Recruiting Wednesday: Hempfield's Bierhals commits to play soccer at Point Park
Written by: Ed DiOrio
October 14, 2020
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Gillian Bierhals is a senior goal keeper at Hempfield. (photo by www.westernpasports.com)
Hempfield goalkeeper Gillian Bierhals has been a bright spot for the Spartans this season. Despite being under pressure in many contests this season, Bierhals has kept her composure and helped keep her team stay competitive.
Last week, the senior committed to Point Park University to continue her athletic career.
“It’s been a dream school of mine for years now,” Bierhals said. “It fit my academic needs and I believe it’ll help me accomplish my goals. Coach [John] Newberry knows what team I want to be a part of.”
Bierhals played soccer all over the region to assist in her development as a player. Working with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds travel team, she’s been introduced to people who helped her get to this point.
“There’s been several influences in my career,” Bierhals said. “The most influential was Hunter Gilstrap. He’s my goalkeeper coach with the Riverhounds. Another is Will Marshall, my private goaltender coach.”
When it comes to playing soccer, Bierhals is fortunate. Like football and other fall sports, her senior season was in jeopardy. Even though the Spartans haven't collected a win this season, Bierhals still had a lot to look back on.
“I just wanted to safely play as many games as possible,” she said. “I have a lot of fond memories. I remember one of our assistants came over to me Freshman year. I was quiet. He told me to scream ‘keeper’ until the head coach could hear me on the other side of the field. I quickly became comfortable with screaming.”
Point Park, a NAIA school, has produced a winning record in conference play in four of the last five seasons. Bierhals knows she has to continue to improve her game if she wants to earn playing time for the Pioneers.
“I still need to work on communication,” Bierhals said. “I talk to my teammates on the field, but not nearly as much as I should. I also want to be more comfortable with my feet and getting the ball back to my teammates doing so."
Bierhals is a member of the National and Spanish Honors Society. She’s looking to dual major in Intelligence and National Security and Physcology.
Westmoreland Recruiting News
- Norwin tight end Trevor Krevokuch has received a Preferred Walk-On offer from the University of Pittsburgh. The senior has another offer from Central Michigan University.