The following is an article which was featured on Cumberlink.com and was written by Sentinel author Kurt Bopp. For the online edition of the article click here.
The most successful season in Mechanicsburg girls soccer history could have fallen far short of that.
After entering the year amid high expectations, the Wildcats had a 7-3 record and three narrow losses to strong teams, including division rivals Lower Dauphin and Hershey.
Coach Tony Lougee reassessed the team and decided to move Jodie Zelenky back to her natural position on defense. Zelenky had moved up to midfield to replace Airy Arnold, who left a big hole there when she graduated. But the switch wasn’t leading to great results, and Lougee decided it was best for all to move Zelenky back.
The transition was gradual, but by the end of the year it became apparent: The Wildcats were better with Zelenky on defense.
Zelenky helped lead the Wildcats to an eight-game win streak, including triumphs in the rematches with Hershey and Lower Dauphin and the team’s first appearance in the District 3 finals. Mechanicsburg finished the season with a school-record 19 victories.
For her dominating play on defense and for leading the Wildcats to new heights, Zelenky has been named The Sentinel’s 2011 Player of the Year.
“She’s had a tremendous year for us,” Lougee said. “Started off at a difficult position in a role she’s not accustomed to. She settled into the backline, where she’s best suited, and really changed the turn of our season. She was able to be the bedrock of this team.”
Zelenky said she was happy to switch back to defense because it was where she was more comfortable and because she “helped the team there more.”
Lougee said the turning point for the Wildcats came on April 25 at Carlisle.
Carlisle’s Amelia McConnell scored less than two minutes into the game to put the 8-3 Wildcats in an early hole. But Zelenky and the Wildcats didn’t back down.
“We had been getting scored on quite a bit up to that point,” Lougee said. “Just Jodie’s demeanor, and the other players’ confidence in her as a person and a player, changed things. We settled down and got a good result, and that was really a big turning point.”
Mechanicsburg scored five-straight goals before allowing a late goal on a penalty kick, and beat the Herd 6-2. The win was the second in the Wildcats’ eight-game streak. During that span, they allowed only 1.25 goals a game, including a shutout of Hershey. In the eight games prior to the streak, Mechanicsburg allowed 1.87 a game, including three to the Trojans.
After losing a tie-breaker with Lower Dauphin for the Keystone crown, the Wildcats began their district run. In the midst of the tournament, Zelenky was named Mid-Penn Player of the Year by the Mid-Penn coaches.
“I was really surprised,” Zelenky said. “There are so many other great players, like Kelly Pizzingrilli at CV. I played with her my whole life. It also really surprised me because people don’t usually pick defenders. We don’t really have the stats. Definitely a pleasant surprise.”
Lougee was “satisfied” with the decision and said Zelenky was recognized largely for how she played when she moved back to defense, and for her impact on the program over her four years.
Natalie Zelenky, Jodie’s sister and Mechanicsburg’s leading scorer, was thrilled for her sister and said she definitely deserved it, even though she didn’t have the stats some other plaayers did.
Jodie Zelenky’s versatility and willingness to do anything for the team are what make her such a great player, Lougee said. She’s also a very “technical” player who can use both feet and essentially play any position.
“When I told her ‘I think we’re going to shake things up,’ she was ready to go,” Lougee said. “She’s smart, too. Probably knew before I did that we should’ve done it.”
Although the switch to midfield ended up being temporary, Lougee was impressed with how Zelenky accepted and embraced the challenge.
Zelenky’s leadership qualities are as important as her play on the field.
“Jodie’s been a leader since day one,” Lougee said. “We don’t really name captains, but people know who to look to. She’s been a leader since she was a freshman. She took the role last year and really stepped up.”
Lougee said Zelenky isn’t “overly vocal,” but does her share of directing and talking. Her biggest strength as a leader is just being a great model for the younger players.
“She’s definitely a great leader,” Natalie Zelenky said. “She really knows how to tell us what we need to do. She’s always the first one there. Always helping out.”
The Zelenky sisters enjoyed playing on the same team “consistently” over the past two seasons, Natalie said, although they have played together occasionally through the years. Jodie said she always knew where her sister was on the field.
This summer, Jodie will be down at Virginia Tech to begin classes and start working with her new team. Zelenky chose the Hokies after playing in one of their camps. Tech also is one of the few schools with her major – human nutrition, food, exercise.
Zelenky believes her coaches and teammates past and present have her ready for college.
“Jodie is one of those people that comes through very rarely,” Lougee said. “You have great players, but people that come in and do the right thing consistently every day, that’s more rare. She helped bring the program to a new level.”
