Ligonier Valley’s Lynn develops into dominant scorer

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, September 11, 2018 | 10:30 PM

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Forward Mia Lynn has had plenty of success in her four years playing girls soccer at Ligonier Valley, but she really didn’t put it all together until last season’s District 6 first-round playoff game against Forrest Hills.

She scored a hat trick in the Rams’ 3-0 road win over the Rangers. In short, the performance was Lynn’s coming out party.

“I mentally prepared myself for that game,” said Lynn, who ranks fourth in Ligonier Valley history with 54 career goals. “I told the team that it’s now or never. I got a goal early and hyped up the team. I definitely improved as a player (that game) to find that balance.”

Lynn’s soccer story begins at age 3, when she began to hone her knack for scoring. Her father was a coach and she always found herself playing with the boys. It was that experience that helped shape Lynn into one of most dangerous attackers in District 6.

“My parents had me start at soccer at the age of 3 and put me in softball, basketball, volleyball, but soccer always seemed to be my thing, “ Lynn said. “I specifically remember, I played with a lot of boys. I just remember (my dad) saying pass it to this person, pass it to that person and its going to go in.”

A four-year starter for the Rams, Lynn wasn’t always a polished scorer. She said that early in her high school career she struggled with knowing when to pass the ball or drive for the score. But ultimately, the anxiety of playing in close games is what helped Lynn drive the ball deep and go for the score.

“It’s definitely a hard feature to learn in the game,” Lynn said. “My first two years of high school I struggled to identify who I was as a player, a midfielder or forward. My position right now is an attacking midfielder because I have the drive to score for my team.”

Things have chanced since last year’s playoff win over Forrest Hills. Lynn is starting to get all of the attention from opposing defenders. But like any great player, Lynn has figured out how to get around all of it. It all starts with her workouts this past offseason, when she concentrated on her footwork.

When a player attracts so much attention, there’s open teammates somewhere else, and that’s when Lynn looks to get her teammates involved.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m a strong built person; I’m on the smaller side at 5-foot-3,” Lynn said. “I just keep my head up. There’s people open and give-and-go’s are gonna be there.”

Lynn added two more goals Tuesday night in the Rams’ 4-2 win over Conemaugh Valley to give Ligonier Valley a 3-1-1 record on the season.

Lynn said her best attribute as a player is her ability to see the field but also to anticipate the pass to one of her open teammates. Lynn finished last season with 10 assists.

“I would say that as a player I can definitely see those ‘through balls’ and be able to play at the person’s feet and play ahead of them,” Lynn said. “My timing for passing is pretty good.”

Timing is everything. That’s why the second-round playoff loss to Central Martinsburg wasn’t all that tough to swallow. The Rams returned 10 players to set up a special season for Lynn and her teammates.

“It gave me hope,” Lynn said. “I really wanted to pick up where we left off. I really had a good feeling in the way that we ended, even though we lost. I’ve been playing with these girls for 10 years.”

Lynn has received interest from a few Division I coaches but is looking into playing at Division II schools. She has looked into playing at Lock Haven and Pitt-Greensburg.

“I had hopes of going D-I and I’m good with going D-II because of my studies, to have that balance and not have them own me,” Lynn said. “I would like to become a physician’s assistant.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Ligonier Valley