Schmitt

Midway through the scholastic soccer season, several teams and players have distinguished themselves as being at the top of their game.

The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy girls soccer squad has not only been unbeatable, but do not even let opponents score on them. Winning back-to-back District 6 Class 1A championships the past two years and advancing to the state semifinals and quarterfinals is a hard feat to top, but this season the Lady Marauders have not only been totally explosive offensively, but they have allowed only one goal to this point.

The Lady Marauders are extremely fast up top and have been able to finish as well, while their defense has been rock solid — goalie CeCe Rumfola has not allowed a goal while in net. In shutting out teams like Penn Cambria and Cambria Heights, she shut down two of the area’s top offensive players in Meghan Andersen and Brooklyn Galinis.

“She’s the best keeper I have ever seen,” BG coach Joe DeLeo said. “In addition to her talent, her work at practice is relentless.”

BG also sits atop the Laurel Highlands Conference. Emma Marasco, Delaney Lechner and Hailey DeGol have been an unstoppable scoring force, pulling hat tricks against several opponents. Their speed up top was most evident in a recent 3-0 shutout against a very good Hollidaysburg team.

This will be an interesting group to watch the remainder of the season and into the playoffs.

Setting a new mark

Galinis, who is now the all-time goal scoring leader at Cambria Heights with 93 goals, has been the driving force behind her team’s offense and big wins against Forest Hills and West Branch. She has also tallied hat tricks in several games.

“Over the years, Brooklyn Galinis has not only been a key talent, but a positive influence on myself and the team,” Heights coach Nikki Spanik said.

High honors

Altoona’s Ava Frye and Penn Cambria’s Andersen were identified as two of the top 16 Olympic Development Program players in the northeast for the u-17’s.

Both were able to make it through the ODP state, regional and northeastern regional tournaments and ID camps. Both play for the FC 814 Premier 1 Division Energy in the Great Lakes Conference under coach Marc Frye.

They now head to Orlando, Fla., Jan. 22-26 to compete for a roster spot on the 2008 ODP national team. This is the first time any player from this area has advanced this far.

“Both these girls have played for me for nine years and are extremely hard-working players,” Marc Frye said. “This honor is well deserved.”

Thrilling game

The game of the year has to be the double-overtime Altoona boys’ 3-2 win over a tough Hollidaysburg team.

The two battled to 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime, and freshman George DelBaggio III netted the game-winner in second overtime in front of a good crowd at Tiger Stadium.

Making an impact

Former Altoona High girls leading season goal scorer and three-time Altoona Mirror all-star selection Alli Little has started her collegiate career at Division 1 Iona in a strong way.

Little, as a freshman, has appeared in all of Iona’s games, averaging 42 minutes per game and starting four of the first nine games. As a forward for the Gaels, Little ripped five shots in the initial nine games.

“Little is an exceptional soccer player,” Frye said. “She is an even better person. She has an incredibly high soccer IQ and makes her teammates around her better by leading by example on the pitch.”

PSU Altoona noticed

The Penn State Altoona women were predicted by Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference coaches to finish in third place in the league.

The team finished third in the AMCC’s regular season last fall, when it went 5-2-1 in conference play and then reached the semifinal round of the AMCC tournament.

Senior defender/midfielder Rachel Rutkowski and sophomore defender Madeline Boser were named in the preseason poll as “Players to Watch” this season for PSU Altoona, which is led by 15th-year head coach Pam Snyder Etters.

Nice message

Alexia Michitti, captain of the first Team USA Amputees Women’s World Cup squad in 2024 as goalkeeper, addressed students at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Altoona, telling them never to give up pursuit of their dreams and to always remember kindness to others.

Michitti led Team USA to a silver medal and was awarded the Golden Glove trophy as outstanding keeper. She was born without her right hand but never let that adversity stop her from reaching her goals in life.

Tom Schmitt writes a monthly soccer column for the Mirror.