By Tim Tassa - Daily Staff Writer

BERRYVILLE — She said it's time to relax.

By all accounts, after a second straight 36-goal season, Clarke County's Danielle Moyer has earned it.

So for those waiting for The Northern Virginia Daily's four-time Girls Soccer Player of the Year to announce collegiate athletic plans for the fall, intramurals and club activities will have to suffice.

"Most people just know me as an athlete, but I got into the University of Virginia without any kind of athletic scholarship — it was purely based on academics," said Moyer, who has participated in four sports year-round for the Eagles.

"The first time I went to U.Va. I just fell in love with the campus and I just liked everything about the school. So I kind of knew right then that that's where I wanted to go."

Moyer, who also stars in basketball, track and cross country, said she opted not to pursue varsity sports in college.

Over her athletic travels in high school, Moyer said she's had the opportunity to visit numerous college campuses for games and camps, and has been the recipient of recruitment letters from colleges.

But early in the school year she stamped her plan to become a "Hoo." Excellence isn't resigned to the playing field for Moyer — her non-weighted 4.8 grade point average was ripe for enrollment at the prestigious public institution in Charlottesville.

"She's really smart," teammate Tori Russell said. "I knew she wasn't going to do a big sport because she's so into her books and stuff like that."

"She's always wanted to go to U.Va. — that's her No. 1 school."

Moyer led the area in scoring by a whopping 18-goal margin and recorded 16 assists, also tops in the area. She finished her career with 136 goals and 68 assists, and helped the Eagles to a pair of state championships as a freshman and sophomore.

"It's indescribable, she's one of those players that it's hard to put a few words on," Clarke County head coach Laurie Harrell said.

"She's probably one of the most humble players I've ever coached. She's an incredible player, incredibly talented, a great attitude, a leader on the field but she doesn't show it, you don't see it, she's not outward about it, she's just real quiet."

Harrell said she never expects a player to duplicate a season as dominant as Moyer's junior campaign. But Moyer actually bettered her previous season's output by a single assist.

However, for the first time in her soccer career at Clarke County, Moyer's Eagles did not play in the state finals after falling to Riverheads in the Region B quarterfinals. It was, admittedly, a rebuilding year for the team, dealing with an infusion of younger talent after the loss of nine seniors last year.

"I guess you kind of start to take things for granted," Moyer said. "You kind of think like, no matter what, you're going to be going to states. But when your season gets cut short, reality hits in and it's like, wow, we really are gone this year."

Moyer is unsure of whether she will try out for U.Va.'s club soccer team, which imposes it's own time restraints with practice and travel. She admitted, though, that the school's plethora of intramural activities will be of interest.

Just don't expect her to take her new competition lightly.

"I think that they will be surprised," Harrell said of Moyer's prospective intramural foes.

"She's obviously an athlete, she's been doing all three seasons of sports every year," teammate Katheryne Lawson said.

"I'm sure she'll do something competitive, I doubt she can just drop it off all together."

R Contact Tim Tassa at ttassa@nvdaily.com

Comment on this story | View Comments |