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Ellie Coffield repeats as Gatorade PA Girls Soccer Player of the Year

From University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department report 

Pitt freshman and recent Mars High School graduate Ellie Coffield was named the 2020-21 Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Soccer Player of the Year, the organization announced Tuesday.

Coffield earned the award for the second-straight season, joining current NWSL pro Veronica Latsko (2011-12, 2012-13) of the Houston Dash as the only Pennsylvania players to do so.

Coffield enrolled in the spring at Pitt after wrapping up one of the most accomplished prep soccer careers by a WPIAL and PIAA player. The team captain guided the No. 1 team in the nation, Mars Area High School, to outscore opponents 111-5 for a 19-0 record and second-straight Class 3A WPIAL and state championships this past season while recording 25 goals and 39 assists. She led the Fightin’ Planets to a 42-game unbeaten streak with a No. 4 ranking in 2019 and four-straight section 4 titles with undefeated section records each year of her career.

The midfielder finished her high school career with almost every award she could win: a 2020 United Soccer Coaches High School All-American, the 2020 Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association, Post Gazette and Tribune Review Player of the Year and the inaugural Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding WPIAL Player of the Year in 2019. She was a two-time First Team All-PIAA selection and concluded her career with 95 goals and 104 assists.

Inaugural Kaitlyn ‘Moe’ Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year: Ellie Coffield (Mars High School)

Coffield has volunteered locally on behalf of her family-run The Cure for Cancer Soccer Foundation, which raises funds to benefit pediatric cancer research. She has also donated her time at a prom for special-needs students and as a youth soccer and basketball coach. She graduated high school with a weighted 4.27 GPA.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. A winner is chosen in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. Coffield is a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June. The entire selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Through Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Coffield has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of their choosing. Coffield is also eligible to submit a 30-second video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $2.7 million across 1,117 organizations.

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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