Fridley is All-OAC for defense

Tyler Fridley completed her four-year career with the Baldwin-Wallace College women’s soccer team without scoring a goal, and by compiling only two assists.

Yet the 5-foot-4 team captain from Niles High, who took only seven shots her entire career, developed into one of the top players on the team and was selected to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference second team this season.

How did it happen? Well, it was Fridley’s defensive play that put her in a special category, even though B-W struggled through adversity — losing four players to injuries — and to a 6-12-2 record for Reid Ayers in his eighth season.

Behind her defensive leadership at right defender, the Yellow Jackets were outscored by only 31-18 and lost seven one-point decisions, including two by overtime.

Majoring in public relations and marketing with a 3.69 grade-point average, Fridley was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV second team.

The daughter of Linda and Donald Fridley of Niles, Tyler is majoring in public relations and marketing and is planning to graduate in May.

Fridley said she has played defense ever since she began playing soccer at age 6, and prefers it over offense.

“Actually, I have always been a defender. I was never good at offense. Defense is my strong suit,” said Fridley, who played four years of soccer at Niles for coach Sam Reigle.

“At Niles, I played sweeper, which is the middle defender and the last line of defense before the goalie.”

But now, “I play right defender which is [a position] to the right and a little in front of the sweeper.”

In her earlier soccer years, she played for the Niles Rec League, the Trumbull County Rockers and Team Metro.

Fridley said that, “I always have been defensive-minded. I don’t know what it is. I joke that I prefer to be the person that is taking someone out [on defense], rather than being the person taken out [on offense].”

She believes that, “If you are a defender, that you have to be hard-nosed and competitive and just have the patience to wait for the forward or midfielder to mess up, and wait for your opportunity.”

Fridley is one of seven Youngstown-area players on the B-W team, including starting sophomore goalie Meagan McLaughin from Cardinal Mooney, who also was a key component of the defense.

McLaughlin (5-foot-4), who is majoring in marketing and business administration, had a 1.51 goals-against average with 90 saves and a 6-11-1 record.

Among the offensive leaders were sophomore forward Noelle Fox of Canfield and junior forward-midfielder Vickie Dreiling of Cardinal Mooney High

Fox had three goals despite playing in only six games, while Dreiling had two goals.

Also on the team are Rachel Guy, a sophomore from Liberty; senior Natalie Fox, Noelle’s sister who was injured this season; and Amanda Vitello, a junior from Cardinal Mooney who also was on the injured list.

Dreiling, a two-year letter winner majoring in biology, tied for second on the team in goals last year with three. For her career, she has six goals and one assist for 13 points.

Natalie Fox, a three-year letter-winner majoring in international business/sustainability, played in six games this year and scored one goal.

Career-wise, she has played in 45 games and has six goals and three assists for 15 points.

Vitello also is a two-year letter winner who played in 19 games as a sophomore and 16 as a freshman. She is majoring in an early childhood education.

Noelle Fox played in 19 games last year as a freshman, and had three goals and one assist. An exercise science major, she now has 13 points for her career.

XJohn Kovach covers college athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at kovach@vindy.com.