Riverside Area Youth Soccer League winds down it's Spring 2015 Awards with the final two: Boys and Girls Player of the Season. First up is the ladies.

While there were a number of outstanding nominees the Coaches settled on...two players. The Coaches split their vote down the middle, awarding the RAYSL Girls Player of the Season Award to both Meghan Rosendale and Jade Farnsworth.

Rosendale, a midfielder for the U14 Girls team, was the bedrock from which the U14 Girls built their team over the last few seasons. "Determination, grit, constant desire to improve her skills and the skills of others earned Meghan a leadership role on the GU14 team as a player selected captain," said coach Eric Rosendale.

Though the offense came from the top of the formation, Rosendale's tireless efforts in the midfield launched the attack. "Meghan did not score the most goals this season but her strong presence in the mid-field and her keen vision of the game allowed her to set the table for the rest of her teammates," said Rosendale.

Club Technical Director Walter Clapton was effusive when asked about the midfielder, "Meg Rosendale is a joy to coach, she listens and gives 100% into executing what is being asked. She is technically sound and her decision making on and off the ball is getting better. She's finally eradicating the 'stomp' from her game too! Going into high school this fall she will be a great addition to an already highly capable group of young ladies."

Farnsworth, a goalkeeper for U14 Team Rosendale, U12 Team Rosendale and U12 Team Hardin, won the Spring 2015 Golden Glove as the best Girls Goalkeeper in the Club. Her stellar goalkeeping kept her teams in games, even when opponents managed to break clear of the defense and her 10 clean sheets were unprecedented in recent RAYSL history.

"There are a bunch of really talented players - kids who can play at a high level - in the Club," said RAYSL Vice President Derek Zona. "But there was one absolutely eye-opening player in the Club this spring, and that was Jade Farnsworth. She stopped nearly everything struck in her direction, including some jaw-dropping stops in tight games."

But the display in front of the goal didn't come about by accident. Farnsworth worked tirelessly through the spring to hone her skills.

"Jade put in the extra work throughout the season outside of practice to improve her skills and confidence," said Coach Rosendale. "Her dedication and grit are why she is most deserving of this award."

Clapton echoed Rosendale's praise, saying "Jade is proof that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. She has put time and a lot of effort into being a keeper and it has shown massively. The amount of times she saved her team, with vital saves, was critical to how the seasons went for all three teams she played on this spring."

Farnsworth's extra work has paid off by being named to the District Development Program. Said Clapton, "Her recent PA West District selection, is proof that her hard work has made her very talented within the PA West Area."

"It's fitting that the Girls Player of the Season vote would end in a tie between these two," said Club President Renea Gaus.  She continued, "Their dedication to the game, their teammates, their coaches, and their parents means that wherever they go, Riverside Area Youth Soccer League is represented by not just two great players, but two great young women."