With two Gatorade awards, Mars midfielder Ellie Coffield will soon join Pittsburgh soccer
MARS, Pa. (BVM) — This fall, soccer midfielder Ellie Coffield will be traveling from Mars to Pittsburgh with two state Gatorade awards and a desire to make history with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Mars Area High School 2021 graduate, who is signed on scholarship with the Pittsburgh women’s soccer team, is no stranger to being at the top of her game, as she was selected for the 2020 All-State and All-Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) teams. She was also recently named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Soccer Player of the Year — for the second season in a row.
“Winning my first Gatorade award as a junior was so hard to believe,” Coffield said. “I was hoping I would win again my senior season and when I did, I still couldn’t believe it. For anyone trying to win this award, I would say to be selfless. The numbers that fall under your name are not the only thing that matters. Having good character and working hard in the classroom in addition to being selfless on the field will help you get to where you want to be.”
Coffield ended her high school career with 95 goals and 104 assists. She noted that she gets the same joy in assisting as she does scoring.
With her prep career behind her, Coffield is gearing up to join Pitt in what should be one of the most competitive seasons for the team in years. During the 2020-21 season, the team went 11-5 overall, which is the most wins by any Pitt women’s soccer team in school history.
What is now expected out of head coach Randy Waldrum and the women at Pitt is to break that record this upcoming season. This is one of the biggest reasons for why Coffield is excited to join the team.
“As soon as Coach Waldrum was hired as the [head coach in late 2017], his main job was to turn the program around,” Coffield said. “The program was at the bottom of the [Atlantic Coast Conference] ACC, and they are working their way back up. Pitt has never made it to the NCAA Tournament and it’s one of the biggest goals for me to see happen.”
With big goals in mind, Coffield said she’s thankful that head coach Waldrum and the associate head coach, Ben Waldrum, saw the potential in her way before she gained state recognition. She had given her verbal commitment to Pitt going into her sophomore season, which was before she even won her first Gatorade award or even a state championship.
During her junior and senior seasons with Mars, Coffield went back-to-back with PIAA Class 3A championships. During her senior season in particular, she led Mars to the 19-0 record after recording a season total of 25 goals and 39 assists.
“We knew going in that we’d have another chance at the title and we [didn’t disappoint],” Coffield said. “But for sure my favorite memory is winning the WPIAL title my junior year after losing twice in a row the previous two years.”
Coffield has had her share of injuries throughout the multiple victories. During her junior season, she played with a cast after breaking her hand and a few weeks later she broke her occipital cheek bone.
“One of my best attributes is being dangerous in the air,” Coffield said. “I use my head a ton but that sometimes leads to consequences in the face. During the state playoffs of my junior year, a girl in front of me was trying to flick the ball with her head, but instead of flicking the ball, she got my cheek with the back of her head. I kept playing in the game, the area on my face blew up like an egg. It was too late to get any surgery, so I have a little dimple in my cheek now.”
Now injury free, Coffield mentioned that she has no regrets about her high school career and that she couldn’t have ended on a better note alongside her teammates.
“I have tried almost all of the sports out there, and during my freshman year, I was fortunate enough to win a state championship on my basketball team also,” Coffield said. “I quit after my sophomore season, it was such a hard decision, but once I made my commitment to Pitt, it was just too hard to maintain both sports.”
In terms of the future, aside from soccer, Coffield mentioned that she hopes Pittsburgh will allow her to bring along her giant pet tortoise for the ride. While at the university, she plans to explore sports science and nutrition classes while figuring out what career path to take.
“I hope to play for as long as I can, and if not, just spread my knowledge of it since I just love the game,” Coffield said.
