Girls Soccer: The All-Delco Teams

First Team

Mollie Carpenter, Haverford: The senior center back showed the athleticism that informs why she’ll continue her basketball career at Catholic University. She’s physically imposing at 6-foot, but her ability to see the game and her mobility to clear danger earns her the spot on the first team. Her Fords won nine games, made the District 1 Class 4A playoffs and allowed just 20 goals in 18 games. Their tight results included a 2-1 loss to Conestoga. Carpenter played 90 percent of her minutes in defense, but she still managed to make fruitful cameos at forward. She finished second on the team with six goals and added two assists. Carpenter was a first team All-Central pick.

Mia Zebley, Garnet Valley: The senior midfielder is on the All-Delco team for the second straight season, her dynamic two-way presence bridging the gap to a cohort of talented sophomores and leading the Jaguars to the second round of the District 1 Class 4A tournament. Zebley scored four goals and six assists. Her poise in midfield provided the platform upon which talented youngsters, like second-teamers Ella Bryan and Maddie Smith, could excel in the attack. It contributed to 11 wins and six clean sheets. She assisted on the game-winner in a 1-0 decision over Methacton and had two assists in a wild 4-3 win over Harriton. A defensive midfielder in lacrosse, the All-Central pick will play at Elon University.

Selah Koleth, Radnor: The Raptors lost plenty from last fall’s run to the PIAA Class 3A final, but Koleth was one of the players who proved she could pick up the slack. The junior midfielder led Radnor with nine goals and an assist before missing the end of the regular season due to injury. She shouldered tremendous responsibility as a box-to-box presence, getting up and down the field and helping construct an entirely new midfield that was particularly hard hit by graduation. Koleth’s on-ball skills are undeniable: She’s one of the flashiest players around, with her beguiling array of skills, but the All-Central pick added more of a finishing touch this season, as a threat to shoot from 30 yards and in.

Coryn Silberstein, Springfield: The senior midfield string-puller is on the All-Delco for a second straight year, before she continues her soccer career at Longwood University. Most of the Cougars’ positives on offense ran through Silberstein, who finished second on the team with eight goals and led the way with six assists for a team that qualified for the District 1 Class 4A tournament. Her ability to pick a pass through the lines or take on a defender one-v-one opened doors for the Springfield attack. She scored in a 3-2 overtime win over Ridley, set up Liv Gutowski’s icer against Penncrest and added braces against St. Hubert and Faith Christian.

Annie Dignazio, Strath Haven: The sophomore fireball ignited a significant turnaround for the Panthers, going from five wins in 2021 to 12 this season and a spot in the District 1 Class 3A tournament. She did much of the goal-scoring, with nine goals and eight assists, showing how valuable she was after missing much of her freshman season due to injury. Dignazio is a multi-sport standout, playing hockey (with her All-Delco brother Nick on the boys team) and lacrosse, where she contributed as a freshman. On the pitch, Dignazio scored against Conestoga, a game in which the Panthers pushed the Pioneers to overtime and one of just seven goals Conestoga allowed in the regular season. She added two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over Radnor and two goals in a 2-0 win over Upper Merion. She earned All-Central recognition from coaches.

Adria Kitzinger, Ridley: Kitzinger was voted the Central League player of the year despite the Green Raiders finishing ninth in the standings. That’s some indication of the high regard the electric forward was held in, landing on the All-Delco team for a second time. Kitzinger scored 29 goals to go with 13 assists, having a hand in 42 of the team’s 56 goals as the Green Raiders slipped into the District 1 Class 4A playoffs as the 28th and final seed. With 59 career goals, she leaves as the school’s all-time leading scorer. The Seton Hall signee’s numbers, in any other year, would’ve been worthy of the player of the year mantle, a testament to the county’s talent this season. Among her achievements were hat tricks in 3-0 wins over Harriton and Cardinal O’Hara and the overtime game-winning goal plus an assist in a win over Garnet Valley.

Second Team

Maggie Allison, Sr. D, Penncrest
Kierstyn Finn, Jr. M, Marple Newtown
Ella Bryan, So. M, Garnet Valley
Maddie Smith, So. F, Garnet Valley
Deegan Mack, Sr. F, Haverford
Liv Gutowski, Jr. F, Springfield
Ivy Chaskelson, So. F, Radnor

Honorable Mention

Garnet Valley: Anna Goldkamp, Jenny Green, Liv Perry
Haverford: Nora Burns, Alyssa Seavey, Tessa Weideman
Marple Newtown: Sophia Foschi, Lauren Gura
Penncrest: Veronica Lutz, Sophie Phillips, Taryn Tagtmeir
Radnor: Olivia Jacobs, Sydney O’Shea, Mallory Toomey
Ridley: Macie Clark, Rachael Jarman, Ella O’Doherty, Jenna Prum
Springfield: Alexis Aaron, Sara Bean, Anabel Kreydt, Mia Valerio
Strath Haven: Maeve Hanifin, Lily Ostiguy, Laura Shea, Julia Steere
Upper Darby: Chishaundra Jones, Aubrey Patterson, Gurleen Virk, Kylah Ward

Strath Haven’s Annie Dignazio, right, and Radnor’s Selah Koleth collide in a midfield duel Tuesday night. Dignazio’s Panthers won in overtime, 3-2. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)