Souderton Quintet to Play Collegiate Soccer

On Thursday, April 6, 2017, Souderton seniors Sara Cassel, Vivian Feliciani, Meredith Moore, Samantha Plinke and Emily Readinger were recognized for committing to continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.

Sara Cassel – Moravian College (Soccer)
Major: 
Nursing
Final list of colleges:  Moravian, Immaculata, Drexel, Lebanon Valley, Philadelphia University.
Reasons for choosing Moravian:  “Welcoming environment, felt like home, great area, excellent programs and smaller classes.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level?  “My freshman year of high school I started thinking about playing in college. I emailed different coaches, schools started to watch me play through Harleysville Soccer Club, and the recruiting process started.”
Coach Chris Felber says:  “Sara was a defender and captain. She’s a super athlete – incredibly fast, incredibly strong and incredibly dedicated as well. She was a complete role model for all our younger players, someone to look up to and someone to inspire. She was a big piece for our team.
“Her 1v1 skills – as a defender, she was extremely tough to get past but also good at beating players too.”
About Sara:
Favorite food: 
Salmon
Favorite movie:  10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite music:  Nickelback

Vivian Feliciani – Millersville University (Soccer)
Major: 
Technology and Engineering Education
Final list of colleges:  Millersville, Bloomsburg, Virginia Commonwealth, Winthrop University
Reasons for choosing Millersville:  “I selected Millersville because of its technology education program, it was a good distance from home, I liked the campus, and the soccer program is a good fit for me.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level?  “I started thinking about playing college my freshman year and joined the Elite Clubs National League to get looked at more. After that, I played for Harleysville FC and was recruited through club team tournaments and ID camps.”
Coach Chris Felber says:  “Viv is a tall player to have in goal. For girls’ soccer, often you struggle with those high balls that come into the box. Viv was tall and strong and was confident to come and deal with that, and that was a big part of our team too. Viv is a bit of a comic sometimes, and I think we all had a good time laughing with Viv and being part of the team.”
About Viv:
Favorite food: 
Sushi
Favorite movie:  Lord of the Rings: Twin Towers
Favorite music:  Nickelback

Meredith Moore – Gettysburg College (Soccer)
Major: 
Psychology
Final list of colleges:  Gettysburg, Scranton, Susquehanna, Drexel, Bloomsburg
Reasons for choosing Gettysburg:  “I selected Gettysburg as my final choice because it had everything that I wanted in my future college plans. Gettysburg is a school with a superb athletic program for girls’ soccer, while I can also receive a great education. Other than athletics and academics, I was aiming my search to smaller Division III schools, schools in a more remote area other than a large city and also one where my academics would be put first. Gettysburg is a beautiful campus which I am excited to attend.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level?  “I have been playing soccer since I was five years old. I began playing at a higher level at age eight, and at that time, I chose soccer and basketball as my two sports. As time progressed, I knew soccer was the sport I would stick with. I knew that I definitely wanted to play in college when I was a freshman in high school. My club soccer team, Harleysville FC, travels to different states to compete in college showcase tournaments. I was recruited to play soccer at Gettysburg my junior year.”
Coach Chris Felber says:  “(Meredith), Sam and Sara are best friends, and they’ve all been playing together since they were U9, so they have been together forever. Their bond and their chemistry is something that the whole team was able to pick up on, and it helped the whole team have that kind of feel because you could see it from them. (Meredith) is another one – she’s so fast, she’s so strong, and she just gives everything she has the whole time. She scored some important goals for us, she helped us create some important goals. Again, she was just another fun character, someone who is just loving and fun.”
About Meredith:
Favorite food: 
Chicken
Favorite movie:  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Favorite music:  The Script

Samantha Plinke – Hood College (Soccer)
Major: 
Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Final list of colleges:  Hood College, Albright College, University of Scranton
Reasons for choosing Hood College:  “I selected Hood College because I really loved the family aspect of their team and the great educational preparation they provide for your future. I loved the small welcoming campus, which is located in a small urban city. I really felt that they had the opportunities and educational aspects that I was looking for to prepare me for my future, as well as allowing me to continue playing a sport I’ve loved my whole life.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level?  “I’ve played on a travel team since I was eight years old, and essentially, the whole point of a travel team is to prepare you for recruitment and the collegiate level. I really started focusing on recruitment my junior year.”
Coach Chris Felber says:  “We call Sam Plinke our track star. She’s incredibly fast, a very fast individual. She’s difficult to beat 1v1 just because of her speed. She would often get back and win tackles and get back and cover space other players wouldn’t be able to cover. She’ll also use that speed to get forward and get attacking. Sam is an extremely likable character – everybody loves her on the team. Our whole senior class was like that – everybody loved our senior class and enjoyed having them on the team.”
About Sam:
Favorite food: 
Pizza
Favorite movie:  The Breakfast Club
Favorite music:  “Anything but country”

Emily Readinger – Arcadia University (Soccer)
Major: 
Business/Sports Management
Final list of colleges:  Arcadia, Scranton, Ursinus, Philadelphia University
Reasons for choosing Arcadia:  “After visiting, talking with the coaches and meeting the players, Arcadia seemed like the right fit for me. Arcadia also offered the competitive atmosphere that I wanted out of a Division 3 school and had a well-developed women’s soccer program.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level?  “I always planned on playing college soccer. Even when I was young, soccer was always part of my college plans. The recruiting process started for me after my Deep Run team went to Nationals the summer after my freshman year of high school. At that point, I couldn’t imagine college without soccer, and I knew I wanted to continue my soccer career beyond high school. I began to visit colleges, meet coaches, go to showcase tournaments and ID camps, trying to figure out where I wanted to spend my next four years playing soccer.”
Coach Chris Felber says:  “Emily has always had a lot of talent. She grew so much – she’s probably the tallest player on the field every time we play, and in her senior year, she just took it to a whole new level. She went from being a squad player to being one of the first names on the sheet. It was a big year for her. She really came through. We graduated four senior defenders the year before and knew we had lots of spaces, and Emily just came in – you would never have known she wasn’t playing there the year before. She was awesome. I thought she was our most improved player of the year. She’s another player who was so likable and funny, and everybody just enjoyed having her on the team.”
About Emily:
Favorite food: 
Guacamole
Favorite movie:  The Blind Side
Favorite music:  Pop

6