In a recent column, I referenced a make-believe ‘All-Decade Team.’ I continued to see others talk about creating all-decade teams in their area. I’ve covered Pioneer Athletic Conference soccer for the entire decade – since 2006 – so it got me wondering, ‘What would my all-decade teams look like?’ And off it went.
The criteria for inclusion was varied and inexact: the No. 1 criteria was high school postseason awards, including All-America, All-State and Mercury All-Area. Multiple years at an All-Area level carried weight, as did an especially elite or memorable season. Success at the college level (when applicable) was a bonus in some cases.
PAC Girls’ Soccer All-Decade Team
In the interest of creating a real team, positions were an important factor during selection. While plenty will have played multiple positions in and out of high school play, players were chosen at their primary position of their peak high school years.
Reflective of a match day squad in the English Premier League, 11 starters and 7 substitutes were named to the PAC All-Decade Teams.
The squads are up for debate because, after all, choosing 18 players from 10 years of play leaves plenty of quality players without a spot on the squad.
Your all-decade team may look different than mine, and that’s OK – this is meant to be a fun exercise to shout out some of the area’s best of the past 10 years.
But I’ll happily put mine up against yours. May the best team win.
Starting XI
F – Chad Craig, Boyertown (2012 – Regional All-American/All-State/Mercury All-Area Player of the Year 2011, two-time Mercury All-Area first team, Elon University)
F – Rushawn Larmond, Pottsgrove (2015 – PSCA All-State and Mercury All-Area first team as sophomore (Continental FC as junior & senior), West Virginia)
F – Colin Trainor, Spring-Ford (2020 – two-time PSCA All-State, two-time Mercury All-Area first team)
M – Bruce Dowlin, Owen J. Roberts (2016 – Mercury All-Area Player of the Year & PSCA All-State 2015, playing professionally in Slovenia (NK Tolmin))
M – Eric Giovagnoli, Spring-Ford (2011 – PSCA All-State 2010, two-time All-Area first team, Eastern University)
M – Ronnie Minges, Spring-Ford (2018 – PSCA All-State 2017, two-time Mercury All-Area first team, University of Tampa)
M – Kyle Tucker, Phoenixville (2018 – PSCA All-State 2017, Mercury Player of the Year 2017, Drexel)
D – Ryan Foskey, Boyertown (2020 – Mercury Player of the Year 2019, two-time All-Area first team, Lock Haven)
D – Ben Huzzard, Owen J. Roberts (2015 – PSCA All-State 2014)
D – Kole Lyons, Spring-Ford (2014 – PSCA All-State 2013, West Chester)
G – Andrew Daubenspeck, Perkiomen Valley (2018 – two-time All-Area first team, Misericordia)
Substitutes
F – Alex Kidwell, Boyertown (2017 – PSCA All-State 2016, two-time All-Area first team)
F – Miguel Ross, Pottstown (2013 – All-Area first team, four-year starter West Chester)
F – Germann Larmond, Pottsgrove (2017 – PSCA All-State 2016)
M – Tyler Rolando, Pottsgrove (2017 – PSCA All-State 2015, two-time All-Area first team)
M – Mike Weir, Perkiomen Valley (2018 – All-Area first team, captain first PAC large-school PIAA qualifier, Dartmouth (rugby))
D – Clay Kopko, Phoenixville (2020 – two-time All-Area first team)
GK – Mason Kurtz, Boyertown (2020 – two-time All-PAC first team, PIAA semifinalist)
