By Alex Frazier
Players of the Year – Each year it gives me great pleasure to honor the Players of the Year for each conference. This year is particularly significant because each of the players is an underclassman, so we will all be able to watch them perform again next year. In fact, Neshaminy’s Megan Schafer is only a freshman and Upper Merion’s Kristina O’Sullivan is a sophomore. They will be on the radar for several years to come.
National Conference
Megan Schafer, freshman, Neshaminy
How often does a freshman receive an honor like this?
That alone is testament to the remarkable athlete that Megan Schafer is.
Coach Rachel Clemens has no problem coming up with superlatives to describe her, such as “the perfect package,” “a game changer” and “an extraordinary athlete.”
At the beginning of the season, Schafer set a personal goal of leading the team in assists.Well, she not only did that with 15, but she also led the team in goals with 20.
“She was definitely that player that most coaches were concerned about on the field at all times,” said Clemens. “She was an impact player right from the start. She is a huge offensive threat. She has speed, strength, skill, composure. She created so many opportunities for herself and her teammates.”
At one point in the season, Clemens had to take Schafer aside and encourage her to be less unselfish.
“She would more often lay the ball off for her teammate than taking the shot herself,” said Clemens.
At first that was difficult for Schafer, who preferred to make goals happen than to score them herself.
Coming into the season, senior forward Kimber Kisselback was a role model for Schafer, who had seen her play a few times last year. When pre-season began in August, Kisselback took her under her wing.
“She was always positive and gave me good tips,” said Schafer. “I always looked up to her. I thought me and her up top would be a good combination.”
At that time, she thought she would be feeding Kisselback, who would do most of the scoring, but when Kisselback was injured and missed a few weeks of the season, the team turned to Schafer to take over the goal scoring.
“When she got hurt, I knew I had to step up,” said Schafer. “It made me want to score more. I was a little scared but when I started scoring some, I thought, ‘I actually can do this.’”
Which she did flawlessly.
In one of her best efforts, she scored four goals against archrival Pennsbury to bring the team back from a 3-0 deficit. The Redskins eventually had to settle for a 5-5 tie.
“I had a pretty good season,” she said. “It was a shock to me at the end. I was so excited.”
Schafer also plays on the U-15 FC Bucks Revolution that won two state cups and went to the regional semifinals this year. The team was also chosen to play in a prestigious college showcase this weekend in Raleigh, NC.
Last fall she was invited to the National ID Camp for 1996-97 players. Last year she was in the youngest group and was intimidated by the older players. This year she performed better and is waiting to see if she is one of the lucky 10 to get called back.
Besides soccer, Schafer is also an excellent basketball player. She will be the starting point guard for the Redskins this year.
She also runs track in the spring although she admits it isn’t her favorite sport and she may not run this year.
“She’s just an extraordinary athlete,” said Clemens. “She’s just naturally gifted.”
Continental Conference
Lindsay Horst, junior, Central Bucks West
When C.B. West coach Chris Freudig says that Lindsay Horst “is one of the top defenders to play for the West program,” that’s saying something because West has a rich tradition of producing division one collegiate level players.
Horst played many roles for the Lady Bucks. Wherever they needed her, she played without question.
“Lindsay has always played for the name on the front of the shirt and has consistently given up individual glory for team success,” said Freudig. Horst played forward, midfield and defense.
“I just wanted to help wherever I could,” she said. “It was just getting my mind set on the different positions. It was more figuring out how I was going to play it that game.”
Of the 15 goals West scored, Horst was responsible directly or indirectly for nine. She scored one game-winning goal and had eight game-winning assists to account for 60 percent of the C.B. West offense.
On defense, she helped the Lady Bucks shut out all league opponents.
Freudig paid her the highest compliment when he said, “For me Lindsay is as good as any marking back that I have seen play in the state the past 25 years.”
For all her achievements, including being captain the past two years, Horst is a humble player.
“I was just happy playing for West,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting anything (like MVP).”
While Horst gave up field hockey this year when soccer moved to the fall, she will likely try lacrosse this spring, even though she has never played the sport before.
She also has some college showcases coming up with her FC Bucks club team.
Horst will be back as a captain to lead West next year.
“Every year we’re striving to do better,” she said. “We’re going to work as hard as we can and try to get back to where we were this year or even get farther.”
American Conference
Kristina O’Sullivan, sophomore, Upper Merion
When Kristina O’Sullivan was a young child, she always wanted to be the first one on the slide and the first one in a race.
“I don’t like to lose,” she said. “I’ve always had that kind of attitude. I want to win and I won’t let things stand in my way.”
And though being MVP wasn’t her goal, it came naturally.“Kristina is a phenomenal player with extraordinary athletic gifts and the soccer skills to match, but that is not her strongest quality,” said Upper Merion coach Ryan Larkin. “It is her desire to win and the intensity to push herself to levels of excellence which are the qualities that separate her from her opponents. Kristina takes every loss personally. She is an intense competitor that never relaxes for a moment during a game or practice.”
Being named MVP was something O’Sullivan never imagined.
“I was very surprised,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t on my mind to go for it. I couldn’t do it without all the support I get from Upper Merion and my parents, especially my mom. She’s always there.”
At the age of five O’Sullivan took up soccer and basketball with the idea that she would eventually choose one to concentrate on. She’s still playing both. As a matter of fact, she is the starting point guard on the Upper Merion basketball team in her second year on the varsity.
“I’m more intense with soccer,” she said. “Basketball is something extra for me to do. It requires different aspects of the game. It’s a nice break from it and then you get right back into soccer.”
O’Sullivan has gone through several club programs but is currently playing for FC Delco. This weekend she will be playing in a showcase tournament in Raleigh, NC.
Although O’Sullivan is primarily a back on her club team, she played striker last year for the Vikings. She started at defender this year but was moved up top because of an injury.
“At different points in the season she played as a defender, midfielder and forward,” said Larkin. “She looked upon every change as a challenge as she learned the tactical responsibilities of each position and she quickly became dominant on the field whatever position she was asked to play. It is a pleasure to coach Kristina because of focus on improvement, her desire to win and her love of practice and games.”
Although O'Sullivan had an “attitude” about winning, she didn’t let that overrule her commitment to the team.
“Often, high level players like Kristina are a handful to coach because of an attitude of entitlement,” said Larkin. “Nothing could be farther from Kristina's attitude. She is focused on the team's improvement and winning and never on her own stats or achievement (She didn’t even know how many goals she scored this year). She is the first to practice, the last to leave and always is leader on and off the field. She loves being a part of the team and never puts herself ahead of the team.”
Not surprisingly, O’Sullivan takes the same attitude in the classroom as she does on the field or court.
She maintains a 4.0 GPA while taking quite a few AP/honors courses.
“School work is the first thing to be addressed,” she said. “What happens if I can’t play soccer? Then I will have to rely on my academics.”
Coach of the Year – Chris Freudig, Central Bucks West
Central Bucks West can always be counted on to figure in the Continental Conference race as well as the post-season tournaments. Freudig and his esteemed staff, including long-time assistant George Battis and goalie coach Kim Gerhart fashioned a defense that didn’t give up a goal in the conference, en route to a 10-0-4 record. And that with only three seniors.
In the playoffs West gave up just three goals in six games, making it all the way to the state quarterfinals.
Final standings – As expected, the standings I predicted back in August didn’t turn out the way I thought they would, though I didn’t do too bad in the National Conference. Forget the other two.
My total was 10 of 23 or 43 percent.
In any case any of you were keeping track, here’s the tally sheet.
National Conference
My predictions Final standings
1. Council Rock South 1. Council Rock South
2. Pennsbury 2. Council Rock North
3. Neshaminy 3. Neshaminy
4. Council Rock North 4. Pennsbury
5. William Tennent 5. William Tennent
6. Abington 6. Abington
7. Bensalem 7. Bensalem
8. Harry S Truman 8. Harry S Truman
Continental Conference
My predictions Final standings
1. Pennridge 1. Central Bucks West
2. Central Bucks South 2. Pennridge
3. Central Bucks West 3. Hatboro-Horsham
4. Hatboro-Horsham 4. Central Bucks South
5. North Penn 5. North Penn
6. Central Bucks East 6. Central Bucks East
7. Souderton 7. Quakertown
8. Quakertown 8. Souderton
American Conference
My predictions Final standings
1. Upper Dublin 1. Upper Dublin
2. Wissahickon 2. Plymouth Whitemarsh
3. Cheltenham 3. Wissahickon
4. Upper Moreland 4. Cheltenham
5. Plymouth Whitemarsh 5. Upper Merion
6. Upper Merion 6. Upper Moreland
7. Norristown 7. Norristown
Final SOL Top Five
1. Council Rock South
2. Central Bucks West
3. Pennridge
4. Central Bucks South
5. Upper Dublin
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