A-K Valley athletes of the week: Valley’s Taylor Heuser, Springdale’s Billy Lawrence

By: Bill Hartlep
Saturday, September 3, 2022 | 4:23 PM

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Taylor Heuser

Class: Senior

School: Valley

Sport: Soccer

Report card: Heuser scored three goals Wednesday to lead the Vikings (1-1, 0-1 Section 2-2A) to a 7-0 victory over East Allegheny in nonsection play. The senior forward, a three-time letter winner, was Valley’s leading scorer last year.

How did the team play in the win over East Allegheny?

It was very good. We’ve played them before and knew they aren’t really on our level, but we don’t play down to anyone’s level. We still fight hard and push to what we can do. As a whole, we worked well together. We were connecting passes and working around them the best we could.

Was that your first hat trick?

I think I had one at the beginning of last year, too.

How many goals did you score last season?

I believe I had around six or seven. My goal was around 10 to 15. I’m fighting my hardest to get there this year.

What are the goals for the team this year?

Our biggest goal of all is to make it to the playoffs. Valley girls soccer hasn’t made playoffs in many years. I really believe we can make it this year. We’re trying our hardest to win our section. That’s another big goal. And we want to beat Freeport. They’re a very good team. We’re on their level. We can do it.

What will it take to reach the playoffs?

We have to keep our minds straight in the game. If we are down or losing, we get in our heads and get flustered. We need to keep it together as a whole. We need to fight our hardest. We can’t let a loss get us down.

What is your role on this team?

I’m a captain and a senior. My biggest role is to keep the younger girls on the team up, keep their heads high, motivated, keep them strong. I push myself as hard as I can.

Have you made any plans for next year?

I plan on going to college. I’m most likely not playing a sport. I want to focus on my academics. I don’t see soccer in my future. It would be nice if it were to happen.

What will you study?

I definitely want to study medical biology. I want to be someone in the medial field. I’m leaning toward anesthesiology.

What is something people might not know about you?

A lot of people don’t know I played softball the majority of my life. I’ve been playing since I was in kindergarten. I stopped when I was in eighth grade. I wanted to focus more on soccer.

Billy Lawrence

Class: Junior

School: Springdale

Sport: Soccer

Report card: Lawrence had three goals and two assists as Springdale (2-0, 2-0) earned a 9-2 victory over Riverview in Section 3-A play Tuesday. He added a pair of goals in a 4-1 win over Burrell on Thursday. The junior forward was a second-team Valley News Dispatch all-star last season.

How did the team play against Riverview on Tuesday?

Our team did substantially well. We could have played better. But we got the win, so that’s good.

How has the team developed this season under first-year coach Paul Palo?

From last year, we’ve gotten tons better. We’ve improved on communication, just becoming friends, the chemistry has improved and I think we’re going to go far.

What are the team’s goals for this year?

The team just looks to get better and get to know each other on and off the field. On the field, we want to win. We want to score. We want to look good.

What is your role on this team?

Hopefully the rest of my teammates look up to me. That’s how I want to be viewed. I want to be a leader for these young kids to look up to.

Do you have any personal goals for this season?

I just wanted to get back on track from my injury last year, just trying to score a couple more goals than last year. I only played 11 or 12 games. I’m just trying to make it through the season.

How did you get started in soccer?

I started playing soccer at age 4. After kindergarten graduation, my buddy’s dad called my dad and said he was having a practice in Harmarville. I went to that, and ever since I’ve loved soccer.

Are you involved in any other sports or activities at Springdale?

I play basketball. I’m a point guard.

What is something people might not know about you?

I don’t think people understand how humble I try to be when it comes to everything about life.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Springdale, Valley