PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ Ava-Anne Sheahan could have easily picked one of two sports to continue her athletic career in college.
She’s an outstanding softball player for the Roughriders who has been a huge part of teams that have gone to the state tournament. This year, she’s leading the Riders with seven doubles.
But soccer is her true love. A longtime defensive back for the Riders, she chose soccer as the sport to continue, signing a commitment to play for Corban University in Salem, Ore.
“I really have a love and passion for soccer. Soccer has always been my sport, it’s always been the path for me,” Sheahan said.
Coaches and family members spoke at her signing ceremony, focusing especially on her strong character as much as her athletic achievements.
“This is an exciting day but a sad day as well because of what we’re losing,” said soccer coach Dan Horton. “We’re losing a good person, which makes it even harder. Corban is getting a great player, but more importantly, a great person.”
“Everything you do is genuine. Your moral compass is spot-on,” said her first softball coach, Randy Steinman.
Her first soccer coach, Scott Moseley, said he knew when she was a freshman that she would be a pretty good player. He said he just didn’t realize how good she would be.
“In her first game, I subbed her in during a game against Sequim. And I never took her out ever again,” Moseley said. “It was fun watching her, scoring goals and wondering, ‘Where did that come from?’ ”
Horton said that while Sheahan played center-back on defense, she could score when needed to. In a game this year, she moved up to midfield for the Riders and erupted for a hat trick.
Her mother Megan Sheahan said Ava-Anne is her family’s champion, not only in athletics, but in academics. She said her daughter had overcome a lot in her career, including a serious knee injury and a pulled muscle in her senior year.
“I lost track of many soccer games my mom came to. I’m so grateful she always pushed me because she was always right,” Sheahan said.
Sheahan said she picked Corban because she liked the community at the private, Christian school.
“It’s a great place to build my faith and continue with my academic and athletic career,” she said.
There’s actually a bit of a pipeline between Port Angeles High School and Corban with former Riders stars Gracie Long and Jack Gladfelter moving on to a lot of athletic success at the Salem school. Sheahan said she was aware of that and saw Gladfelter on campus, but it wasn’t a major factor her in picking Corban.
Sheahan begins her final hurrah this weekend, playing in the state softball tournament for the third-ranked Roughriders, who finished fourth at state last year. She said the team has a lot of confidence going into this year’s tournament.
“We all have a lot of trust in each other,” she said.
