Neshaminy senior Megan Schafer was named 2013-14 Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Below is the news release from the Gatorade Player of the Year web site.
NESHAMINY HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE PENNSYLVANIA GIRLS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (February 6, 2014) — In its 29th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Megan Schafer of Neshaminy High School as its 2013-14 Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Schafer is the first Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Neshaminy High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Schafer as Pennsylvania’s best high school girls soccer player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in May, Schafer joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook HS, Mich.), Heather O’Reilly (2001-02, East Brunswick HS, N.J.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
The 5-foot-7 senior forward led the Redskins to a 25-0 record and the Class AAA state title this past season. Schafer scored 33 goals and passed for 18 assists, including the overtime game-winner against Spring-Ford in the state title game. A three-time All-American selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Schafer is a four-time First Team All-State honoree. She concluded her prep soccer career with 102 goals and 77 assists.
Schafer has maintained a weighted 4.32 GPA in the classroom. A member of the National Honor Society, she has volunteered locally with Athletes Helping Athletes, which strives to include special needs children in sporting events. She’s also donated her time to Aid For Friends, delivering food to homebound individuals.
“Megan Schafer is unstoppable,” said Rob Rooney, head coach of Emmaus High. “It’s been a long time since I saw a player move that well without the ball, and she was just deadly in the final third. She had a remarkable season—one of the best in state history.”
Schafer has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on an athletic scholarship at Penn State University beginning this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Schafer joins recent Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Soccer Players of the Year Veronica Latsko (2012-13 & 2011-12, Peters Township High School), Kelly Kerrigan (2010–11, Downington High School East), Cassie Pecht (2009-10, Cumberland Valley), Taylor Schram (2008–09, Canon-McMillan), Lauren Alwine (2007-08, Lower Dauphin), and Colleen Flanagan (2006-07, Downingtown West) among the state’s list of former award winners.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.
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