Moon senior is a record-holder
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Delaney Snyder proved her value to the Moon girls soccer team night in and night out. Need evidence? Look no further than the stat sheets and record books.
Snyder was on a tear her entire senior season as she set school records and scored a goal in every game while leading the Tigers to back-toback WPIAL and state championships. Because of that, Snyder has been named the Post-Gazette Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She was also named the girls soccer player of the year by the state coachesassociation.
Snyder, a Miami of Ohio recruit, netted 56 goals and assisted on 27 others. For her career, she set school records for goals with 137 and assists with 101. She is the only player in Moon history to rack up triple-digits in either category.
Snyder helped the Tigers to a 26-0 record this season and a win streak of 43 consecutive matches.
The pitch isn’t the only place Snyder excels. She is also an honors student with a 3.67 GPA and her work ethic during practice and workouts is legendary.
“She’s an outstanding player and, even more than that, she’s a phenomenal person,” said Moon coach Bill Pfeifer. “She did everything she needed to do to be great.”
Snyder is one of 12 players on the Post-Gazette All-Area team. Here is a look at the other 11:
• Mackenzie Aunkst, Penn-Trafford — After setting-up the winning goal to defeat rival Norwin for the WPIAL championship, Aunkst will move on to play at West Virginia. The senior midfielder and team captain always played bigger than her 5-7 height while starting all four years.
• Madison Clayton, Waynesburg — The best player in Waynesburg history actually attends JeffersonMorgan. Clayton played for the Raiders as part of a co-op program and set school goal records of 142 in her career and 57 as a senior when she led Waynesburg to its first WPIAL title and PIAA playoff appearance. Clayton played forward as a senior, but next season at Pitt she will probablymove back to defense.
• Emily Harrigan, Norwin — The Rutgers recruit captained a Knights squad that collected a PIAA championship and was ranked No. 1 in the country early in the season. Harrigan netted 26 goals to go with 18 assists. Her 93 career goals are a Norwin record.
• Lexi Kendro, Norwin — Kendro scored a teambest 29 goals and dished out 18 assists for the state champs. The Duquesne recruit and senior forward wasn’t afraid to get physical on the pitch and her style garnered the respect of being named all-WPIAL each of the past two seasons.
• Regan LaVigna, Peters Township — The multifaceted midfielder was one of the best shooters around and could play multiple positions. She had 11 goals and eight assists this year while getting the attention of Division I programs.
• Hannah Nguyen, Penn-Trafford — Nguyen packed speed, finesse, foot skills and incredible vision into a 5-foot-2 frame. The Warriors made the WPIAL playoffs in all four years that she started. Nguyen, a midfielder who also runs track, will play at Duquesne after scoring 54 goals and passing out another 54 assists in her high school career.
• Krystyna Rytel, Shady Side Academy — Thejunior midfielder tallied 44 goals this season, giving her 101 for her career. A three-year starter who also runs track, Rytel is a Division I prospect who led the Indians to the PIAA title and the WPIAL runner-up. Tall, strong and athletic, she excelled in the playoffs with 19 goals.
• Molly Saylor, South Park — Nomatter how innovative an offense she faced, the New Jersey Institute of Technology recruit and stellar goal keeper was able to power down just about every opponent. A two-time team captain, Saylor had 15 shutouts in 2017, including a 14game streak in which she had13 shutouts.
• Alina Stahl, Baldwin — The West Virginia recruit and team captain came through in the clutch multiple times, netting four gamewinning goals. She scored 20 of the Highlanders’ 33 goals this season and finished her career with 91. Standing just 5-5, Stahl wasn’t afraid to initiate contact and was named all-state this season.
• Hannah Stuck, Peters Township — Stuck wasn’t afraid to stick her neck out, as she knocked in numerous goals off of headers. Already a two-year starter, the sophomore forward racked up 22 goals and 10 assists while leading the Indians to the WPIAL 4A quarterfinals.
• Sam Wexell, Norwin — Sam was Wexell-ent during the PIAA playoffs, as the goalie shut out all four opponents she faced and the Knights finished atop Class 4A. That upped the Ohio University recruit’s career total to 53 shutouts, a school record at Norwin. The fouryear starter stood 5-10, making her an intimidating presence in the net. in stature, but a giant when it comes to scoring goals. After leading the WPIAL in goals as a junior, this speedy senior forward had 27 goals and 11 assists. Played first two seasons at Brashear. Finished career with 80 goals.
• Josh DiMatteo, Chartiers Valley — A senior forward and West Virginia recruit, DiMatteo had 18 goals and nine assists a season after leading the Colts to their first WPIAL title in 15 years. Four-year starter developed into an all-state forward after playing defender his first two years.
• Bryce Gabelhart, Peters Township — One of the centerpieces of a team that reached the WPIAL Class 4A final and PIAA semifinals. This senior forward was a three-year starter who was named allstate for the second year in a row. Scored 12 goals and added 16 assists.
• Dominic Galietta, Bethel Park — Four-year starter continued to shine brightly despite playing on an injury-riddled team that won only four games. A senior defender, Galietta led the Black Hawks with six goals and five assists. He will play next seasonat Colgate University.
• Landon Grant, Quaker Valley — Led Quakers to a PIAA Class 2A title and was the kicker on the school’s football team that won a WPIAL championship. A senior forward and four-year starter, Grant had 38 goals and finished career with 72 goals and a school-record 57 assists.
Joe Kearney, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic — Only a sophomore, Kearney led the WPIAL with 55 goals and has a school-record 84 in his career. A forward, helped the Trojans win their first WPIAL title and reach the PIAA playoffs for the first time, where they lost in the Class 1A final.
• Luke Kelly, Peters Township — Kelly has nice size and can be physical, but it was his skill and finesse that played a big role in this senior midfielder and three-year starter racking up 12 goals and 11 assists for the WPIAL Class 4A runner-up. Will play atSaint Francis (Pa.).
• Tate Mohney, Butler — One of three underclassmen on this team, Mohney stood out by putting together an outstanding junior season in which the forwardmidfielder scored 18 goals and tacked on 18 assists. Three-year starter led Golden Tornado to first playoff berth since 2014.
• Jonah Moore, CanonMcMillan — Opponents wish they would have seen less of Moore, a senior defender-forward and fouryear starter who had 10 goals and five assists and was named all-state. Led Big Macs to WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. A University of Chicago recruit.