Throughout SCH, there’s no team as dominant as the Girls Soccer team. Not only has it been a perennial state and Inter-Ac favorite for the past few years, but it’s consistently sent players to top-tier universities.

However, while that success has led to wins, it has also compelled the team to adapt. Thanks to third-year assistant coach Delaney Kustra and second-year head coach Aaron Tritch, the Blue Devils are operating more like a college team than a high school one. With experience both playing and coaching at high-level college programs, Coach Kustra and Tritch have the knowledge needed to transform this team.

One struggle they have had to encounter is the inevitability of graduations. Many programs end up regressing once their talent graduates, and the coaching staff knows that. “We lost a few key players from last year’s team,” mentioned Coach Kustra, referring to the five seniors who departed for college last year.

But, unlike other high school teams, SCH has the talent to make up that difference, including last year’s Inter-Ac MVP, Junior Midfielder Ryleigh Bakely. The Virginia Tech commit has been a star for the Devils, crediting her coaches for helping her and the team achieve this level of success.

“[Aaron and DJ] are great”, Bakely said when asked about her coaches. “They do a really good job of pushing us and focusing on each player individually to develop them in the ways they need to be developed.”

Those developmental skills have been evident in their treasure trove of D1 commits: five total players who SCH has helped reach the next level of soccer, a fact that these coaches take great pride in.

“It has been really cool to watch our players go through the recruiting process and commit to schools,” said Coach Tritch, “and it will be fun to watch them continue their soccer careers at the next level.”

Still, that does not fully explain the Devils’ talent and culture change. After all, sometimes the reason for a team’s collapse is due to egos. Many times, when teams are so stacked, there’s infighting amongst teammates as they jostle for possessions, opportunities, and points.

But SCH is not like that. “[We’re] all best friends off the field, on the field,” said Bakely, who’s been on the team since freshman year. “[They’re] people at this school that I can go to and find comfort with them.”

The team has been maintaining that thanks to the seniors, who have been hosting dinners for the players. The last one was at Chipotle, and Bakely described the experience as “extra rewarding.”

“Our culture really took a turn for the better this year,” said Coach Delaney, “Our senior class [has been] willing to put in extra effort to make sure team bonding activities happened and that there was a good community feel around the entire program.”

With all their new additions, improvements, and changes to their culture, it’s no surprise the Devils have started attracting transfers, including their newest senior and Princeton commit Lewa White.

White moved from California to play for the Devils, and despite being a lifer at her previous school, decided to transfer to Springside Chestnut Hill for her senior year. “A good high school team was a key factor,” White said about her motives for moving. 

“I got kinda complacent [at my old school],” White said. “I needed a change. And coming to SCH, where I didn’t know the coaches, [I] didn’t know the players, there’s a certain expectation to perform.”

Both teammates and coaches have been excited about Lewa’s transfer. As senior captain and High Point University commit Jillian Major said, “When I heard Lewa was coming, I was very excited.” Major continued, adding that “I knew she’d be a great addition that would help the team grow and become even stronger.”

“The addition of Lewa was an exciting one for the coaching staff,” said Coach Tritch, “but seeing her fight and work hard in every training set has been the best part. She brought a leadership presence from the first day and has been a good example for the younger players on the team.”

Both coaches value that leadership heavily, and despite being new to the school, White was named captain of the team. “[Coach Tritch] named captains for the first time in SCH history,” White stated. “I guess he saw my potential as a leader and named me captain.”

But White says her leadership is only impactful due to the team’s mentality. “On less high-level teams, people will be like ‘oh new girl, I’m not listening to her, ’” White said about her teammates. “But because everyone’s so good, they just respected me a little bit more, which made it easier to be the sort’ve senior leader that I wanted to be.”

The leadership of White is only amplified by the coaching staff, who bring a harnessed approach to practices. White detailed a story about how they struggled to get to the baseline, and that their coaches set up specific drills for it. “We had a lot of success [next game],” White said. “And I think the sort of intention that [Coach]  puts into practices and the effort that we reciprocate [is] really important.”

That leadership is what SCH needs to bounce back after a heartbreaking loss in the state finals last year. And while White has brought the intensity, senior captain Jillian Major understands the expectations the team’s facing in the 2025 season.

Major, a 4-year player for the Blue Devils, has been through a lot of SCH’s changes and shifts. Most notably, she was there for SCH’s state-title defeat last year. “After the state championship, the whole team was very upset,” Major said. “ We worked very hard to get there…This year, we are working even harder to finish number one for the Inter-Ac and eventually the state championship.”

Major acknowledges that climbing the mountain for an Inter-Ac title once more is going to be challenging, especially with their prior success. “There’s a target on our back due to our previous successes and known depth on our roster,” Major said, “But also every year different teams in the Inter-Ac change, and there’s new competition to play and compete against.”

Major and the Devils’ mindset mirrors that of a college team. As SCH continues to craft a program with intensity and structure on par with universities, its continued dominance has evidently been a product of said structure.

Behind coaches who bring heightened challenges to practices, incoming transfer students, and D1 commits who have been here since their freshman year, the Devils have masterfully laid out a blueprint for not just short-term but long-term success, creating a team that not only wins but also prepares athletes for the next level.