A dedicated ESPNHS team managed this past fall's Gatorade State Girls Soccer Player of the Year selection process, resulting in winners based on the program's three pillars: athletic production and impact in the 2011 season, high academic achievement and exemplary personal character.
For her 21 fellow Gatorade State Fall Girls Soccer Player of the Year winners, click here.
THE WINNER: Ashley Meier
THE BASICS
School: Strongsville (Ohio)
Grade: Senior
Position: Midfielder/forward
Height: 5-foot-10
THE PILLARS
Athletic achievement: Meier led the Mustangs to a 21-2 record and the Division I state championship this past season. She scored 17 goals and passed for 13 assists. The 2011 National Soccer Coaches Association of America National High School Player of the Year, Meier was the Ohio Soccer Coaches Association’s Miss Soccer. A member of the U.S. Soccer Under-18 Women’s National Team, she concluded her prep career with 58 goals and 36 assists.
Academic excellence: Meier has maintained a 3.49 weighted GPA in the classroom.
Exemplary character: A member of her area’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, she has volunteered locally as a teacher’s aide, a youth soccer coach and on behalf of the Special Olympics.
THE PRAISE
“Ashley Meier is a game-changer,” said Doug Coreno, head coach of Medina (Ohio). “Every coach in the area game-planned for Ashley when they played Strongsville, but no one could slow her down.”
THE FUTURE: Meier has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on an athletic scholarship at Virginia Tech beginning this fall.