Following sister’s steps
ADAMS TWP — Playing out of position, often times facing an opponent whose only goal is not allowing your team to get one ... sound difficult enough?
Piper Coffield made it work.
The Mars senior tallied 22 goals and 15 assists this season, helping the Planets reach the WPIAL 3A championship game and PIAA semifinals. Her efforts have earned her the Butler Eagle’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year honor.
Coffield edged Karns City senior Emma Dailey — who scored 24 goals and had 22 assists for the District 9 champion Gremlins — in voting by the Butler Eagle sports staff.
“It’s such an honor and I’m very grateful,” Coffield said. “There are so many talented players in the Butler County area. This means a lot to me.”
Coffield follows in the footsteps of older sister Ellie Coffield — now playing at Pitt — who was Butler County Player of the Year in 2020.
“Ellie has been so instrumental in my success,” Coffield said. “As great a player as she is, she also inspired me to do things my own way. She was tough on me, I was tough on her. She definitely pushed me in the right direction.
“We’re different players, different people.”
Headed to the University of Indiana of the Big Ten next year, Coffield was recruited as a center back by the Hoosiers. She also played center back for her club team, the River Hounds, based in Pittsburgh, the past four years.
“That’s her natural position,” Mars coach Blair Gerlach said. “But Piper is a team player with versatile talents. She can play anywhere. We knew she could help our team more playing up front and she was more than willing to do that.”
“Going to forward was a definite adjustment for me,” Coffield said. “But it was beneficial at the same time. Playing center back, I knew what moves opposing forwards make that give me the most trouble, so I did those moves when I was playing up top.”
Coffield and the other Mars attackers were particularly challenged when opponents would sink back and play strictly defense, trying to force a scoreless tie and overtime play. Some teams saw that as the best chance to defeat the Planets, who saw an 80-game unbeaten streak snapped this season.
“Our first two (WPIAL) playoff games were like that and, yeah, it was hard,” Coffield admitted. “We had to be patient and precise with the ball. But one thing I’ll never forget about our team is the confidence we had that we would always find a way to win.”
Gerlach said both Coffield girls “possess tremendous soccer knowledge and work so hard at the game.”
Coffield suffered a fractured ankle during the WPIAL playoffs and missed a couple of games afterward. She came back for the state semifinal game against Moon, leaving the field twice, then returning.
“I wanted to play so badly,” Coffield admitted. “I tried to give it a go, it just didn’t work out so well. But I was happy I got to play in my last (high school) game.”
Gerlach gave Coffield plenty of leeway on the soccer field.
“I trusted her,” the coach said. “Piper is a creative player who could improvise. The energy level and positivity she brought to each game will be hard to replace.”
Coffield and Gwen Howell were the Planets’ captains this season.
Now Coffield is preparing to elevate her game to the level of the Big Ten. Indiana is not scheduled to play Pitt next season.
“I wish we were. That would be a lot of fun,” Coffield said.
