Hannah Burtner finds solace on the soccer pitch.

It's her escape.

It's a chance for Burtner to turn off the noise and the thoughts that race through her mind.

Is she good enough? Is everything perfect and how it should be?

Playing soccer is a chance for Burtner to channel her careening thoughts and direct them to a singular pursuit.

Helping her team win.

“When I was in the third grade, I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder,” said Burtner, a recent Slippery Rock High graduate. “I grew to love soccer more because it's always been an escape for me. My mind always escaped into the game and I'm solely focused on playing the game I love.”

So profound was her experience with her anxiety and the balance she has found in her life with it, Burtner now wants to help other children afflicted with the condition.

Burtner will attend Westminster College to study to become a child psychologist.

“I've always just wanted to give back to kids and help them the way that I was helped,” Burtner said.

“I definitely feel like I'm in a good place,” she added. “I still have little worries, anxieties about things ... just because I want to perform to the best my ability.”

A perfectionist at heart, Burtner was a standout for four years on the Slippery Rock girls soccer team.

She became a starter during her freshman season, but missed half that campaign after suffering a torn quadriceps.

Playing so early in her prep career gave Burtner a taste of things to come.

“It definitely motivated me to get back in there because starting as a freshman was so incredible,” Burtner said. “Getting to play under the big lights against older girls was something I didn't think I was going to get to come in to do.”

Burtner worked hard on her recovery. It helped that her father, Bill, is a personal trainer and also a club soccer coach with Hotspurs Soccer Club in Green Tree.

She returned and excelled the next three seasons at forward, helping the Rockets go 46-7-1.

Last fall, Slippery Rock reached the District 10 Class 2A championship game, but lost to Villa Maria.

“I was quite devastated,” Burtner said of that defeat. “I had to hold back the tears until I got to my car.”

Burtner scored 12 goals during her senior year, but made her true impact by setting up her teammates to score and through her leadership as one of the captains.

“I've always felt more rewarded giving my teammates an opportunity to score,” Burtner said. “I'd rather be the one who makes the play and helps with the goal than the one necessarily scoring the goal. I just love seeing my teammates' faces light up whenever they make that goal. It really does feel amazing.”

Burtner is also versatile on the soccer field.

For Beadling Soccer Club, she played defense last season.

“The last time I played defense was my freshman year in high school,” Burtner said. “The biggest adjustment I had to make was I wanted to run down the field and have a scoring opportunity.”

It has now left Burtner torn about where she ultimately would like to play at Westminster.

“One of the things my Dad taught me is to just be open to play anywhere that is best for the team,” Burtner said. “It's a hard choice for me now. Throughout my high school career I definitely enjoyed offense more. Playing defense this year (for Beadling) kind of changed my mind about how I feel about it. I'm a little conflicted right now.”

What Burtner is 100% sure of, though, is how proud she is of her team.

Like every player this fall, Burtner wondered if there would even be a season. She was delighted there was one and was also pleased with how she and the Rockets performed under the uncertainty of COVID-19.

“Our biggest fear was not being able to play a full season,” Burtner said. “The fact that we did was great.

“With it being my senior year, I wanted to make sure I got every opportunity I could to really show who I was as a player on the field,” Burtner added. “I feel like not only did I do that, but the team really followed through on that as well.”