Tom Schmitt

With scholastic soccer season ready to get underway, several area teams should have very interesting seasons.

The Altoona girls team is one of them.

Head coach Marc Frye, heading into his third season, has two District 6 crowns under his belt and was the first Altoona coach to advance his team to the state playoffs with big wins over teams like McDowell and Allderdice to propel it to the round of 16s.

The Lady Lions, however, have lost six seniors, three of them crucial starters from last year’s team, including Alli Little, Alannah Irwin and Lia Sankey. Frye does have a very large junior class with significant playing experience and 15 freshmen out for the team. Currently, there are 34 girls registered to play.

Frye believes the schedule his team faces this year is the toughest in Lady Lion history. They begin the season with two of the best teams in the state in North Allegheny and Seneca Valley. Seneca has 43 national level players on its roster. Altoona is still independent but will play some tough teams out of the Mid-Penn Conference like Central Dauphin East.

The Lady Lions will look for their strength down the middle with Sophia O’Dea, Ava Frye and Ajaycia Alexander leading the attack. Junior goalkeeper Hailey Rodriguez gives Altoona a seasoned returning keeper. Returner Lauren Metrik will shore up the Lady Lions at either midfield or left striker.

Better competition in the regular season will prepare the Lady Lions for the district playoffs where, as in past seasons, State College will be the team to beat to take the district crown. Frye is fortunate to have a strong group of capable assistant coaches in Josh Boslet, Mike Metrik and Dave McCarter (former longtime Altoona boys coach).

– The Altoona boys squad will have a new head coach at the helm, and after an exceptionally strong season last year only to falter against State College in the district playoffs, will have only three returning starters.

Travis Young will be seeing his first season as head coach but has been an active part of the program for 17 years. Young said his players coming in have been around the program for years. He said his varsity players have a great deal of experience in club and classic play, some on nationally-ranked teams, and sophomore goalie Ryder Crouse has worked diligently in the offseason.

The Altoona boys face a tough season with Harrisburg teams, a Pittsburgh squad and tough longtime foes in Dubois, State College and Hollidaysburg. All of these games are meant to prepare the Lions for the district playoffs, according to Young. Altoona starts its season with a tourney in DuBois with Altoona, Warren, Central Mountain and DuBois.

Young described this year’s team as having great team chemistry. Jace Black will lead the Lions as an attacking midfielder. He is the one of four outstanding Black brothers who have been a big part of Altoona soccer. Young feels Colin Etters, a forward, can score at any time if he gets a good ball.

Young will be assisted by longtime coach Andy Aveni, Danny Cowan, Jacob Adams and former player Austin Kravets.

– Andrew Beverly will be taking over the helm as head men’s coach at Penn State Altoona.

Beverly is the fourth head coach in the program. Beverly played Division II soccer at Lock Haven University and graduated from Penn State in 2005.

Beverly takes over for Fraser Kershaw, who served two seasons as head coach. Beverly has been an assistant girls coach at Central Mountain High School, boys assistant at State College and head girls coach at Penns Valley for five years.

Beverly has also been the assistant director and premier team coach for Penn United Soccer Academy in State College. He also worked with the Olympic Development program. Beverly will inherit a team coming off of a 9-8 season.

Tom Schmitt writes a monthly soccer column for the Mirror.