Chelsea Ritter got a phone call she wasn’t expecting, but it was certainly one she was excited to get.
Ritter, a junior midfielder on the Archbishop Ryan High School girls soccer team, answered a call this summer from new coach Scarlett Walsh. The coach, who was a former star soccer player for the Ragdolls, saw something in the junior and wanted to give her good news.
“She told me that she thought of me for being a good option to be captain and she told me to lead the team,” said Ritter, who lives in Fox Chase. “I knew we had great leaders and it’s usually seniors, so it meant so much to be asked. It was something I really wanted to do well.
“I thought I did pretty well at being a leader, not just on the field but off the field. It meant a lot. She recognized all the hard work I put in. When she called me, I was happy to get the recognition. And I was really happy to be a captain. I love the team.”
Ritter’s leadership, coupled with her great play at center midfield, helped Ryan finish tied for first place in the Catholic League this fall. Ryan also advanced to the Catholic League championship game, but fell to Archbishop Wood 3-1 on Saturday at Ramp Playground across the street from Father Judge.
Ryan jumped out to a 1-0 lead early on after Gianna Rivera, who netted a hat trick in the Ragdolls’ semifinal win over St. Hubert, found the back of the net. But the Vikings scored the equalizer shortly after and added two more after halftime to win the Catholic League championship.
Ryan won the last Catholic League championship in 2019. There was no title awarded last year when the teams played a shortened season due to the pandemic.
It wasn’t the way Ritter and her teammates wanted their Catholic League season to end, but they were excited about what they accomplished. Ryan will still compete in the Class 3A state playoffs starting Nov. 9.
“I’m super proud of what we accomplished,” Ritter said. “When I heard we were getting a new coach, I was excited but nervous. You have to get a feel for the new coach, figure out where everyone is playing. But Scarlett did an amazing job. She was great. She really helped us become better players.
“We really wanted to win, but that makes us want to win that much more next year. It will be our revenge year. Wood is really good. I won a championship when I was on the team freshman year and it was the best feeling ever. I wanted to feel that again, but that makes me want it more next year.”
This was a fun year for Ritter, but soccer has been in her blood for as long as she can remember.
She had two brothers, Christian and Brendan, who both starred at Judge. Christian, who went on to play at Gwynedd Mercy, won a state championship for the Crusaders. Her sister Casey was also a star soccer player, first at Little Flower and later at La Salle.
“We are a soccer family, we’re always talking soccer,” Ritter said. “Me and my sister argue a lot about who is better. We’ll let my dad figure that out when we’re done! We all love soccer.”
Dad does more than just determine his favorite Ritter soccer star.
He is also the one who got them started in the sport. He wasn’t a player growing up, but he became a great coach when he managed teams with Philly Coppa.
“I owe everything I do in soccer to my dad, he was the best coach ever,” Ritter said. “He’s really hard. But a lot of people he coached are doing so well in high school. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”
Of course, she has a lot to do with where she is, too.
Ritter has played since she was 5 and last year she decided to work on her game by joining track at Ryan, where she ran the 400-meter and the 800-meter races. She also joined because she wanted to be more involved at the school, where she’s also a member of Athletes Helping Athletes and will soon be on the Mini-Thon club, which plans fundraisers.
“I think the 800 is the hardest race, it’s like a sprint and a distance one and it’s really helped me in soccer,” Ritter said. “I now feel like I can dribble past anyone because I have so much speed. It’s helped me a lot with soccer.
“I love Athletes Helping Athletes and mini-thon. Mini-thon is great because you raise money for sick kids, like kids with cancer. I think that’s a great cause.”
Ritter is happy the Ragdolls still have something to play for, and she’ll continue to work hard with her club team, FC Bucks, to make sure she’s ready to get back to the championship next year when she’s a senior.
She’ll also continue to talk soccer with her family and hang out with her friends and family, which includes three dogs, Lady, Nala and Daisy.
“They help me, not so much with soccer, but they’re like my therapy dogs,” Ritter said. “I’ll hang out with them a lot. I’ll hang out with friends and family a lot. And we’ll talk a lot of soccer.”
Boys championship game
John Wood scored two goals and Bobby Mulvenna Jr. made 15 saves, many spectacular ones for Father Judge, but it wasn’t enough as La Salle won the Catholic League championship 3-2.
La Salle scored early, but Judge tied it with Wood’s first goal before halftime. The Explorers scored again late in the second half, but Wood knotted it at two with about 10 minutes to go. La Salle scored the winner shortly after to bring home the plaque.
