Merklin, Pleasant Valley steal the show: 2021 Pocono Record girls soccer All-Stars and Player of the Year
Samantha Merklin wasn't a goalkeeper when she entered high school.
Now, after finishing her varsity career as Pleasant Valley's all-time shutout leader, Merklin might be the best goalkeeper Monroe County has ever seen.
Wherever she fits into the lore of Monroe girls soccer, Merklin made her mark. Her 2021 performance — 332 saves to 19 goals allowed and 10 shutouts in 21 games — earned Merklin the Pocono Record girls soccer Player of the Year award.
Merklin first stepped into goal in 2018 as a freshman, and her skill was immediately clear. She recorded nearly as many shutouts (8) as goals allowed (9).
Merklin was filling in for sophomore teammate Schyler Herman, who stepped away from soccer due to a leukemia diagnosis in 2017. Herman died on Oct. 31, 2018, after Merklin's freshman season had finished.
"She was one of my best friends, and she was an amazing goalkeeper," Merklin said.
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Even as a senior, Merklin said she still regularly felt Herman's presence.
At nearly every game, both home and away, Merklin said she and teammates noticed a butterfly fly onto the field — a symbol that Herman was watching.
"When I saw that butterfly, I would know, like, 'OK, play your game, Sam. You got this. Schyler's there watching you,'" Merklin said. "All the girls knew it, too."
Herman's presence extended into pregame huddles, which Merklin said always ended with dedicating the game to Herman's memory.
PV girls soccer coach Tara Hyland said Merklin is as motivated a player as there is. Hyland, who was an assistant before taking over as head coach in 2020, saw Merklin excel immediately as a rookie goalkeeper, then skyrocket to unimaginable heights over the next three years.
"To be a keeper, you have to have a little something extra, and she always had it," Hyland said.
In total, Merklin concluded her varsity career with 38 shutouts (the previous PV record was 25), 43 goals against and a whopping 667 saves. Although the season ended with a competitive 2-0 loss to third-seeded Nazareth in the district quarterfinals, Merklin's individual accolades included winning the EPC most valuable player award.
It's not an individual accolade for Merklin, however, as she said she credits her teammates with helping her succeed.
"My main goal this year was to help my team, and my teammates helped me tremendously with that (shutouts) record," Merklin said. "Even when we were down, I know I could always count on them to always be playing their heart out."
Although she's unsure of where it'll be, Merklin knows she wants to play soccer in college. She'll continue working toward that goal during the travel soccer season as Lehigh Valley United's keeper.
Merklin headlines the Pocono Record girls soccer All-Star teams featuring seven total Pleasant Valley selections. Behind PV, Stroudsburg and Pocono Mountain East each have five selections.
East Stroudsburg South and Pocono Mountain West claimed two all-star nods apiece.
East sophomore Campbell Demarest is the youngest player and only underclassman to earn a first-team selection. East sophomore Alexa DelGiudice claimed a second-team selection, as did Stroudsburg freshman Amelia Nieman.
The all-star rosters are based on coaches' votes.
2021 Pocono Record girls soccer All-Stars first team
Goalkeeper
Samantha Merklin, senior, Pleasant Valley (Player of the Year)
Defenders
Trinity Juszynski, senior, East Stroudsburg South
Autumn Castro, senior, Pleasant Valley
Jackie Neyhart, senior, Stroudsburg
Midfielders
Ella Muir, junior, Pleasant Valley
Johanna Heitczman, junior, Stroudsburg
Jaden Cook, junior, Pocono Mountain East
Forwards
Campbell Demarest, sophomore, Pocono Mountain East
Alexa Weaver, senior, Pleasant Valley
Sara Hopkins, junior, Stroudsburg
Carinne Frable, junior, Pocono Mountain East
2021 Pocono Record girls soccer All-Stars second team
Goalkeeper
Natasha Torres, senior, East Stroudsburg South
Defenders
Alexa Pridham, senior, Pleasant Valley
Kyree Keyes, junior, Pocono Mountain West
Alexa DelGiudice, sophomore, Pocono Mountain East
Midfielders
Chloe Lawrence, junior, Pocono Mountain West
Amelia Nieman, freshman, Stroudsburg
Abby Raymond, senior, Pocono Mountain East
Aliyah Williams, senior, Pleasant Valley
Forwards
Madison Fava, junior, Pleasant Valley
Jules Bone, senior, Stroudsburg
Honorable mention
Pleasant Valley sophomore forward Aryn Stivala scored five goals in PV's first two games before an injury forced her to miss the rest of the regular season. Stivala returned for Pleasant Valley's playoff run.
Pleasant Valley held the No. 6 seed in both the EPC and District 11 Class 4A playoffs and lost in the quarterfinals. Stivala led the Bears in postseason scoring opportunities, ripping six shots in PV's 3-0 loss to No. 3 Easton in the EPC tournament and five shots in a 2-0 loss to No. 3 Nazareth in districts.
Frank Piscani is the Sports Life multimedia reporter at the Pocono Record. You can email him at fpiscani@gannett.com or find him on social media platforms @frankpiscani.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: 2021 Pocono Record girls soccer All-Stars and Player of the Year
