Riley Roesner was the last to know.
But she was the one who did it.
Roesner is a senior on the St. Hubert High School girls soccer team, and on Saturday night at St. Joe’s University, she scored the biggest Bambie goal in decades, and the entire stadium knew it.
Well, almost the entire stadium.
“I don’t know why, but after I scored, I was just so focused on doing what I had to do, making sure the ball hit the back of the net,” said Roesner, who lives in Kensington. “I scored and I was wondering, ‘Why is everyone running at me?’ I still thought they had a chance to shoot.”
“They” were the Archbishop Wood soccer team, which had won four straight PCL titles. But on Saturday, after the teams played to a 1-1 tie during regulation and overtime, it went to penalty kicks where Hubert won 5-3 to bring home the Catholic League championship.
It marked the first time the Bambies won the Catholic League championship since 2002, and made a winner out of first-year head coach Shawn Wimsey.
“I didn’t realize, I thought they had to shoot, too,” Roesner continued. “I was just so focused on getting the ball to the back of the net. That’s all I was thinking. Then, ‘Why is everyone running at me?’ Then I realized, and it was the best moment of my life. My mom and dad were the first ones there for me, just like always. They come to every game, they’re at all of them, nonleague, but this was the PCL championship.
“Every person there had a smile when they saw us. They cheered us on. Faculty. Administration. Everyone was so happy. It means a lot. Seeing our girls in the stands. They said they felt like they won. It was such a great effort. They said, ‘We felt like we were playing.’ We did win. We all won. It had an effect. People saw us, we saw them and they got us hyped. This win was for the entire school.”
Any championship is special.
And any Catholic League championship is incredibly special.
Wood has built a dynasty. Nazareth Academy has turned itself into one of the top programs in the city. Archbishop Ryan is always a threat. And other teams, including Archbishop Carroll, were loaded this year.
Winning the Catholic League championship in 2025 means a whole lot because of the competition.
But that’s not why it meant so much to Roesner.
On top of being a star defender on the soccer team, Roesner is the student body president of the school. This championship meant everything to Roesner, and her teammates, because of how much the school means to them.
“I love the school, it means everything to me,” Roesner said. “The sisterhood we have, you probably heard it because everyone says it. Everyone says it because it’s true. I don’t have an older sister, I have a brother. Everyone in my family went to Little Flower or Hallahan. But I love everything about St. Hubert.
“The school is special. Everyone shows up for each other. Sports, school activity, everyone is there for each other. Students, faculty, the teachers never fail to show up. It’s like one huge family and I love it. It’s not that big, either, we have 400 girls there, but how loud and proud we are, and how much school pride we have, you’d think we have 2,000 girls. And we all love it.”
Not just the players.
Last year Wimsey, a 1998 grad of Father Judge, took over the junior varsity coaching gig. He became the varsity coach when Jeanette Graziosi-Hibbs stepped down in the spring.
After Roesner’s shot hit the net, he turned around and hugged Father Judge coach John Dunlop, who was preparing for his championship game against La Salle.
“It’s funny, when he got the Judge job, I coached a summer league for him, he’s always been a great guy, and he was there, I just hugged him,” Wimsey said with a laugh. “Everyone was so happy. I thought we could win it at the start of the year, but this was special.
“I trust in them, they trust me. Let them give their opinion. I let them have their say. Ask them what they want to do practice wise and game wise. Not 100 percent them, but it’s their team, too, you don’t want to overwhelm them and tell them what to do. We had girls on this team who were starters since freshman year. This was their team. They deserved it.”
The win was a bit bittersweet for Wimsey.
He was happy he won, but Wood is coached by Maria Kosmin, who like Wimsey is from St. Dom’s. The pair have been friends for as long as they can remember.
“Our families are very close, she’s a great coach and Archbishop Wood has a great program,” Wimsey said. “I wanted to win, I’m glad we won. They’re not an easy team to beat, so it means a lot.”
Wimsey was quick to pass out praise to everyone associated with the program, starting with their old coach.
“Nettie made this program where it was, we just took it to the next step,” Wimsey said. “She was a big part of us getting where we are at. People might not realize it, but she took over and brought them back. She put them on the map and we took it to the next step.
“It’s the entire school. The girls, first. They put everything into it. The parents. The school administration. A lot of people played a part in this.”
And a lot of people are enjoying the result.
“From tryouts, we wanted this,” Roesner said. “We all wanted it so bad, we put every ounce of effort into this year. And our coach, he really, I can’t put it into words, he coached our JV team, this year, it’s a whole different game, but he did it perfectly. I wouldn’t change one thing about him. He helped us so much.
“I wouldn’t change anything. Not one thing about the season. This was perfect.”
