After bout with malaria, SR junior on goal tear
SLIPPERY ROCK — A mosquito derailed Danielle Wissinger's sophomore soccer season.
Wissinger, now a junior on the Slippery Rock High girls team, traveled to Africa last summer on a church mission trip.
She painted newly built housing, spent a few days in a small village and went on a safari during her two-week visit.
"It was amazing, but scary," Wissinger said of her trip. "We saw everything. The coolest thing was the lions. We were really close to them."
Wissinger wound up bringing home more than pleasant memories of Africa, however.
She was stricken with malaria, contracted from a mosquito bite, a week after her return.
Wissinger was hospitalized for five days, had a relapse several weeks later, and didn't reach full strength until the end of the season.
"That really held me back," Wissinger said.
Healthy this year and much stronger than she was in 2009, Wissinger is off to a scintillating start.
She has scored seven goals in her last three games for Slippery Rock, which is off to a 6-1 start, 4-0 in the region.
"She's a competitor," said Slippery Rock girls soccer coach Les Smith. "Her not starting, her not getting playing time (last year) bothered her. She wanted to be out there."
A forward, Wissinger scored 15 goals as a freshman, even though she opted to pass more than shoot.
Smith put a quick end to that. The coach, who puts much of the onus for his offensive attack on his forwards, saw potent scoring ability in Wissinger's speedy 5-foot package.
"She adapted well to my playing style," Smith said. "You watch her now, she'll take you on."
Wissinger is a threat to score every time the ball touches her foot. Her dribbling skills set her apart, Smith said.
"And she's selfish," Smith said. "But as a forward, that's a great quality. All she is thinking about is finishing. I don't care if it's dribbling around four players or one, that's all she's thinking about."
Despite her scoring prowess, Wissinger admits she can get better.
"My leg isn't very strong, so I always have to dribble right up to the goalie," Wissinger said. "I have to get better outside (18 feet)."
•
Marvelous Mars — Slippery Rock isn't the only Butler County girls soccer team scoring goals at a prodigious rate.Mars recorded 59 goals during a 9-0 start and has surrendered only five.•
A "Little" Help — Slippery Rock boys soccer goalkeeper Tyler Little was a big reason why the Rockets shutout Sharon 1-0 Wednesday.The keeper stopped 15 shots in the victory.•
Double Dipping — It was a busy day Tuesday for a pair of Karns City athletes.Matt Slagle and Evan McGarvey placed 1-2 in the Gremlins' cross country meet, then each scored a goal later in the afternoon in an 8-0 soccer win over Cranberry.
