Women's WPSL Team

Reading United Women's WPSL Team!

A new Reading United women's team took to the field in 2023, playing in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. The core of Reading’s new women's team featured 25 of the 40 players that played either high school or collegiate soccer in Berks County. Ten Berks high schools and two colleges, Kutztown University and Penn State Berks, were represented.

The debut season for the United Women was a smashing success. The women compiled a 7-1-2 record under head coach Tom Gosselin that saw them storm into the WPSL playoffs, finishing the regular season on a seven match unbeaten run. That streak saw the women tally 14 goals while conceding just three goals.

Wyomissing Area alum Rebecca Kotula captained Gosselin’s side and showed why she is a second team All-American at East Stroudsburg University. Kotula found the back of the net eight times for United in 2023, including the club’s first ever WPSL goal in the opening contest against local rivals, PA Classics.

Expansion sides rarely have the success the Reading United women had in 2023. United rode their seven victories to a berth in the WPSL playoffs in their debut season. In the opening round of the playoffs, Abby Doyle’s thrilling goal in an overtime victory over Fever SC helped Reading claim the Mid-Atlantic Conference crown and a place in the WPSL Eastern Regional Championship playoffs. Though they fought valiantly, the United women fell to the eventual Eastern Region champions, the Rhode Island Rogues.

Looking towards the 2024 season, Gosselin said, “Next year I am optimistic we can grow even more with the inaugural season under our collective belts. We all learned so much and the team handled all speed bumps with the mentality of winners. Everything achieved was a collective effort of ownership, staff, players and fans.”

Recent WPSL First Team News

Reading United Women Players of the Year

By Art Auchenbach 08/13/2024, 1:15pm EDT

Defense, Midfield, Offense, and Young Players of the Year for WPSL Squad

Reading United’s women finished the season with 6 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties and finished in second place in the challenging Mid Atlantic Division. The Reading United women’s team featured several WPSL debutants that feature in the Women Players of the Year categories.

Young Player of the Year – Cadi Hoke

Hoke, a defensive midfielder and center back featured in two Monmouth University games her freshman year. Cadie was a three time All Berks selection during her time at Wyomissing HS where she helped the team to three district championships and two Berks County championships. Hoke featured in 9 regular season games (starting all nine) and all three playoff games. Hoke showed her versatility in playing midfield and defense for Reading while also taking the lead on most Reading corner kicks throughout the year.

Defensive Player of the Year – Autum Monty

Former HS All American and newcomer Autum Monty joined Reading from Biola University where she completed her senior season after transferring from San Jose State. After starting and playing in every game for Biola, she quickly claimed the Reading starting GK position and started all 10 games and all three playoff games.

Midfield Player of the Year – Ashley Lavrich

Lavrich is a Monmouth University commit who graduated from Twin Valley HS this past spring. The former All State and two time All-Berks forward selection led the Raiders with 18 goals and three assists in 2023. She scored 50 career goals and was named the Twin Valley team MVP for three seasons. She is also a past ODP selection while with her FC Revolution youth team. Additionally, she was a 2023 U17 National League PRO Best XI Midfielder in Greensboro, N.C. She wasted no time in making her mark in the WPSL as she led the WPSL Mid Atlantic Division with 8 goals and three assists in the regular season. She also scored the opening goal in the East Region Semi-Final against SUSA FC.

Offensive Player of the Year – Becca Kotula

The returning captain of the club, Kotula picked up where she left off in featuring in 9 of the Reading 10 regular season games. She was second on the team in regular season scoring with 5 goals and 3 assists. She was a key figure in the team’s playoff run, with a goal and four assists against SJEB FC in the Mid Atlantic Division championship, and her goal against SUSA FC in the East Region semi-final propelled the club to their first ever East Region Final. The Wyomissing HS and East Stroudsburg alum was a two time CSC Academic All American, and two time all PSAC East First team selection.

Reading United Men Players of the Year

By Art Auchenbach 08/13/2024, 1:00pm EDT

Defense, Midfield, Offense, and Young Players of the Year for USL2

Reading United men finished the season with 7 wins, 3 losses, and 2 ties and finished in second place in the challenging Mid Atlantic Division. The Reading United men’s team players of the year were highlighted by a group of players who featured in nearly every game.

Young Player of the Year – Jack McDaid

McDaid, the 2022 High School All-American and FC DELCO youth team product joined Reading after his freshman year at Maryland where he played in 10 matches. McDaid showed maturity beyond his years as he led the Reading United defense and still contributed on the offensive side of the ball with three goals in his 10 games played (857 minutes). He has transferred to Columbia University for the 2024 season where he expects to be a key component of the Columbia Lions season.

Defensive Player of the Year – Tim Timchenko

The Reading United captain, in his 3rd year with the club, led the team in minutes played (1156) in 13 games. Timchenko joined Reading after a very successful 2023 season at Iona where he was All MAAC First Team nominee and the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Alternating duties between defensive midfield and center back, Timchenko led the young team’s defensive corp.

Midfield Player of the Year – Dom Topolsky

The Mount Saint Mary’s senior, and former Slovakian youth national team member, was a hidden gem for Reading United’s midfield. After playing and starting 13 games for Mount Saint Mary’s he made his USL2 debut with Reading. His tireless work rate and abilities on set pieces energized the Reading midfield. He was tied for the team lead in goals with seven, while appearing in 12 games (starting 11 of them), totaling 846 minutes.

Offensive Player of the Year – Sam Hershey

One of the few multi-year players for Reading United, the Lancaster County native continued to make Reading his summer home and continued to lead the Reading front line. Hershey has been part of the club since his high school days, starting as a reserve team player and moving up the ranks to be one of the leading all time scorers and minutes played leaders for the club. The former PSAC East Division Rookie of the Year and All Conference First Team player, and current American University senior and Patriot League First Team player, used his size and strength to dominate USL2 defenses where he featured in 11 games and amassed 929 minutes for the club. His 11 goals were part of the 32 team goals scored making Reading the highest scoring team in the Mid Atlantic Division.

Reading United AC top Lehigh Valley United, 2-1

By Art Auchenbach 07/15/2024, 9:45pm EDT

Topolsky & McDaid score to earn the win and a trip to the USL League Two Playoffs

While the women were starting their East Region playoff march, the Reading United AC men wrapped up the USL League Two regular season with a 2-1 come from behind victory over visiting Lehigh Valley United on a sweltering Saturday night at Alvernia University Stadium. Goals on each side of halftime from Dominik Topolsky and Jack McDaid powered United to the club’s seventh win of the season and booked a place in the USL League Two Playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Needing a win to guarantee a place in the USL League Two postseason, the hosts stumbled out of the gate. In the sixth minute, Lehigh Valley, who sat buried at the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic Division, scored the game’s opening goal. Sebastian Tis staked the visitors to a 1-0 lead when he slotted a shot past United goalkeeper Francisco Ranieri.

United rallied after conceding, putting Lehigh Valley under near constant pressure. The visitors put up a dogged defense that frustrated Reading’s potent attack. Sam Hershey and Modou Faye saw several good attacks turned away by Lehigh Valley.

In the 37th minute, Topolsky was cut down by a heavy challenge from an LVU defender nearly 30 yards from goal. Gathering himself after the nasty tackle, Topolsky took the free kick and launched a shot into the top corner of the goal past a diving Lehigh Valley goalkeeper, Matt Link, to level the match at 1-1. It was Topolsky’s seventh goal of the season, tying him with Sam Hershey for the team lead in goals.

Coming out of the halftime break, Lehigh Valley nearly snatched the lead on a corner kick in the 48th minute. A timely intervention by Reading defender Eamon McLaughlin saw a sneaky chance at the back post by LVU poked inches wide to keep the game deadlocked.

Reading’s hunt for the all important go-ahead goal paid off in the game’s 64th minute. Substitute forward Jaylen Orr was dispossessed by a Lehigh Valley defender. The loose ball was rifled home by an alert Jack McDaid, pushing Reading to a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute.

United outworked their local rivals over the game’s final 25 minutes, thwarting Lehigh Valley's search for an equalizer. The 2-1 victory meant Reading United would finish the regular season in second place in the Mid-Atlantic Division on 23 points, besting West Chester United by goal difference. The postseason berth was the first for the club under Head Coach Casey Moore’s leadership. The team celebrated on the field after the match, dousing Moore with a traditional Gatorade bath.

Reading United will open the 2024 USL League Two postseason on the road in a playoff “play-in” game at Vermont Green FC the Northeast Division 3rd place team on Tuesday July 16 at 7PM.

Vermont Green FC Livestream of the Match: https://youtu.be/CN9P1cVSEmk