Published: November 24, 2008 12:30 am            

Center stage

Polar Bears’ Dalton named top midfielder in Class AAA soccer

FAIRMONT — Debbie Cattafesta remembers the moment like it was yesterday.

It was summer 2005 and the second-year Fairmont Senior girls’ soccer coach was putting together the pieces that would form that season’s squad, one extremely young but bursting with potential.

The Polar Bears were set at most key spots, but remained unsettled in the midfield. The reason? Well, to be honest, no one really wanted the added responsibility that came with the position.

Feeling she had nothing to lose, Cattafesta asked Laura Dalton — then a freshman — if she wouldn’t mind playing the middle.

Dalton didn’t blink. She, after all, had played the position since the age of 12. She could do this.

“No one else would even attempt it, and she said ‘I’ll do it,’” Cattafesta said. “She took the lead.”

Taking the lead.

It’s something Dalton did from day one and continued throughout her four years as essentially the quarterback of the Fairmont Senior attack. And it’s something that certainly didn’t go unnoticed by area coaches as Dalton was recently named the Class AAA Midfielder of the Year by the West Virginia High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Dalton earned all-state honors in each of the past three seasons and finished her career with 50 goals and 25 assists, including 15 and six as a senior in 2008.

But, perhaps more than anything, this run is defined by Fairmont Senior’s stunning team success.

Dalton and the rest of a strong, steady senior class — Tai Cattafesta, Lizzy Turner, Megan Cremeans, Lauren Retton, Morgan Cain and Danielle Price rounded out the group — helped push the program to new heights.

In four years, a span of 92 games (including playoffs), the Polar Bears went 73-8-11 and outscored their opponents 297-47.

And while the team never reached its ultimate goal of winning a state title, Dalton couldn’t be prouder of what she and her teammates did as seniors, going 17-2-4 with 14 shutouts.

“I mean, we had a great season. We wanted a state championship and it didn’t happen, but we still accomplished a lot,” Dalton said.

All that time on the field together — Dalton had played with some teammates years before joining the varsity team — created strong bonds that will never be broken.

Take her relationship with junior Krissy Bodnovich.

“Krissy and I read each other’s minds,” Dalton said. “She’s always been right beside me. It’s like a family; you know how each person plays and where to pass the ball. (Not playing with them anymore) is kind of like losing sisters.”

While she is losing teammates, Dalton has gained even more. Her play in the middle has helped her see the entire field and improved her passing, though she is working hard to get even better at the latter.

“Lu Lu (Laura) is dependable. She’s solid. She’s very serious and responsible and works extremely hard,” Cattafesta said. “She’s 100 percent soccer.”

The game — and the demands of the position — have also had a positive effect off the field.

“I had to grow into it a little bit, but now I know I’m capable of doing a lot of things.”

That includes taking her game one more step and competing at the collegiate level. Right now, Dalton is looking at Philadelphia University (Pa.) and West Virginia Wesleyan, but has yet to make a concrete decision in regard to either school.

But wherever soccer takes her, she’ll remember her Fairmont Senior teammates, the memories, the wins and being in the middle of it all.

“It’s sad that I’m not going to play with them anymore,” Dalton said. “But I still have a future in soccer. That’s pretty exciting.”

E-mail Nick Cammuso at ncammuso@timeswv.com.

        

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