Southmoreland soccer standout wastes no time making Division I college commitment

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, July 26, 2021 | 8:01 AM

With two years of high school soccer to play, Kendall Fabery has her college plans figured out. Fabery, a rising junior at Southmoreland, announced she has made a verbal commitment to play at Cleveland State.

She had interest from a number of other Division I programs but went with the only school that had made her a formal scholarship offer.

“I chose Cleveland State because of how much I enjoyed the great coaching staff there,” she said. “Aside from the soccer aspect, Cleveland Clinic offers many opportunities to help me with my goal of pre-med.”

Fabery, a Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy product who missed time as a freshman because of injury, is a talented goal scorer who plays a lot of defense for the Scotties. She had a goal and three assists last season as the team won its first section title since 2011 and made the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Cleveland State recruited Fabery as a center back, a position she likely will play this fall, in addition to midfield where she is a scoring threat with junior Olivia Cernuto and senior Taylor Klingensmith. She first noticed the Horizon League university was courting her during an Elite Clubs National League showcase last January in Florida.

“Since then, we have kept in touch while still respecting the NCAA recruiting rules,” she said. “Cleveland offered me everything that I could ask for early on, so I felt it was the right choice for me and my future.”

Making a commitment this early was not exactly in the cards for Fabery, but she seems satisfied with the decision.

“I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy the campus and team,” she said. “That was why I was so excited to take their offer. I just knew I could see myself becoming a Viking.”

Fabery said she is more comfortable at center back.

Southmoreland coach Josh Pajak appreciates how technical Fabery is as a player and said his team can learn a lot from her work ethic.

“Kendall is a very intelligent player who really has a great understanding of the game,” Pajak said. “She will be able to adjust to collegiate level without any issues. She will be a great addition to her team.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Southmoreland