Fischer pulls all strings for Pennridge
Pennridge’s Katie Fischer isn’t a puppeteer, but she does an admirable impression pulling the strings for its girls soccer team.
A talented center midfielder, the Rams junior has a sense of what thread to tweak at one time. Surrounded by weapons, Fischer has become a master of the best way to set up each of her teammates just the way they like it. It’s the job of her position, but it isn’t always easily mastered.
The engine of a team that again aims to return plenty of talent, Fischer has been selected The Reporter Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
“It’s really important for us,” Fischer said of the depth and balance. “Some other teams may only have a few people who can do things to impact their team but we have so many people around the field, if I can just get the ball to whomever, we have so many weapons. No matter where I play the ball, we can get a good play off of it.”
Prior to the season, Fischer made a verbal commitment to UNC Charlotte and she showed that pedigree throughout the season. Inconsistency was the only thing that seemed to curtail Pennridge this season, with the offense going bust a few more times than the midfielder would have liked.
But when the Rams were on, they were a show worth watching. Much of that display came off the left, and sometimes right, of Fischer. The midfielder didn’t just tune and orchestrate the instruments; she got in on the act, scoring with a powerful distance strike or a flying header in front of goal plenty of times.
Of course, to get the offense going, Fischer and the Rams needed the ball. So, she and midfield partner Savannah Harrison made sure they had it with a nonstop work rate in the center of the park.
“It comes down to who wants it more,” Fischer said. “If you’re going in for a tackle, you have to really want it. The person who’s willing to fight for the ball is most likely going to be the one coming out with it.”
With Fischer and Harrison winning tackles and Harrison playing the holding role, Fischer could get the attack humming. Whether it was a blistering speed of Kennedy and Kouri Peace, the technical edge of Jess Milligan, the width of the wings or a bombing run by the fullbacks, there was no shortage of places Fischer could go.
Fischer rarely subbed off when the game was close and a few other main players didn’t leave the field often. The junior said that challenged the team’s depth because minutes could be hard to come by. Still, there’s no such thing as too many weapons on the pitch.
“We talked about it a lot at practice about how some players are better in the air and some are better on the ground,” Fischer said. “Some are better running onto the ball and others play by getting it at their feet. We figured each other out like that and next season I hope that we’ll be able to succeed with that more and be able to win more games.”
When Pennridge lost in the fall, it was usually only by a single goal. Putting a finger on just what caused those close game blues is difficult, but certainly some of it had to do with the goalkeeping and defending in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. Central Bucks East was a PIAA Class AAA finalist, Central Bucks South made the state cut while North Penn, Souderton and Central Bucks West kept a fair share of games tight.
Fischer couldn’t pin down any specific reason but said it’s one of the top things on her list of items to solve for next season. A captain as a sophomore and as a junior, the midfielder found her voice a bit more in that aspect this past season.
“I felt it a lot more this year,” Fischer said. “I had to step into that role playing center mid and being in the middle of the field. It’s not always easy. My coach, Audrey (Anderson) talked to me a lot this year, because I know a lot more about the game, considering I’ve been playing longer than some of the other girls, that I need to tell them what to do and it’s OK to voice that.”
The action part of her leadership is down pat. Prompted to pick out a game that stood out, Fischer noted the road win at CB West where she scored twice, including a late game-winner on her trademark left footed rocket from distance.
It’s plays like that which earn a player respect and Fischer said her next step is learning to be more comfortable in giving directions because it’s only meant to aid the team.
“I’m really looking forward to next season,” Fischer said. “We have a lot of freshman that I think will be able to step up and help us on offense. Hopefully next season, we’ll be able to get farther than this one.”
