On Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, Quakertown senior Shannon Gibat was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to play soccer at St. Joseph's University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
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Shannon Gibat – St. Joseph's University (Soccer)
Major: Biology
Final list of colleges: St. Joe’s, Lehigh, Lafayette, West Chester
Reasons for choosing St. Joe’s: “I went to St. Joe’s and met the coach and then I went on an overnight visit to meet the team. On New Year’s Eve (2012), I talked to the coach, and she offered me the scholarship. It felt right. I really just felt I belonged there. Everyone was really nice, plus the scholarship made it a little sweeter. I was thinking of playing in the south, but I decided being close to home would be better, so my parents can see my games.”
What was the progression that led you to playing soccer at the collegiate level? “I started playing soccer when I was three years old because my sister played soccer and got me interested in it. I started playing for a club team when I was eight. Just since then on, I’ve been trying to improve and get on better teams to get better.”
Coach Mike Koch says: “It was an absolute pleasure to coach Shannon. When I look at a soccer player, there are five components. A really good player hits three of them. Sometimes you’re lucky and get a player who hits four. Shannon hit all five. She’s a tremendously gifted athlete. Her fitness level was what everyone on the team strived to be. College camp is very difficult, and there’s one person I’m not worried about succeeding there, and that’s Shannon. Her technical ability, her ability on the ball is magic. She has tactical awareness. She sees the game and feels the game – I’ve coached for 25 years, and there are one or two special players who see the field the way she does. Those four (components) will make a very successful player, which we saw. Shannon was an all-state player. Every team we played designed what they did around her. The fifth component – I like to call it the psychological component, and that’s why I know in four years Shannon will be sitting somewhere after an extremely successful career doing this again. I’ve coached a fair amount of players who have gone on to play Division One, and she has that last component. When you play Division One sports, there are difficult days. There are days you have to fight through things. She has that piece in her. She’s a quality human being, and that stuff matters as you move on.”
About Shannon:
Favorite food: Spaghetti & Chocolate
Favorite movie: Anchorman
Favorite music: Christian & Country.
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