Growth Spurt
JACKSON TWP — The Seneca Valley girls soccer team had a lot of pieces in place entering the 2018 season.
One question mark was who would become a consistent scorer for the Raiders.
Enter junior midfielder Breana Valentovish.
After tallying nine goals and five assists as a sophomore, she took her game to another level this fall, scoring 19 goals and adding nine assists for a Raiders squad that won the WPIAL Class 4A championship and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
Valentovish has been named the Butler Eagle's 2018 Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
Also considered for the honor were Knoch's Lindsie Galbreath and Mars' Ellie Coffield and Taylor Hamlett.
“It's a true honor,” said Valentovish. “I owe pretty much everything to my teammates. I wouldn't have scored all those goals and had the assists without them.
“I was really intimidated as an underclassman,” Valentovish admitted, “but really grew as a player last off-season. This year, I was able to play a more physical-style and that was a big reason for my improvement on offense.”
SV coach Mark Perry said Valentovish provided everything his team needed in a go-to player, including valuable versatility.
“She was a forward the last two years, but we moved her to the midfield this season,” he said. “One advantage is that it gave her more room to work. If we were down late in a game, we could move her back up top, but we could also play her as a defensive midfielder if we were protecting a lead.
“She's a threat to score every time she touches the ball,” he added. “She had four or five goals this year from at least 30 yards out. She's physically strong and can distribute the ball to her teammates.
“She was also our number one option on corner kicks because she can win balls in the air,” Perry added.
Valentovish missed two games this season with a left ankle injury. In her first game back, she scored two goals in a 3-2 win over Butler in late September.
But one of her goals clearly stands out and it came just in time.
In the WPIAL championship game Nov. 3 against Peters Township, the Raiders trailed 1-0 with less than a minute to play.
After the Indians were whistled for a handball just outside the box, Valentovish lined up to take the free kick. But a Peters Township player knelt directly in front of the ball to tie her shoe. She remained there, however, for 20 seconds. And the clock was still ticking down.
“I actually think what she did helped me,” said Valentovish. “I was about to take the biggest shot of my career and of our season, but I wasn't thinking about the pressure that was on me. I was busy telling the ref that the girl had to give me 10 yards to take the shot.”
The Peters Township player finally moved and Valentovish placed a perfect shot in the bottom left corner of the net, tying the game with just three seconds left.
“I picked a spot and was able to hit it,” she said.
Teammate Lauren Sileo scored less than two minutes into overtime to give SV its fifth district crown.
“Contributing to a WPIAL title, it meant everything to me,” said Valentovish. “It's something we dreamed of doing for years.”
Valentovish's maturity as a player will help her in reaching another goal.
“She wants to be a Division I soccer player,” said Perry. “She is very determined and driven to do that. She really grew up as a junior.”
2017 — Kayle Comperatore (Freeport)/Lindsie Galbreath (Knoch)2016 — Megan McCartney (Karns City)2015 — Megan McCartney (Karns City)2014 — Sabrina Edwards (Mars)2013 — Jess Neill (Seneca Valley)2012 — Breann Wood (Karns City)2011 — Mani Brueckner (Mars)2010 — Mani Brueckner (Mars)2009 — Kate Kelly (Seneca Valley)2008 — Kayla Eckman (Freeport)
