School bells are ringing, students are heading back to school, and the yearly question: ‘What did you do on your summer vacation?’ will be asked. South Williamsport soccer standout Ella Moore may have the coolest answer by simply relating how she was a part of a National Championship-winning team in Florida.
Moore, along with Central Columbia’s Haley Bull, Josephine Devlin, and Selinsgrove’s Madi Merrill, were members of Penn FC’s 18/19 team that won the 2025 US Youth Soccer National Championship in Florida.
“It was an unforgettable experience,” Moore related. “There are so many memories I will take away from it. We played five games. The final game was definitely one to remember. We were down 2-0 at halftime. The second half comeback was really special, and I just think we wanted it more than the other team.”
Moore and a soccer ball have gone foot-to-ball since she was four years old. Her parents bought her soccer balls, and her interest in the game developed as she played with young friends and watched her older sister progress through her high school days.
Entering her upcoming senior year with the South Williamsport High School team, Moore’s accomplishments are well documented. In her three years of high school, she has surpassed the 100 goal/50 assist plateaus, led her team to three consecutive PIAA District IV AA championships, and garnered Pennsylvania All-State honors the past two seasons.
“It means so much both as a player and a person to know that I can accomplish these kinds of achievements. It is not just me, but all the people that have supported me, my coaches, teammates, my family have all been behind me as I have continued my soccer career.”
“She works as hard as anybody I’ve ever coached,” South Williamsport coach Marc Lovecchio stressed. “She is passionate is a variety of ways. She is passionate about her own improvement. She’s passionate about her team’s improvement. She’s passionate about making those around her not only better players, but better people. She is the epitome of the kind of player who does everything she needs to do, both on and off the field.
“In addition to the high school team, Ella plays Club and with some very, very good travel teams, and on those teams, she doesn’t even play forward or a midfielder. She plays defender on those teams. That further describes the type of athlete she is. She knows that team success is not going to come if it is ‘the Ella show.’ She knows that in order to have team success, she has to get others involved.
“She is unique in that way. If you asked her, and she was honest with you, she would probably say she is prouder of her assists than her goals. She is truly a player equally interested in the success of her teammates as her own.”
Taking the coach’s query, that question was posed to Moore.
“That is definitely true. Scoring goals is fun, but being able to help others score and enjoy success and see our team win is what the game is all about.”
Entering her final season at South, both the coach and the player are aware of the awaiting challenges ahead.
“This is going to be a transitional year,” Lovecchio acknowledged. “We have 20 players, and 14 of them are freshmen or sophomores. It will be a unique challenge for her because she is going to have a target on her back from every team we play. Ironically, we probably have the toughest schedule we’ve had in several years. I expect her to handle it well. She is a born leader and gained the immediate respect of her teammates since she began her freshman year.”
Moore echoed her coach’s views.
“We are very young this year. Coach Lovecchio always stresses to focus on our effort. You don’t have to be the best, but if we all put in our best effort, good things can happen.
Going into each game, I try not to think about how the other team will play me. Coach always has a plan to help me deal with that and involve my teammates.”
Meaningful hurdles await Moore’s blossoming soccer career, but past accomplishments provided both memories and motivation for what is to come.
“My freshman year, our travel team (comprised of players from the Central Columbia/Lewisburg area) went to North Carolina for Nationals. We won the tournament that year, and I had the opportunity to make new friends. That year, coupled with this summer and the opportunity to win three consecutive District IV championships with our high school team, have been the biggest highlights for me so far.”
Her last season of high school soccer is underway, but her college path will lead to Bloomsburg University.
“I’ve played many games there growing up with my club teams and have fallen in love with the school itself. Bloomsburg has a great nursing program, which will be my field of study. A few of my teammates will be going to Bloom also, so that should make for a good transition.”
Discard the old saying ‘less is more.’ For this Moore, nothing less than giving the game her maximum effort continues to drive her forward.
