Alle-Kiski Valley athletes of the week: Deer Lakes’ Bryanna Simonetti, Highlands’ Ryan Maloney

By: Ted Sarneso
Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 4:35 PM

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Bryanna Simonetti

School: Deer Lakes

Class: Senior

Sport: Soccer

Claim to fame: Simonetti scored a pair of goals in a Deer Lakes (10-1, 5-1) shutout win over Yough on Wednesday. The Lancers sit in second place in Section 4-2A and have won five games in a row for the second time this season. They will battle section leader Mt. Pleasant, which disrupted the Lancers’ first win streak, on Monday night.

Tell me about the goals you scored on Wednesday.

The first one, my good friend Cadence Drum hit a cross in, and I ended up tapping it in to finish it. I play the nine, so it’s easier to go in and through to finish those plays. The second one, Claire Cacurak fired a shot and the keeper dropped it, and I came in and cleaned up the rebound.

How many goals have you scored this season?

Nine.

What’s the most you’ve ever scored in a season?

Sixteen, and that was in my sophomore year. I missed last year with an injury.

What type of injury?

I tore my ACL.

What was the recovery process like and how happy are you to be back?

The recovery was challenging, being out for that whole year. It was hard to get back on the field, because it’s a mental thing. I had a great therapist and I got back on the field, went through the summer trainings and everything went well. I feel so much better.

When you’re out for that long, does it give you a different perspective on the game?

It was hard at first. I didn’t even want to go to the first couple of games, because that was my junior year and being out with a big injury was tough. But I found it fun to cheer on my teammates and watch as they went on to win some big games.

The team’s only loss this year is to Mt. Pleasant, and two of your losses were to them last year. You’ll play them again on Monday. What is it that makes them hard to beat?

They have a really good passing skill. They can pass around anyone, and they’re very defensive. They also have a good transition game. It’s not a very hard game to win, we just have to put our minds to it and hopefully we can beat them.

Do you feel like you have to play a near-perfect game to beat them?

Yes. They’re our hardest team to beat. They got their two goals in our 2-1 loss earlier off corner kicks. We’ve been working on defending those corner kick and trying to get them out quicker.

Can’t let them ruin another five-game winning streak this year, right?

Certainly not. We’ve been practicing a lot, and we know what we need to do.

What are the strengths of this year’s team?

I don’t think we’ve been able to do what we have without the freshman class that came up. They have technical skills and are very strong. The midfield has also played a very important role. We’re very strong through the midfield and can make a lot of passing lines.

What can you say about how well the team has done defensively, allowing just five goals through 11 games?

Reese Waruszewski played up front her whole life, and Coach Accetta moved her back to defense and she’s one of the main reasons why we’ve done so well on the back end.

What lessons did the team learn from last year’s playoff, where you made it to the quarterfinals but lost 1-0 to eventual champion Quaker Valley?

We’ve all just been working time after time, and most of us still play on club teams, and we all knew that after last year, we need to bring it back this year. Everyone on this team is committed. Everyone wants to be here.

Any opponent you look forward to playing against?

Probably Mt. Pleasant. They’re our biggest rival.

What’s your most memorable game?

Last year, they made it into playoffs. Because I was out hurt, that was a good thing for me to watch the team go a little farther each time and watch them do everything they needed to do.

What are your individual goals for the year?

Be better than last year, better than my sophomore year. Be stronger. I would get little trainings with the team, try to help us improve. I also wanted to try and get more team bonding activities, especially to help bring in the freshmen.

Do you play club soccer?

Yes. I play for Steel City FC. I love the coaches. They’re very good down there, know how to bring you up when you’re down.

Do you have a favorite pro soccer player?

My mom and I are huge fans of Ronaldo.

If you could choose one song to play every time you walked into a room, what would you choose and why?

Any Taylor Swift song. I’m a big fan of hers, and I think she has an amazing voice.

Have you got her new album and what are some tracks you like off it?

Yes, I did and I like “False God” the best.

What is one hobby or skill you would like to try or learn?

I’ve always wanted to learn how to shoot a basketball. I’ve never learned how to shoot a basketball correctly and make it into the hoop.

Do you hope to play soccer in college?

Yes.

What are your future plans?

I don’t have a school picked out yet, but I am looking at schools in Maryland, because it’s a nice distance away from home. I’m looking to study radiology.

How did you pick that field?

Whenever I tore my ACL and I went in for an MRI, whenever they put me under for all the scans, I thought it was a cool process and I would love to learn about it.

Ryan Maloney

School: Highlands

Class: Senior

Sport: Soccer

Claim to fame: Maloney scored four goals, including his 50th career goal, in an 8-0 rout of Carrick on Monday. He followed that up with a five-goal, four-assist performance as Highlands (5-3-1, 4-3-1) beat Valley, 12-1, on Thursday.

Nine goals in a week, that’s a lot. What’s the most you remember scoring in a week?

I think this week was my most productive week scoring goals. But the next closest would probably be last year when we played Valley and I scored seven in that game alone, but I’m not sure how many I had in that week.

Take me through the five you had against Valley on Thursday.

I think the first goal I dribbled down the left lane and hit the ball to the opposite corner. I don’t really remember all of those goals. Most of them I scored coming down the left side and then cutting into the middle.

If you can recall, tell me about the four you scored on Monday, how’d you score them?

The first goal, I dribbled down the left sideline and then cut in and tried to bend it to the back post and it went in. The second goal was almost similar, but I was more near the 18-foot box. That one also went in back post. The third goal, the ball was bouncing up into the air in the middle of the field and I volleyed it with my left foot and it went through the keeper’s hands. The final goal came in the second half, and I was dribbling up the right side and I was all alone with the keeper and I slotted it left corner with my left foot.

Which one was the 50th career goal?

The very first one. I had 49 coming in and finished with 53.

How did it feel to reach that milestone?

It’s always been a goal of mine throughout my high school career. Now I’m in a category with well-known players who have scored a lot of goals. I only got to play one game my freshman year because I got injured, so I’ve had to pick up the pace. I’ve been working hard. If I continue to work hard, I can score a lot more.

Is that seven-goal performance against Valley the most you’ve scored in a single game?

Yeah. We started that game off slow. I said we had to pick up the pace a little, and I started to score and my teammates were passing everything. I had that scoring mentality while also making sure we worked as a team.

How many goals have you scored so far this year?

I think the number is 22.

What’s the most you’ve ever scored in a season?

I scored 25 last year.

Now that you’ve hit the 50-goal mark, how many do you think you’ll end up with?

I haven’t really thought about how many goals I want to score. I really focus on one game at a time, make sure I play well, make sure we play as a team. If I don’t score that’s fine, if I do that’s even better. But it’s about us reaching the results we want.

The team currently sits in that fourth and final playoff spot for the section. How will you go about making sure you keep that position and make the playoffs?

We just need to keep on training and working hard and remember that we’re in that final spot and find ways to stay there or try and climb up. We are able to make an upset. We have a game later tonight against North Catholic, and we can win if we work as a team and keep our heads if the opponent scores, look for the goals and make quality passes. Freeport is in fifth, and we tied them earlier and will play them at their place later this year and we’ll look to beat them and lock them off from overtaking us.

Two big games coming up against North Catholic and Deer Lakes, the top two teams in the section. How are you guys going to prepare for those teams who have very different styles of play?

We know we’re playing one of the best teams in the section and if we show up with the mentality that we can win any game, we’ll get that result. Personally, I like to hydrate before, eat some good foods and get some electrolytes before we leave. We just have to stay ready, anything can happen.

What were your goals coming into the season?

Break 25 goals in a season, score fifty career goals. I was trying to reach the record for most goals ever at Highlands. But we don’t have a record of the exact number. I think I’m pretty close, and I think the number is around 60. As a team, we want to make the playoffs. We haven’t been there since 2004.

Do you play any club soccer?

Yeah, I play for the Riverhounds Academy team, 2008. It’s a lot different than high school, very technical. In high school, it’s a lot more physical, but with the Riverhounds, it’s more tactical. Better players than high school, so you have to be on your game, because if you make a mistake, they’re quick to capitalize.

Who is your favorite pro soccer player?

Ever since I was little, I’ve liked Paul Pogba. He’s not the fastest player, but his IQ is outstanding. He makes quick decisions, and his dribbling and passing is amazing. He also plays the same position as me: center-midfield.

Play any other sports at school?

Yeah, I just got done with our school’s golf season, and I run track.

What events do you run?

I do the 800 meters, the mile and the 4×800, so I’m the long-distance runner.

What’s your most memorable high school game you’ve played?

Sophomore year when I got to play with my brother for the first time.

Do you hope to play in college?

Yeah. I just want to play at the next level and make an impact on a team.

What are your future plans?

I would like to attend college and study sports medicine.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Highlands