Steve Milton: No. 2 in the NCAA? That would be Burlington’s Amanda West
Just a couple of years into her college soccer career, here's what her coach sees in Amanda West.
Her legacy can be to turn this program around, and she's well on her way to it," says Randy Waldrum, one of the most accomplished coaches in women's soccer, now just completing his third year at the helm of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers.
Most grateful coaches apply a little hyperbole to their star players, but Waldrum's opinion of the 20-year-old sophomore out of Burlington's Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School is not exaggerating. The data backs him up.
As Pitt's regular-season ended on March 29, West was the leading Division 1 scorer in the entire nation with 13 goals and seven primary assists for 33 points (goals count for two points). Seattle U redshirted Sydney Carr passed her five days later, moving to 36 points. But West still ranks second.
When the fleet winger arrived on campus last year, Pitt was riding - or being ridden by - a three-year winless streak with just three draws to show for the prior 28 games. But, when they beat Kentucky 4-1 last weekend, it was Pitt's 11th win of the season, most in the program's history.
West's three assists that game earned her offensive player of the week honours in the Atlantic Coast Conference, acknowledged as the most competitive league in the country. In the fall of this pandemic-divided season, she was named to the ACC's second all-star team, the highest individual honour ever accorded a Pitt player.
She has already broken many of the school's career records and still has two, perhaps three, years of eligibility remaining.
When I came here, I didn't have any expectations for being top scorer or breaking school records," West told The Spectator from Pittsburgh. I didn't even think about that. I just wanted to play, like every kid does. And you want to make a difference."
She's done that. Still rebuilding, Pitt likely won't get be there when NCAA berths are announced in mid-April but West says our time is coming and next year I think we'll be challenging for the tournament. Playing in the ACC is good that way because it makes you so much better as a player and a team."
That was one of the main factors in West opting for Pitt. The biology major was attracted to the school's strong academics and short-drive to Burlington. But, she also wanted the challenge of ACC competition and when Pitt hired an elite coaching staff, led by Waldrum, his son Ben and Dustin Stein, it indicated to her that the school was serious about redefining its women's soccer future. Waldrum is one of the most prominent coaches in NCAA history, and led Notre Dame to two national titles.
Randy, Ben and Dustin are famous in the women's soccer world," West said. I chose Pitt because of their reputation and what I knew they could do with the program."
Waldrum says that West has had to carry the load for us in her first two years as we built a team" and that opposing coaches have tried to game-plan around her. But other forwards and strikers are developing, which will help steer some of the front line pressure away her.
West's father, Marc, who played hockey for the Hamilton Steelhawks and Burlington Cougars and for many years professionally, says that he has never heard his daughter, ever say that was good enough.' She'll always keeps working to get it perfect."
I would say that's true, and it's kind of funny because my coaches have said that as well," she laughs.
After an excellent freshman season, Waldrum challenged West to supplement her well-established outside speed and ball-handling with more forceful cuts inside to directly attack the box and middle defenders. So, at home last spring and over Christmas, she practised alone, working her dribble and delivering strikes from all angles around the scoring box. She brought those improved skills to her sophomore Pitt season and averaged nearly a goal per game.
Oddly, she has never been invited to a training camp for any Canadian national team, which surprises Waldrum, who is deeply familiar with the international women's game while coaching the American U23 team, the Nigerian national side coach and the NWSL's Houston Dash.
Amanda West is somebody who clearly should be brought into the national team to at least get a look," he says. You're always trying to find goal scorers."
West would also be eligible to play for Sweden because she was born there while her father played in the Swedish league and her mother, Christine, was born and raised in Sweden. She eventually wants to play pro in the NWSL or in Europe, and would love to get an invitation" to a Canadian national camp.
But, I'm going to worry more about my team here at Pitt, and working on becoming the best player I can be. This year was a testament to the team and how far this program has come. But, I think we've still got a long way to go, and I have a long way to go myself."
Second overall scorer in NCAA Division 1, which has more than 300 teams. She's already come a long way.
Steve Milton is a Hamilton-based sports columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: smilton@thespec.com