Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Abby Gillespie
School: Canon-McMillan
Year: Senior
Sport: Soccer
Gillespie’s week: After 110 minutes of soccer Wednesday night at Elizabeth Forward High School, the Canon-McMillan girls soccer team headed to penalty kicks against rival Peters Township to decide which team would advance to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals.
The teams traded chances through four rounds before Gillespie stepped to the top of the box against Peters Township goalkeeper Reilly McGlumphey.
Gillespie fired a shot into the left side of the net to give Canon-McMillan the lead, and the Indians’ final chance went over the goal, as the Big Macs won, 2-1. Gillespie’s penalty-kicks goal sent the Big Macs to the semifinals, where they defeated Moon.
“She played well. In terms of the penalty kicks, we were prepared and we knew what she was capable of doing,” C-M head coach Dave Derrico said. “Abby is usually very, very reliable. She strikes the ball with authority. We knew that was going into the lower net when it came up to her.”
Extra point: During the month of August, former Canon-McMillan football coach Ron Coder approached Gillespie and senior goalkeeper Kyra Murphy about giving kicking a try. After both nailed extra points with ease, Coder extended an invitation for both to join the Big Macs’ football team.
After a bit of hesitation, the duo asked Derrico for his blessing.
“We thought, ‘Why not?,’ Gillespie said. “We had to talk to Coach Derrico. He wasn’t fond of it at first, but we decided to just do it anyway. It was a very fun experience.”
In Canon-McMillan’s football loss to Blackhawk last Friday, Gillespie made an extra point. The week before, both her and Murphy kicked extra points in the Big Macs’ loss to Baldwin.
The kick: Gillespie was a thorn in the side of Peters Township’s forwards throughout the WPIAL quarterfinal match. She obstructed the Indians’ game plan of lobbing balls behind the Big Macs’ midfielders to create scoring chances.
Throughout regulation and overtime, Gillespie was all over the pitch – heading balls to her midfielders and knocking away Peters Township’s passes. When it came to the penalty kicks, which Canon-McMillan almost ended one round earlier, Derrico knew he would give Gillespie a shot.
She buried the chance and Canon-McMillan walked away with its first win over Peters Township in recent memory.
“It definitely was nerve-racking,” Gillespie said. “I felt amazing after. I wanted to keep on going further. It gave me so much adrenaline.”
Freshman sensation: Gillespie stepped into the starting lineup as a freshman three years ago and immediately contributed on defense. While she has always been a steady presence, Derrico has noticed the most growth coming from her in terms of leadership.
Gillespie instructs her fellow defenders and executes the coaching staff’s game plan.
“The biggest thing is she’s taking over more responsibility,” Derrico said. “I told her she had to take control of the defense and that’s the biggest thing she’s improved on. She’s always been tough, physical and strong.”
Gillespie will play soccer at West Liberty next fall while majoring in Special and Elementary Education. As the 10th-seeded Big Macs prepare for the program’s first trip to the WPIAL championship game Friday night at Highmark Stadium, Gillespie is ready to continue to prove opponents wrong.
Compiled by Lance Lysowski