Lilia Calvert, Abington Heights girls soccer
Lilia Calvert entered her senior year determined to reestablish Abington Heights as one of the best girls soccer teams in the state.
In order to do that, the Lady Comets star set her sights on a record-breaking season.
On Tuesday, her hard work came to fruition, as the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association named Calvert the Player of the Year.
“It means so much, especially since it was one of the goals that I set for myself in the beginning of the year,” Calvert said. “Earning it now, it makes me so proud of myself because I know last year I didn’t have the best year and I really needed to bounce back from it, especially with leaving for college soon. So, this is just another thing that I’ll be able to look back on for the rest of my life and be super proud of.”
She was one of four Lackawanna Leaguers honored, as Mid Valley’s Sofia Goetter and Abington Heights’ Nico Bustos were named United Soccer Coaches All-Region midfielders and Abington Heights coach Frank Dyska secured PSCA Class 3A Coach of the Year.
By Calvert’s standards, her junior season was an off year. She played in 17 games and made just 13 starts while battling injury, and Abington Heights lost in the District 2 Class 3A semifinals to Crestwood. Still, she compiled 60 points, including 26 goals and eight assists, earned Times-Tribune Player of the Year and secured PSCA All-State and USC All-Region honors.
This season, Calvert strived to break the school records she set as a sophomore, when the Lady Comets finished as the state runner-up. She achieved it, compiling 156 points, including 68 goals and 20 assists. As a sophomore, she had 154 points, including 65 goals and 24 assists.
She also matched her career high for goals in a game, scoring six in a regular season matchup with Wallenpaupack, and more importantly six goals — while adding two assists — in an 8-4 win over Crestwood in the District 2 Class 3A title game. She also led the Lady Comets to the Lackawanna League Division I crown and the state quarterfinals, where they lost to eventual state runner-up District 1 champion Radnor.
As the season went on, she only got stronger, compiling 18 goals and eight assists in five postseason games. She also scored five goals in a game once and four goals in a game eight times, and finished her career with 406 points, including 173 goals and 60 assists. The Rutgers commit, who will head to campus in January, is a three-time Times-Tribune Player of the Year, three-time Lackawanna League Division I MVP, three-time PSCA all-state selection, three-time USC All-Region player and 2025 USC All-American and Player of the Year.
Sofia Goetter, Mid Valley girls soccer
Goetter had another stellar season to cap a phenomenal high school career. The Ohio State commit had 76 points, including 33 goals and 10 assists, and finished her career with 293 points, including a school-record 116 goals and 61 assists.
She had seven goals and two assists in three postseason games to lead the Spartanettes to District 2 Class 2A final, and is a three-time Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State selection, three-time Times-Tribune All-Region player, two-time Division I and two-time Division III first-team coaches’ all-star and a 2025 USC All-American midfielder.
Nico Bustos, Abington Heights boys soccer
Bustos proved one of the best all-around players for the PIAA Class 3A champion Comets. He had 72 points this season, including 27 goals and 18 assists, and finished his career with 113 points, including 44 goals and 25 assists, playing center midfielder in his freshman and senior seasons and center back his sophomore and junior seasons.
When his team needed him most, the Lehigh commit came through in the clutch, scoring in every state playoff game as he netted the game-winner in overtime against District 11 champion Blue Mountain in the quarterfinals, the game-winner in a 2-0 victory over District 1 champion Harriton in the semifinals and the game-clincher in a 2-0 victory over District 3 champion Conrad Weiser in the final.
In his career, Abington Heights went 76-10 with 51 shutouts and 53-3 in league play. He is a two-time PSCA all-state selection, three-time Times-Tribune All-Region selection and two-time Player of the Year, three-time Division I first-team coaches’ all-star, two-time Division I MVP and 2025 USC All-Region midfielder.
Frank Dyska, Abington Heights boys soccer
Dyska put the pieces in the right places, as his players proved a true team this season with no one searching for individual glory. The Abington Heights coach guided the Comets to the PIAA Class 3A title, the first District 2 team to win a state crown since Mountain View in 2012. Abington Heights (24-1) also captured the District 2 Class 3A and Lackawanna League Division I crowns, and outscored opponents, 134-9, in 25 games and 31-0 in seven postseason games. The Comets won 15 straight games to end the season, suffering their only loss to Lewisburg — the Class 2A state champion.
Others PSCA all-staters from District 2 include Tunkhannock forward Caden Newswanger, Dunmore forward Johnley Jean, Riverside forward Johnny Chilleri, Wyoming Valley West midfielder Chase Evanofski, Crestwood forward Jordan Andrews, Lake-Lehman forward Kinley Purdy and Valley View goalkeeper Emmelia Rucks.
