A stellar junior season propelled Kyleigh Mercurio to laying claim to the Ted Van Horn Award as Pickaway County’s top female soccer player.
Mercurio’s 37 goals helped her Westfall team to a 13-0 start before an injury in game 14 brought her season to a close.
“I broke my leg toward the end, but we started off pretty strong,” she said. “We just came out with the same mindset every game. And we practiced getting stronger and then what we lacked in each game, we fixed it at practice the next day. We just came in better and better each game.”
Accounting for about half of the team’s goals scored this season, her coach said she was a great team payer.
“She’s not selfish. She gives opportunity to her other teammates on the field to help grow,” coach George Sauer said. “She’s always at practice regardless of the injuries. She’s always there on the side encouraging people.
“She’s here one more season, so she’s helping other ones grow, hopefully to take her place.”
Along with the county’s coaches selecting her as the player of the year, coaches in the Scioto Valley conference voted her co-player of the year.
“Getting it this year, it shows the season I had,” Mercurio said.
The honors have kept coming as she was named First Team All-District and selected All-Ohio in Division V – the first Westfall player to be named All-Ohio.
“She’s got some respect,” Sauer said of coaches around the area recognizing her ability.
And Mercurio’s ability makes his job a bit easier.
“Sometimes you get lost just watching her play, and that’s something I’ve got to take a step back and say, okay, we got 10 others out there,” Sauer said. “It’s just making sure she leads the team and kind of let her have her way a little bit on the field and help her help the team.”
Mercurio helps them team not only with her offense but helping her teammates get in position and by setting a positive example.
“On the field, I make sure everyone’s talking and in places they need to be,” she said. “Make sure they know a position, and if they don’t, they know they can lean on me.”
Mercurio said she’s rehabbing the leg with plans to be back on the basketball court this season while preparing for her senior soccer season.
“I’m pretty motivated, but it’s going to be hard to beat what I had this year,” she said. “I mean, I’m going to try, definitely going for it next year.”
And the Mustangs lose five seniors who were the core of the defensive unit.
“Our defense definitely was a good, strong aspect in the game and losing them, I’ll definitely have to step up way more next year,” Mercurio said.
The award is named in honor of Ted Van Horn who was a Vietnam veteran and spent two decades assisting with the high school soccer program at Circleville as well as countless years volunteering with the youth soccer program in Circleville. He passed away in 2012.
Van Horn was an assistant on Sauer’s staff when he coached at Circleville.
“Ted’s daughter played for us, and Ted was a veteran, and he helped in the youth league and we invited him into the program, and when his daughter graduated, he still stayed with us, and he was there for multiple years. Ted Van Horn was a great person and a great leader and just loved having him,” Sauer said. “And I was excited when I saw they were going to name the award after him.”
The third season the award has been presented, Mercurio is the first player from Westfall to win.
Sauer added that Mercurio is helping bring more respect to Westfall soccer and getting younger players excited as they’re seeing an uptick in the number of players looking to play club and indoor soccer during the offseason.
“That’s one of her leadership traits — it’s not about her; it’s about the team. We’re excited about her and having her come back one more season.”
The winner of the Ted Van Horn Award and the Brad Morris All-Pickaway County soccer teams were selected by the Pickaway County high school soccer coaches.
Winners of the Ted Van Horn Award
2023 — Faith Kanoski (Teays Valley)
2024 — Brooklyn Herbert (Teays Valley)
2025 — Kyleigh Mercurio (Westfall)