Pleasant Valley is a clear choice as girls lacrosse team of the year – The Morning Call

Pleasant Valley’s Rylee Rath appears to score a goal while being defended by Emmaus’ Olivia Schmidt during a girls lacrosse game at Emmaus High School in 2023. Rath played a key role in the Bears’ fight for a district title this year achieve. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

There are dominant seasons. Then there are DOMINANT seasons.
15-4. 15-0. 20-5. 17-7. 18-2. 20-4. 21-6.

These are some of the scores Pleasant Valley girls lacrosse won last spring.

The Bears’ closest opportunity (until they lost to District 1 powerhouse Radnor in the state quarterfinals) was a 9-4 win over Emmaus in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference finals. Their average margin of victory for the 2024 season was 10.8 goals.

“I honestly didn’t expect our season to turn out the way it did,” said junior Devon Bush, who was named EPC MVP after a vote among conference coaches. “I didn’t expect it to be bad or anything, but I also didn’t expect it to go so well. We were undefeated all the way to the state playoffs.”

“We had been competitive in the past with teams that we just blew away this year,” junior defender Briana Palmieri said. “I don’t think we expected this at all.”

Why was Pleasant Valley so dominant?

Well, the program has been on the rise every year since its inception in 2016. Coach Toni Bush’s Bears won their first EPC title in 2022, then went undefeated last spring until losing in the District 11 3A final.

And this season they had perhaps the two best talents in the entire region (and certainly the top duo) in Devon Bush and sophomore Rylee Rath.

Bush and Rath, both midfielders, combined for 237 goals and 72 assists. Together they also won 341 draws.

“The two complement each other so well,” Toni Bush said. “Teams can’t focus on taking away just one of them. Devon’s speed and strength; Rylee’s technical skill and draw dominance. They fit together great. I love watching them play together.”

Devon Bush and Rath made most of the headlines.

But Toni Bush said what made this team the best she has coached at Pleasant Valley was its overall balance. She credited players like Palmieri and juniors Abygail Borger, Olivia Iandoli, Alivia Rath and Morgan Ryals, along with freshmen Gabrielle Kutzler and Samantha Miller, for mastering key roles.

(Senior Riley Green was also a major contributor, but suffered a season-ending injury early in the season.)

Palmieri called it a team effort.

“Devon and Rylee are so good that they can score at any time. We are proud to have them on our team, but I think what made us as good as we were is that we got the whole team involved,” Palmieri said. “It’s a team sport and we were all about the team.”

With almost the entire selection returning in 2025, expectations (both internal and external) will be high.

Pleasant Valley was one of the top teams in the state this spring, but ran into a talented and tradition-rich District 1 power. Radnor, the eventual PIAA 3A runner-up, capped PV’s perfect season at 16-8.

But playing in the state tournament was an important step for the relatively young program.

And so did winning a first District 11 title.

“The highlight of our season,” Palmieri said, “was definitely winning districts after losing in the finals two years in a row. Those emotions built up for two years. Not just winning, but winning by 11 goals was amazing .”

Dominance.

Michael Blouse is a freelance writer.