Egan named Herald Athlete of the Week
Kathryn Egan comes from a soccer family.
Her father, David Egan, played college soccer at Yale and later played professionally for the Pittsburgh Spirit.
Kathryn’s older sister, Marnie, was a goalie and former teammate at Shady Side Academy. She currently plays for Washington & Jefferson College.
Younger brother D.J. is a freshman midfielder for Shady Side’s boys soccer team.
Kathryn Egan’s other soccer family is Shady Side’s girls team, which is off to a 9-3 start this season.
Like any good family member, Egan doesn’t mind sharing with others.
The junior midfielder leads the Indians with seven assists through the first 12 games.
“I like to be the assist person,” Egan said. “I like to do whatever I can to help the team.”
Egan’s passing and scoring — she has seven goals — are a big reason Shady Side has played so well under first-year head coach Sarah Lettrich.
“Kathryn plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Lettrich said. “With her distributing skills, field vision and passing ability, she does a great job. She’s so quick with the ball that she’s hard to stop.”
Egan scored two goals in the Indians’ three games last week, helping Shady Side earn Section 3-AA victories against Springdale and North Catholic. She had a goal in Shady Side’s loss to Sewickley Academy, the only section loss of the season for the Indians, who are 7-1 in Section 3-AA.
For her performance, Egan has been selected The Herald Athlete of the Week.
At 5-foot-2 and under 100 pounds, Egan often is the smallest player on the field.
That hasn’t stopped her from making a big impact. She’s been a fixture in Shady Side’s starting lineup since she first showed up as a 4-foot-11 freshman two years ago.
“I get beaten up a lot because I’m smaller,” she said. “It gets physical sometimes, but I love that part about soccer.”
When opponents try to rough her up, Egan doesn’t back down.
“She’s tough,” Lettrich said. “And she plays big.”
Egan has been all-section each of her first two seasons. In 2002, she had five goals and 12 assists for the Indians.
Egan played on the right side of the midfield last season. Lettrich moved her to the middle this year to take advantage of her passing skills.
“I’m getting more touches on the ball, and I feel like I can distribute more to the outsides,” Egan said.
The Indians have relied even more on the all-around skills of Egan this season because senior Laryn Kovalik, the school’s all-time leading scorer, has missed time with injuries.
“Kathryn is so strong in both the offensive and defense ends,” Lettrich said.
Egan, who lives in Hampton Township, hopes to lead Shady Side further in the WPIAL playoffs than ever before. The Indians have been eliminated in the first round three years in a row and are still seeking the school’s first-ever playoff victory.
“Our defense has stepped up, our goalie, Stephanie (Woelfel) is playing well, and our seniors are doing a great job,” Egan said. “This is probably our year to do well in the playoffs.”
Additional Information:
Kathryn Egan
School: Shady Side Academy.
Class: Junior.
Sport: Soccer.
Last week: Egan, a center-midfielder, scored a goal in two of the Indians’ three games. She had a goal in a 6-3 loss to Sewickley Academy Sept. 22, did not score in a 3-0 shutout of Springdale Sept. 24 and scored a goal in a 5-0 victory over North Catholic Sept. 26.