Fox Chapel’s Emily McKee named A-K Valley Girls Soccer Player of the Year

By: Michael Love
Sunday, November 23, 2025 | 9:16 AM

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A-K Valley girls soccer all-stars

Player of the Year

Emily McKee

Jr., Forward, Fox Chapel

Emily McKee scored 48 goals this fall.

She has 106 for her three-year varsity career.

But the Fox Chapel junior’s most vivid memory of the season was the wins, no matter how they came, and also celebrating the biggest one on a rainy night late last month at Highmark Stadium.

Helping bring another WPIAL championship to the school and the girls soccer program — the Foxes beat South Fayette, 1-0, in overtime to claim the Class 3A title and avenge last year’s title-game loss to the Lions — was the most gratifying part of the 2025 season for McKee.

For her efforts as a leading force for Fox Chapel’s success this season, McKee is the A-K Valley Girls Soccer Player of the Year from a group of talented players that included Freeport junior Cam Woods and Springdale senior Hailey Marchlewski.

“The team was pretty special,” McKee said. “We were very close, and that showed on the field. We put a lot of heart into the WPIAL final, and every game we played.

“There were a lot of games we won that we didn’t think we would win. With having six new starters and losing all of that talent from last year, we weren’t sure how it would play out. It was just a special moment to win the WPIAL with the people that you love. It was an incredible feeling to celebrate the fact that we were the best in the WPIAL.”

Fox Chapel finished its season 20-2-1 overall with a section title, the WPIAL championship and a win in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

McKee again was lethal in many games, sometimes taking over the scoresheet. She scored multiple goals in a game 17 times and recorded seven games with at least a hat trick.

She collected 14 in the postseason and had both scores in the 2-0 PIAA first-round victory over District 10’s Harbor Creek.

McKee also assisted on nine goals as she worked to get others involved in the scoring.

She said she was proud of what she was able to accomplish this season, but she was quick to credit her teammates for also making their mark in this championship season.

“Some teams focus a lot on me, but that creates more space for our other dangerous players where they are able to attack and benefit off of it,” McKee said. “As a forward and striker, it is my job to score goals, but I love to set up goals, too, in the right situation. It’s all about getting the win and doing whatever it takes to make it happen.”

She set up senior Lily McLaughlin for the winning overtime goal against South Fayette.

“Lily was able to have an incredible moment as a senior and win it for us,” McKee said. “She made a great run and was open. I got a good perspective from behind. There was some great pictures of us hugging after. I still couldn’t believe it when it went in. It was such an amazing shot. In that moment, it was hard to grasp that we were WPIAL champs.”

Right before the start of the season, McKee gave a verbal commitment to Pitt.

She appreciated her future Panthers coach, Randy Waldrum, for being able to make it to a couple of her games.

“I knew (the Pitt verbal commitment) would put some pressure on me, but it also gave me confidence knowing that I was committed there so I should be able to do things in games like I did,” McKee said.

McKee said she appreciated the season with the seniors.

“Some of them I’ve been playing with for 10 years. I’ve grown up with them,” she said. “It was great to help them go out with a WPIAL championship as part of their last season.”

McKee’s immediate future in soccer is playing indoor with her Beadling club team with a focus on making playoffs and going after a trip to nationals.

But she said she has one eye to the future of Fox Chapel soccer next fall and, hopefully, making more title runs.

The Foxes, for at least the next two seasons, will play back up in Class 4A, a position they were in two years ago when they captured WPIAL gold at Highmark.

“We have a good group of players coming back,” McKee said. “It will be a challenge moving back up. But we were there and won (the WPIAL title). We played some of the 4A teams (the last two years) and did well. There will be some younger players ready to step up. I think we will have a good chance to make another run and, hopefully, play at Highmark for a fourth year in a row.”

First team

Makiah Buchak

Jr., F, Burrell

Buchak has scored some big playoff goals for the Bucs in her three varsity seasons. That included the winning goal in the PIAA Class 2A semifinal against Freeport. She had team-best nine goals as Burrell finished as the WPIAL and PIAA runner-up. For her efforts, Buchak was named to the All-WPIAL team for Class 2A.

Cassie Classen

Sr., D, Fox Chapel

The versatile veteran made it happen all over the field to help her team reach Highmark Stadium for a third straight time and claim the program’s second WPIAL title in three years. She and the Foxes allowed just 21 goals in 23 games. Classen, who assisted on goals in the first two rounds of the WPIAL playoffs and finished with four on the season, was selected to the All-WPIAL team for Class 3A.

Emily Grubich

Jr., F, Plum

Grubich was at the center of Plum’s offensive prowess, which helped deliver the program’s seventh straight section championship, a trip to the WPIAL semifinals and a fourth-place finish in Class 3A. The All-WPIAL selection tied for the team lead in goals with 15 while also providing eight assists.

Peyton Los

Sr., MF, Freeport

Los wasn’t the main goal scorer as she was in previous seasons, but her impact on the team was just as big. She helped control the midfield for a Yellowjackets team that captured its first WPIAL championship and qualified for the PIAA tournament for the first time since 2016. A first-team pick for the second year in a row and an All-WPIAL selection in Class 2A, Los finished the season with seven goals and nine assists.

Hailey Marchlewski

Sr., MF, Springdale

Marchlewski has fronted a major Dynamos postseason run the past several seasons. This year was no exception as the speedy midfielder/forward was at the center of the attack and finished with a team-best 14 goals and 14 assists. The All-WPIAL performer’s final goal of her varsity career was Springdale’s lone tally in a 2-1 overtime loss to Bishop Guilfoyle in the PIAA semifinals.

McKenna Miller

Jr., MF, Burrell

Miller provided seasoned experience for a youthful Burrell squad that made a run to the WPIAL title game for a second year in a row. She controlled the midfield, led the Bucs with four playoff goals, and finished the season with eight tallies. Miller, an All-WPIAL selection for Class 2A, helped the Bucs reach the PIAA semifinals with goals in each of the first two rounds, 2-1 victories over District 10 champion Cathedral Prep and District 5 champion Bedford.

Mary Quinlan

Jr., MF, Riverview

Quinlan burst onto the scene two years ago as a freshman upstart in the Raiders’ march to the PIAA title game. She produced her best season yet this fall in leading the Raiders to another WPIAL playoff berth. The All-WPIAL selection fronted the Riverview offense with 24 goals, second only to Fox Chapel’s Emily McKee in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Lacey Shondeck

Sr., D/MF, Springdale

Shondeck made her final varsity season a memorable one as she commanded various parts of the pitch for a Dynamos team that finished third in WPIAL Class A and made it to the PIAA semifinals before falling in overtime to Bishop Guilfoyle. Shondeck, an All-Section 4-A first-team pick, scored 10 goals, including the lone tally for her team in the 2-1 WPIAL semifinal loss to Sewickley Academy.

Bry Simonetti

Sr., F, Deer Lakes

Simonetti led a potent and balanced Lancers scoring attack to a spot in the WPIAL playoffs in Class 2A. She always found herself in the mix and fronted the team with 15 goals as she earned Section 4 first-team honors. She scored multiple goals in games several times and had the winning tallies against District 10’s Fort LeBoef (2-1) and rival Knoch (1-0) in nonsection play.

Cam Woods

Jr., F, Freeport

The recent Ohio commit again was a main attraction in games for the WPIAL Class 2A champion Yellowjackets. Woods led the team with 26 goals, giving her 73 for her three-year varsity career. A repeat All-WPIAL selection and VND first-team all-star for a third year in a row, Woods logged the winning goal in Freeport’s PIAA quarterfinal win over Lancaster Catholic.

Second team

Alyssa Alcorn, Sr., GK, Freeport

Ellie Arnold, So., F, Kiski Area

Brooke Cacurak, Sr., D, Deer Lakes

Claire Cacurak, Sr., F/MF, Deer Lakes

Isabel Chaparro, Sr., D, Riverview

Tessa Derringer, So., MF, Springdale

Nia DiSanti, Sr., MF/F, Freeport

Allison Porter, Sr., D, Plum

Gianna Revetta, Sr., MF, Plum

Caylie Wilkinson, Jr., D, Fox Chapel

Eva Wilson, Jr., D, Burrell

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Kiski Area, Plum, Riverview, Springdale