Spaeder

JEFFERSON TWP — No one can say Amanda Sharbaugh Spaeder didn't listen to her father.

Doug Sharbaugh, a four-year collegiate soccer player at Pitt-Johnstown, coached Amanda in youth soccer.

“Dad used to tell us, in the first five minutes of every game, to take the ball down the field and try to score, go on the offensive right away,” Spaeder said.

“He wanted to establish that our team would be the one controlling the ball, going on the attack, so I did.”

She wound up becoming Knoch's all-time leading scorer in girls soccer with 111 goals and 38 assists, tallying 260 points. She went on to Gannon University and graduated from there as the Golden Knights' career goal-scoring leader with 51.

Now married with two children and a third on the way, Spaeder is one of seven 2021 inductees into the Knoch High School Sports Fall of Fame. The inductions will take place at a ceremony during Knoch's Sept. 3 home football game against Freeport.

Spaeder is a 2008 Knoch graduate and the youngest in this induction class.

“I'm very honored to be going in, to be recognized like this,” she said. “It's awesome.”

Also a two-year letterwinner in track, soccer was always Spaeder's sport. She was a four-time WPIAL Class AAA first team all-section selection and also made the Western Pa. High School (WPHS) girls soccer coaches all-star team twice.

“I tried being a defender when I was young and I didn't do a very good job with that,” Spaeder said. “I've always been an offensive player.

“I don't know when those skills actually developed, but I've always been able to put the ball in the net.”

Knoch's girls soccer team always made the playoffs during Spaeder's four years, “but we lost in the first round every time,” she said.

At Gannon, her team won the PSAC her freshman year and she was named the conference's Freshman of the Year.

“We always had good teams there,” she said.

Though her final collegiate season was 10 years ago, Spaeder is still the Golden Knights' all-time leader in goals. She stands second on Gannon's all-time list with 124 career points, third with 22 assists and third with 10 game-winning goals.

She was a four-time first team All-PSAC player and a two-time first team all-region selection.

“It's definitely a pride thing, still holding (high school and college) records from when I played,” Spaeder said. “Someone will come along and break them, but it feels good to still be at or near the top of those lists.”

Spaeder coached for a while after graduating from college. She served as an assistant coach at Knoch and North Catholic for a few years. She also became a certified PIAA soccer official for a few years.

Working part-time as a physician's assistant these days, Spaeder spends much of her time looking after her two young children.

“I miss coaching. I miss being involved in soccer,” she admitted. “When our kids get a little older, I'm sure I'll get back into the game in some capacity, whether it's coaching or as a referee, maybe both.

“Maybe one of our kids will take an interest in the game and I can coach at the youth level for a while.”

Spaeder fondly remembers being coached by her father.

“Even as my career advanced, when club soccer started, all the times I played, I could always hear his voice in my head,” she said. “I loved that.”