Former Plum soccer player Ferragonio a starting guard for Passion

Long before she graduated from Plum in 2012, Lauren Ferragonio knew Beth Amato.

Ferragonio and the Amato family were connected through soccer, and she was a teammate of Alexis Amato, Beth's eldest daughter, for two seasons on the Mustangs girls soccer team.

When it came time, Beth Amato, a 12-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Passion women's football team, made an overture to Ferragonio about making her move to a new journey.

It has been an adventure, Ferragonio said, and one she's glad she made.

“Ever since I was 12, (Beth) told me that she liked my aggressiveness and wanted me to play for the Passion when I turned 18,” Ferragonio said. “When I graduated, my sister, Sarah, was still on the team and played with Ashley (Amato).

“I was at a game, and Beth asked me to come to a meeting with her. We had some more meetings, and then we started practicing.”

Now, Ferragonio is the starting right offensive guard for the Passion, who finished their regular season 8-0 on Saturday and are preparing for the Independent Women's Football League playoffs.

Other local members of the team include third-year defensive lineman Shelley Victor, a Freeport graduate, and third-year assistant coaches Robert Hutchinson and Jesse Hutchinson, both of Vandergrift.

Second-year fullback and linebacker Amanda Duncan, who is from Penn Hills, is a police officer in Springdale.

Ferragonio is in her second season with the Passion.

“It was surreal at first,” Ferragonio said. “The people I was now playing with were people who I had been looking up to for a long time, including Beth.”

Ferragonio, who attended Passion and Plum football games and played in the Powder Puff game at Plum for two seasons, said playing for the Passion was an interesting switch from what she had been used to.

“It was kind of a big transition, being involved with soccer and softball for such a long time,” Ferragonio said. “I grew up with those sports, and they came easily to me. It was tough at first being 18 and trying to learn a whole new sport.

“It was a little overwhelming, but my teammates were great in helping me get going by answering any questions I had. They were really patient with me.”

Ferragonio said she doesn't mind mixing it up in the trenches.

“Soccer helped me because I was a very aggressive goalkeeper,” she said. “I was always diving and tackling people. I was never afraid of contact. I like the physicality in football. Playing on the line, there's never a play where I'm not hitting someone.”

Ferragonio battled through injury at the beginning of the 2014 season, and it took her away from the field for a couple of games. But she was able to quickly regain her spot in the lineup.

She said Beth Amato, a Plum resident who graduated from Gateway, is a role model for a number of players on the team.

Amato retired from the Passion after last season but was encouraged by numerous team members to come back for another season. The linebacker has been a key component of a Passion defense that has helped the team to reach the playoffs almost every season since the franchise's start in 2002.

“I have always looked up to her,” Ferragonio said. “When she started, she was older than almost all the other players. She's fearless at her position. It's amazing, at her age (49), she is still able to go out there and play a position with such physicality.

“It just shows you that anyone can do something they want to if they are willing to put in the time and effort. She definitely is a big example of that.”

Pittsburgh defeated the Baltimore Nighthawks, 38-6, to close out the regular season undefeated. The Passion surrendered only 24 points in eight games and scored an average of 34.8 points.

“It's been a special season,” Ferragonio said. “Every year, our goal is the championship. We have the personnel, the coaching staff and the drive. We have all the tools to get that championship.”

The Passion are scheduled to open the IWFL playoffs June 28 against the Keystone Assault (8-0).

A win would put them in the conference championship July 12, and the league championship game is set for July 26 in Rock Hill, S.C.

Michael Love is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com.