The girls’ soccer program at Seneca Valley HS, led by head coach Dave Sylvester, has added yet another honor to their laundry list of awards this season, one day before their first round matchup in the PIAA state soccer tournament.
Being added to the ISN Ultimate XI is just one piece of the puzzle as the program already has seen time on the NSCAA National Poll. Getting national recognition is great, but the “added bonus” Sylvester described is just that, a bonus. SVHS remains one of the top contenders for a state title and that is still their top priority.
The team has been absolutely dominant this season, finishing with a perfect 26-0 record. It all started with 12-0 wins over Penn Hills and Mohawk Area and they followed that up with a 10-0 win over Hickory. The winning streak continued through October 31st as they claimed the WPIAL Championship with a 1-0 win over Canon-McMillan.
SVHS now faces tougher competition in the state tourney as they could find themselves playing the likes of fellow ISN Ultimate XI selection Cumberland Valley HS, another nationally ranked program.
But Seneca Valley HS has a lot going for it at the moment.
“We are one of the largest school districts in western Pennsylvania and as a result the soccer community is extensive and competitive,” Sylvester commented. “The community does a wonderful job of providing many playing opportunities for athletes at a very young age and now the community has a chance to share in this team’s success.”
That success has been a tradition for some time now and this year is no different. The squad is extremely deep with talent and experience at every position The players and coaches have embraced a team concept so much that they couldn’t even single out key contributors or players. Everyone is willing to accept whatever role they need to ensure the team’s success.
“There’s not one person on this team who thinks of herself before she thinks of Seneca Valley Girls’ Soccer,” Sylvester added. “That’s why they’re all key contributors.”
SVHS players do go on to every level of college soccer, mainly D-II and D-III programs. A few have gone to play at D-I programs. College coaches know what they are getting from these grads: selfless players that are technically sound and easily buy into a “team first” perspective.
The program’s winning tradition is part of a very successful school district, one that has accomplished great things on the field and in the classroom. Baseball and girls’ volleyball are always a force to reckon with at the state level while football and girls’ basketball are thought to be programs on the move.
All of these programs will have to live up to the expectations set by the girls’ soccer program. That is a very tough act to follow.
The ISN Ultimate 11 began as an effort to recognize the very best of high school soccer, a side of the game often neglected by the national media. That is certainly no longer the case as ISN leads the way in promoting the game at this level, honoring the young men and women that are the future of the sport.
Promotion of the ISN Ultimate XI will culminate in a major multi-state event in the summer of 2015.
