Butler girls soccer players Yaracs, Weiland headed to different college teams
BUTLER TWP — After contributing to a run of success at Butler, Golden Tornado girls soccer standouts Makenna Yaracs and Chloe Weiland are headed to contrasting challenges in college.
Yaracs, Butler's senior goalkeeper who contributed to eight shutouts in 2021, will continue her academic and soccer career at Mercyhurst University. The Lakers are one of the stronger programs in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, coming off a 14-6-1 season and appearance in the NCAA Div. II Atlantic Regional.
Weiland, a forward who scored 17 goals for the Tornado in the fall and tallied 55 goals in her high school career, is moving on to Youngstown State. The Penguins are coming off a 2-11-5 season and are 12-57-12 in five seasons under coach Brian Shrum. YSU competes in the Horizon League.“Chloe is a student of the game,” Butler coach Steve Perri said. “She has the instinct and a knack for scoring goals.“She has a chance to step in there and help Youngstown right away. She's one of those players who makes everybody around her better.”Weiland carries a 4.0 grade point average at Butler and plans to major in chemical engineering. She also considered Seton Hill and Cleveland State before deciding to join the Penguins.“My goal is to start my first year there,” Weiland said. “I want to improve my overall soccer play and help the team improve as well.”In a statement on YSU's website, Shrum described Weiland as “a true winger who brings speed and creativity in wide positions.“She'll be asked to strengthen our attack and and increase scoring opportunities.”Youngstown State scored only 10 goals last season.Yaracs faces a different situation at Mercyhurst. The Lakers lost to Bloomsburg in the PSAC semifinals last season and return five goalkeepers next season.One of those — current sophomore Maddie Elbro — played all 21 games for the Lakers last season. She sported a 0.79 goals-against average with 10 shutouts.“That program is the perfect fit for her,” Perri said of Mercyhurst and Yaracs. “Sure, she's going to have competition for playing time and Makenna will have to continue to elevate her game.“She's up for that challenge, though. Makenna has the mental makeup to play the goalkeeper position. If she makes a mistake or things are breaking down around her, she stays composed.”Looking to major in exercise science, Yaracs considered Clarion, Duquesne and Bowling Green before opting for Mercyhurst.“I like the school academically and I love the campus,” Yaracs said. “My goal is to go in there and compete for a spot, try to get some starting time.“I'm impressed by the coaching staff there. They have a lot of good players.”Jon Arlet has been head coach of the Lakers for four years. He's guided the team to winning seasons in the past two years.
