How this Williamsville soccer player put her name in the state record books

WILLIAMSVILLE — Grayson Mirabile will thrash the net more often than not if she gets the ball inside the box.

The relentless Williamsville senior forward did just that on a perfectly placed free kick by senior teammate Olivia Fandel in Saturday’s Class 1A home regional final against Champaign St. Thomas More.

She masterfully tapped the ball up in the air with her left thigh before unleashing the opening goal with her right foot inside the upper right corner.

“It was perfect, it was beautiful,” Mirabile said of Fandel’s assist. “It was right in the air and I was just able to get there and volley it in.”

Mirabile added three more goals en route to a 4-0 victory over the Sabers to claim the program’s first regional title since 2016. Williamsville later lost to Normal U-High 7-0 on Tuesday night in the Warrensburg-Latham Sectional semifinals.

“I usually just try to find the ball in the air , and if I get there before the defense, it's usually a pretty good bet for me,” Mirabile said. “We have a good defense that can get the ball up there to me, so I think it works out really well a lot of the time.”

Topping the charts

Mirabile hurdled a couple of lofty Marah Abu-Tayeh school records in the process that date from Williamsville’s fourth-place state finish in 2016.

She knocked off the career goals record of 141 in Tuesday’s regional semifinal and moved up to 146 despite enduring the COVID-19 pandemic. She then eclipsed the season goals record of 66 and swelled that number to 68.

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“It's really fun for me to experience it with this group of girls and all of my past teammates,” Mirabile said. “I think it's really fun and I'm just proud of myself for getting here. I've worked so hard.”

According to the Illinois High School Association record book, her season tally tied for second place with U-High's Sarah LaFayette from 2017 while the career total wound up at No. 13. U-High's Ashlee Pistorius mustered 74 goals in the 2004 season.

Mirabile has also scored seven goals in three different games the past two seasons, which tied seven other players for fourth place across the state.

“To be honest, I did not think I was going break any because I was only like at 100, I guess, halfway through the season,” Mirabile said. “But we had a lot of really good games, and we were able to connect really well, so I was able to break those records in the postseason.”

Seamless transition

Last season, Mirabile racked up 44 goals and 10 assists in 18 games with the aid of former teammate Blair Keebler.

Although the Bullets additionally lost freshman Clair Carter’s offensive contributions due to an injury late in the season, Mirabile and Co. still found a way to get it done this year at 16-7-1 overall.

“I don't think I really had to shoulder a lot more,” Mirabile said. “I feel like it was kind of the same because Laura Romence is up there now. She gets to the ball a lot and she's able to make good plays, as well as Clair, so I think it all just works out really well for us.”

If Mirabile was the anchor on offense, then Fandel was the team’s defensive pillar at center back. That back row withstood intense pressure from the Sabers in the first half and freshman goal keeper Lilly Johns tallied 10 saves.

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As far as Mirabile is concerned, Fandel said it’s been a blast to see her break records.

“She’s able to make the runs and we're able to just send it to her because she's always there, and she talks and calls for the ball, “ Fandel said, “and it just really works out the way we talk together and work.”

Stronger than ever

Williamsville coach Joe Fandel said Mirabile transformed into an even more potent scoring threat by taking more shots from longer distances.

Mirabile indeed reaped consecutive goals from outside the box to build a 3-0 advantage on Saturday. Her second goal slipped through the goal keeper’s breadbasket but her third arched just underneath the crossbar.

Not having to expend more energy toward the net turned out to be an elixir in the muggy heat.

“I've challenged her this year to shoot a little more, like stop beating people and see if you pull the trigger because most of her goals have come from beating people and then it's her and the goalie,” Joe said. “I'm like, 'Teams are going to give you that, you've got to take that window maybe a little earlier and shoot some from 18-20 (yards) out.'

"And she's hit a few and I mean, that one that she hit over the keeper's head for the third goal, she had to shoot from distance and she can do that, too.”

Mirabile duly credited her teammates and coaches. That includes assistants James Doerfler and Alex Edmiston.

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“They've all been very encouraging and they all helped me get to where I am today,” Mirabile said.

But unlike Abu-Tayeh, she will not resume soccer after high school. She instead wants to focus on academics at Illinois State University with an interest in the medical field.

“It was hard,” Mirabile said of the decision. “I was talking to a few colleges and getting offers a lot. But I think this will just be where I want to go with my future.”

Contact Bill Welt: (217) 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA soccer: Williamsville senior Grayson Mirabile in IHSA record book