The Greater Latrobe girls soccer team has seen a number of talented players make their college commitment over the last few years. With Sofia DeCerb getting ready to begin her playing career at James Madison this fall, Ella Bulava (Maryland) and Regan Reilly (Bowling Green) remain as key pieces for the Wildcats.

But there is a third member of the current roster who recently made her decision and added her name to the growing list of college talent at Greater Latrobe.

Just earlier this week, rising junior Maddy Petruzzi made her commitment to play soccer for NCAA Division I Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN.

“It’s definitely a relief,” the future Crusader mentioned. “But at the same time, I have to remember as much as the recruiting process is over, this journey and part of my life is just beginning.”

When Petruzzi made her visit to the school, she fell in love with the campus and the little town of Valparaiso. She also made an immediate connection with the women’s soccer coaches.

“I really liked the coaching staff from the start,” she noted. “Coach (John) Marovich was super up front with me - very honest about the program from the start. For me, that was very important.”

With a seven-hour drive from Western, PA to Valparaiso, and having to get used to balancing academics and athletics in college, Petruzzi is aware of the adjustments that she will soon face. But she knows that with time management skills, she will be able to find a good balance between school and soccer.

However, Petruzzi still has two more years at Greater Latrobe before she starts to focus on college. She is aware of the impact she has in the soccer program, and is eager to teach younger players how to play at a high level.

“We are still meeting a lot of the new freshmen, which is really cool,” Petruzzi added on the comradery she’s built with underclassmen. “Getting to bring them in and learn their personalities is really fun.

“It’s kind of scary as a freshman, but when you have the upperclassmen there to help out, it makes things so much better,” she continued.

That veteran presence will be greatly welcomed on this year’s Wildcats. They finished as one of the top teams in 3A a season ago, and carried a 9-1-1 record with them into the playoffs.

However, they fell in the WPIAL playoffs to Mars in the semifinals.

With that bad taste in their mouth from last season, Petruzzi and the Wildcats are eager to get back to work for this upcoming season. One of the main things that she is hoping her team can improve upon is finishing out games, but also staying mentally strong.

“We are going to need to be mentally in it, and stay persistent through everything,” she added on her team’s approach for this year. “We need to be mentally tough in order to accomplish what we want to do.”

Now that she has settled on her college choice, Petruzzi can stay mentally locked in with her team for the next two years. And although she has her sights set on Valparaiso, there is still so much she is excited to accomplish at Greater Latrobe.

“For me, it’s getting as far as we can as a team. We’ve been setting a lot of records over the last few years, which is awesome,” Petruzzi commented. “I think the goal is to get to states again, and maybe even win our first states game.

“In the classroom, my goal since freshman year has to be number one in the class. I’m going to keep trying to reach that, but we won’t be able to find that one out until my senior year.”