Recently the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls’ Sports announced its annual lists for All-State Girls Soccer Selections and, once again, a number of local athletes have made the cut to be honored as some of the best in the state.
In all, three local players picked up First-Team honors for the 2022 season, led by Byron-Bergen super freshman Mia Gray, as well as Bath-Haverling junior Ella Yartym and Keshequa sophomore Ava Thayer.
Already a three-time Genesee Region League All-Star, Gray picked up her first team selection in Class C. The Genesee Region League Player of the Year for the second year in a row, Gray had another outstanding season as she finished with 43 goals. and 24 assists, finishing second in all of Section V with 110 points. Gray was a key component for the Bees reaching the New York State semifinals in Class C for the second consecutive season.
In Class B, Yartym picked up the First-Team nod with a season still to go for the Rams. Yartym, the Livingston County Division ICo-Player of the Year, scored 40 goals and led Section V with 33 assists for a second-leading 113 points. The Haverling midfielder helped guide the Rams to the Section 5 Class B2 title, a Class Far West Regional title and a win in the NYS Class B semifinals.
Haverling would eventually drop a heartbreaker to Section I’s Irvington in the state title game, 2-1 in overtime.
Another of the youngsters earning a First-Team selection was Thayer in Class D. With two seasons still to go, Thayer finished with team-highs of 18 goals and 10 assists for a Keshequa squad which advanced to the NYS Class D semifinals. The Indians finished at 15-7 this fall and would eventually succumb to Section III’s Cincinnatus in the semifinals.
Also in Class B, Yartym’s teammate Keegan Smith picked up a Second-Team selection. A junior midfielder, Smith was second on the Rams in both goals with 27 and assists with 17, finishing with 71 total points.
Making the Class B Third-Team was Hornell junior attacker Ireland Harrison. Leading the Red Raiders to the Class B2 title game, Harrison finished the season with a team-high 26 goals to go with a pair of assists. Hornell finished a solid 15-4 this season.
Finally in Class B, Batavia junior midfielder/attacker Anna Varland was named to the Fourth Team. In leading the Blue Devils to a quality 11-3-4 season, Varland finished with a team-high 17 goals to go with six assists.
Joining Gray in Class C was teammate Mackenzie Hagen. A senior attacker, Hagen capped her career with another tremendous season as she finished with 33 goals and 22 assists.
Also in Class C, Warsaw senior midfielder Chloe Hubbard was named to the Second Team, while Geneseo senior Mary Claire Rollins was honored with a Third-Team selection. Hubbard finished the fall with a team-high 21 goals to go with eight assists, while Rollins had 16 goals and three assists in her final high school campaign.
In Class D, Thayer was joined by teammate Kelsey Davis, who was named to the Second Team. A junior midfielder, Davis finished 2022 with six goals and five assists.
The Class B Player of the Year was Linda Ullmark of Nichols-CHSAA in Section VI; the Class C Player of the Year was Waterford-Halfmoon’s Payton Galuski from Section II; in Class D, Brooke Huleatt from Section IX’s Mount Academy was named the Player of the Year.
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