafter.
The talented He’Atid squad came out with a ferocious passion to start the second half. That force, however, was denied by Kayla Shiff (8th) and Aela Bleier (8th) as Moriah finished the 3Q still up 2-0. The deep Moriah team was able to expand its lead to 4-0 in the 4Q with two additional goals from Mia Berger (8th) to complete her hat trick. The shutout performance would not have been possible without the spectacular play and phenomenal saves of the team’s starting goalie, Sophia Schwalbe (8th).
Moriah’s inspirational coach, Rav Adiel, led the team to both championships while also serving in the IDF during each season. He commented, “I could not be prouder of these 12 girls, many of whom are my students too, who truly embodied the team spirit throughout the season.” Moriah will be returning many players next year as they look to three-peat in 2026.
The players on Moriah’s championship team included: Shayna Alter (6th), Mia Berger (8th), Aela Bleier (8th), Liliah Brickman (7th), Bea Dauber (8th), Michal Gologorsky (7th), Laila Grauberd (8th), Alana Halpern (6th), Noa Mhazri (6th),
Sophia Schwalbe (8th), Kayla Shiff (8th) and Julia Sussman (8th).
