The ball stops here

It can’t be seen because it’s invisible to the eye.

The “door” to her soccer goal is eight feet high, and 24 feet wide, and once the game begins, she slams it shut.

Samantha Merklin has 10 shutouts this season to add to her 10 from last year. She’s a sophomore on coach Derek Strohl’s Pleasant Valley girls’ soccer team that just completed its regular season with a record of 13-3-2.

The irony is that Merklin — unlike most of her counterparts — has not been a soccer goalkeeper for most of her playing career.

The Bears’ previous keeper was Schyler Herman, who passed away last year after a battle with cancer, leaving the team without a goaltender.

“When Sam came to us as a freshman, we asked if she would consider playing the goalkeeper position to help the team,” said Strohl “and it was good for us that she said yes.”

Merklin also plays center back for the Lehigh Valley United club team, and has seen some action in the net as a backup keeper.

She will likely break the school record of 25 shutouts long before she graduates. Strohl’s assistant, Jim Shoopack, is also a goalkeeper coach who has helped Merklin refine her game.

“I want to break the record,” said Merklin “and I will give credit to a great defense in front of me. We communicate very well. They help me play the angles when I have to get ready to stop a shot.”

“Sam reads the play in front of her very well,” said Strohl. “She’s very quick to come off the line and clear the ball outside the box.”

Strohl added that Merklin is very athletic and could play anywhere on the field, but having her mind the net gives the Bears the best chance to win.

For most opponents who can get off a shot against her, it’s one and done.

“Sam is also very good at not giving up rebounds, and she’s quick to make a second save if she has to,” said Strohl.

Merklin has stonewalled some of the Eastern Penn League’s highest scorers. Earlier this season in Pleasant Valley’s 2-0 win over Whitehall, she not only shut out the Zephyrs, she shut down Kate Bonshak, a two-time All-State selection who scored 25 goals a year ago.

“There was 20 seconds left in the game when she came right in on me on an angle. She tried to go through the lower right corner, but I caught the ball to keep the shutout,” Merklin recalled.

Merklin’s statistics this season are rather impressive, as she’s made 97 saves of 105 shots on goal. In addition, her goals against average was 0.65 as of last week — a week that saw her produce three shutouts.

“She’s really improved since last year when she had to play the position every game. She got herself ready to go by working hard in the preseason,” said Strohl.

Merklin — who began playing soccer when she was 2- years-old — puts on her game face when the ball is placed on the field and the action starts.

“I get a really good feeling when we win by a shutout. It’s a big wow for me,” Merklin said. “I think I can do it every game I play. I’m very aggressive and I don’t hesitate to come out to grab the ball before anyone can get off a shot.”

Samantha Merklin will do her best to lock that door in front of the net in the upcoming league tournament and district playoffs.

With two years left as the goalkeeper for Pleasant Valley, she’s also a lock to have her name written in the school record book.

**********

MAKING MEMORIES … Nathaniel Noftz had a “Senior Night” to remember. The Blue Raider Senior stepped away from his normal starting position as goalkeeper last Wednesday to play on the attack. With his Blue Raiders down a goal, Noftz went on to not only to tie the game with a score, but to also score the game-winner in a 2-1 non-conference victory over Catasauqua. Not only did Noftz finish with two goals, he also had five saves before relinquishing his keeper duties to Zach Frie.

**********

ONE FOR THE BOOKS … Norb Leinhard has been around the game for a long time, but the Jim Thorpe tennis coach has never had the kind of success his program has enjoyed the last two seasons Last Tuesday, the Olympians finished the regular season with a 6-1 win over William Allen — their 14th victory of the season. Jim Thorpe’s 14-4 overall record this season set a school record for wins in a season, breaking the mark of 13 wins sets just one year earlier.

**********

20-SOMETHING … Ashlyn Kitsch and Macie Mazalusky, both of Marian, and Cameron Caffrey, of Pleasant Valley, all had recent matches where they had more than 20 assists. Kitsch finished with 25 assists in a Fillies’ victory over Lourdes Regional, while Mazalusky ended up with 22 assists in a Fillies’ win over Tamaqua. Meanwhile, Caffrey chalked up 22 assists in a Bears’ win over East Stroudsburg North, and then went on to record 21 assists in a win over East Stroudsburg South.

**********

EXTRA, EXTRA … Both the Lehighton and Pleasant Valley field hockey teams needed an extra period to earn a win this past week. Karissa Hough, of the Indians, and Mattie Hyland, of the Bears, both came to the rescue for their respective teams. Hough’s goal lifted Lehighton to a 3-2 OT win over Nazareth last Friday, while Hyland’s score raised Pleasant Valley to a 2-1 OT victory over PM West.