Soccer
Favorite athlete: Abby Wombach
Favorite team: Philadelphia Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: A soccer pasta party which turned into a dance party. One of my coaches ended up joining in and showing us how to ‘do the shopping cart.’
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: In one of our home games, I was playing the left side of the field, which was near the fans. On my team’s throw-in, I wasn’t paying attention, and the ball hit me square in the face.
Music on iPod: Coldplay
Future plans: Go to college
Words to live by: ‘Life is what you make it.’
One goal before turning 30: Travel to Italy
One thing people don’t know about me: I am a black belt in karate.
By Alex Frazier
Nobody’s perfect.
But Abington’s Gabby Nyirjesy comes close.
For example, she scored a perfect 800 in her math SAT but ‘only’ managed a 740 in writing and a 700 in critical reading.
Most people are either left-footed or right footed. In soccer Nyirjesy is equally strong with both and excels both offensively and defensively.
In the two years she played tennis, she made first team SOL in first doubles as a freshman and first team at second singles as a sophomore.
In every endeavor she attempts, Nyirjesy is at the top of her game.
Getting into soccer for Nyirjesy was a no-brainer as her older sister had played and her father was a goalie in college. She began with the Jenkintown Youth Association and moved on to Lighthouse in seventh and eighth grades.
From there she landed with AC United, where she’s played ever since. Last year her team went undefeated in the U-17 Girls Elite Division of the Inter-County Soccer League.
Two years ago, AC United was Division 2 champion, and she received the Most Valuable Player Award.
She has been a varsity player at Abington for four years as a forward and midfielder.
“It’s a lot of fun just hanging out with people and kicking the ball around,” she said.
This year she plays center mid, which appeals to her because she gets the chance to play offense and defense, and being in the middle of the field she’s in the center of much of the action.
“I can play her just about anywhere,” said Abington coach Rick Tompkins. “She’s good with both feet. We use her primarily at midfield. She does a lot of the dirty work that the other players don’t want to do, winning balls and then giving them up to somebody else. She tries to make everybody else better.”
Nyirjesy is especially tenacious on defense.
“She runs people down, gets the ball and moves it forward,” said Tompkins. “If I put her up top, I’m sure she could handle it. She’s constantly working at her game to get better. If she has a weakness, she’s going to work at it.”
A year ago, heading was not part of Nyirjesy’s game. It is now.
“She’s made herself a decent header of the ball,” said Tompkins. “She challenges for it. If she doesn’t win, she’ll usually throw her opponent off. She’s very coachable.”
Playing in the Suburban One League is tougher and a bit more frustrating since Abington struggles in the tough National Conference.
The Ghosts did, however, qualify for the district playoffs two years ago. That year Nyirjesy was named the Most Improved Player.
This year, she is captain of the team, a role she pursues purposefully.
As captain, Nyirjesy has taken on the responsibility of putting together team parties and fundraising to purchase team jackets and pinnies. On Saturdays, Nyirjesy and her teammates are also running a four-week U-11 clinic.
“She’s extremely organized,” said Tompkins. “Anything that the girls need from an organizational standpoint, she’s spearheading. And they respect her.”
Nyirjesy isn’t an overly vocal leader.
“She’s not a showy person at all, it’s all quiet leadership, but it’s very effective,” said Tompkins. “They watch her in action, and she does everything that you would expect a good player to do and she does it without complaining, and she doesn’t need to be prompted. She’s a self-starter. And they follow her lead.”
Being captain is almost second nature for her.
“It’s great to have that leadership role,” she said, “but it’s hard and stressful. There’s always something going on, but it’s a good challenge. I get to talk to all the underclassmen too, which I probably wouldn’t get to do much.”
Soccer is her first love, which became evident when she decided to quit tennis as a junior when soccer moved to the fall.
“It was a really hard decision,” she said. “I decided I liked the team aspect of soccer more.”
“I feel very fortunate she elected to play soccer because she clearly could have played tennis no problem whatsoever,” said Tompkins. “She’s definitely a good athlete.”
Nyirjesy started playing tennis about the same time as soccer and was good enough to break into the varsity as a freshman at first doubles. The next year she climbed the ladder to second singles.
“I like singles because there was less relying on another person,” she said, “but I also liked doubles because there was more interaction with the other person and you have to work through if someone’s having an off day.”
Testament to her tennis acumen, both years she was with the team, it placed among in the top eight in the state, and she was named to the Suburban One League first team.
As if two sports weren’t enough, Nyirjesy tried winter track as a freshman and sophomore. She ran the 800 and the mile. Her best mile time was a 5:52.
Out of school she has also learned to play squash through her father. They play at the courts at Chestnut Hill Academy.
She plays during the winter, spring and summer and plans to enter some tournaments this winter.
“I wish I had more time,” she said.
Nyirjesy’s academic credentials are nearly impeccable. In addition to outstanding scores on her SATs, she is ranked sixth in her class of 622.
This year she is taking five advanced placement courses in English, American Studies, physics and economics in addition to honors Latin. She also took five years of French.
Given the caliber of student she is, Nyirjesy could pick her college.
“She had me help her out last year putting a list of schools together,” said Tompkins. “Her backups were Penn and Villanova. She’s going to get in anywhere she wants to go.”
Right now Johns Hopkins is No. 1 with Northwestern and Virginia pulling up the rear and Dartmouth and Penn in the distance.
Hopkins has a lot of appeal to her.
“Everything is perfect,” she said. “I love the town around it, the campus. I love that it’s math and science, and it’s D-III and I’m looking to play soccer there.”
Having scored an 800 on the SATs in math, it’s not surprising that Nyirjesy plans on majoring in math or physics with the possibility of pursuing engineering as a career.
“Math is my thing,” she said. “I was surprised to get an 800 in anything. I thought it was impossible.”
She has taken every math course available at Abington before her senior year. This year she took physics instead.
“She’s more mature than a lot of high school girls,” said Tompkins. “She’s a person that accepts a challenge. She’s going to work hard and she’s going to fit in with just about any team because she has a good rate work, she’s very coachable and she has some good technical skill.”
Extracurricularly, Nyirjesy is a member of the Key Club, Math Club, Reading Olympics, National Honor Society, the Varsity A Club and the French Club.
Over the years she has received several awards, including the President’s Award for Academic Excellence, Abington Student Service Award, the President’s Bronze Service Award, the French Honor Society Award as the Most Promising AP Student, the SAT 800 Club and a service award.
For the past three years at the beginning of February, Nyirjesy has helped out in a clinic in the Dominican Republic. Her mother is a nurse practitioner and she goes with a group from her mother’s office.
“If they do traveling medical clinics, I help out in the pharmacy handing out the medicines and help people get sized for reading glasses and things like that,” she said.
She plans to return again this year.
“It’s a lot of work so I don’t get to see the sun too much,” she said.
Student par excellence, gifted athlete, tireless worker and thoughtful person, Nyirjesy is about as perfect as they come.
“She’ll be a huge loss next year,” said Tompkins.
