On Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, Pennridge senior Ashley Schoellkopf was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to play collegiate soccer.
Ashley Schoellkopf – Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Soccer)
Major: Business Management
Final list of colleges: IUP, West Chester, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, Susquehanna
Reasons for choosing IUP: “I wasn’t actually looking at IUP, but one of the players at IUP is a former player from here, and she texted me and said they needed a goalkeeper. I gave her my e-mail, and the coach e-mailed me.
“When I went on my visit, the campus was really pretty, and it was just a good atmosphere. I liked the way it felt there, and the coach is basically a second father to the girls out there because a lot of them are a couple of hours from home. He’s always there to support you, and there was just a great feel there.
“This year they had a senior goalkeeper and a sophomore, so the senior is going to be gone, and there will be open competition. I’ll have an opportunity to start my freshman year, which is an ideal situation for me because I hate sitting on the bench.”
Highlight of your high school career: “After the state championship game, on the bus ride home, we all came together, and that was probably one of the best moments we had. It hurt not being able to get the win in the state championship, but the way we rallied around each other for that one last bus ride was definitely a moment I won’t forget.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate soccer? “My club merged with FC Delco in eighth grade, and they really pushed college showcases. In my sophomore year when we came out with the record we did and how many shutouts I had, that’s when I realized I could definitely play in college.”
Coach Audrey Anderson said: “When she was in ninth grade, I was her jayvee coach, and she had a ton of development that needed to come about. She was not very technical, and she just had not matured yet. Shannon Zickler graduated, and all summer long, Ashley trained. I can’t even think of a good example of what a huge difference just one summer made. Her dedication to the team and to the program was huge. She knew as a ninth grader that she was going to be the person filling Shannon Zickler’s shoes - just to have that sitting on your shoulders and knowing how much work and dedication it would take to do that.
“We as coaches were just talking about how you lose Stevi Parker, who’s amazing on the field, and you lose Ashley Schoellkopf and don’t have that strong keeper – that’s huge, and we’re still looking for ways that we can close that gap. She was just such a dedicated player. It takes a certain kind of person to be a keeper. To have all the weight of the community on her shoulders, she was just a very determined player.”
About Ashley
Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite music: ‘A little bit of everything’
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