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After arriving late for a game in Rochester, Leah Rehm realized she had grabbed two left cleats. But it didn’t matter. Rehm needed to play. By the time the final whistle sounded, she had produced a hattrick.

“Her coach said that she didn’t complain at all, she just laughed, put her cleats on, and then went out to lead the team to a victory by scoring a hat trick,” Rehm’s parents said.

Rehm, a sophomore, helped East Syracuse Minoa to many victories by netting goals. In 2022, she finished with 37 goals and 91 points, the third-most in school history. Starting at forward for the Spartans in the eighth grade, she has led in scoring every year since, playing an essential role to the program’s 40-1-1 record in the last three seasons. Individually, she has earned various awards, including spots on the Salt City Athletic Conference All-League First Team and the Class A All-Star team.

Rehm set the East Syracuse Minoa girl’s soccer record for goals in a game against Auburn on Oct. 4. It was her shot with 33 minutes left that would break the record, as the goalie bobbled her sixth goal into the net.

“As an underclassman, Leah is not necessarily a clear-cut leader in the traditional sense,” East Syracuse Minoa head coach Jamie Vollmer said. “Most might assume her greatest asset is her goal scoring, but she is genuinely and insanely happy every time anyone on the field scores a goal.”

Rehm started playing soccer with Forza at 5 years old, a local East Syracuse-Minoa club team that her father, Christopher, coached. Christopher developed Rehm’s ball skills and confidence, especially when it came to striking the ball with both feet. He would even sub Rehm out if she didn’t dribble or score with her weak foot, teaching her how to make the “right” soccer play.

“If I felt like she did not make the right decision, she would have to come off the field and we would talk about it,” Christopher said. “Then, I would give her the opportunity to go back out on the field and show that she understood what we had talked about.”

Earlier in her teenage years, Rehm also played for CNY United and the Syracuse Rush. Currently, she competes with the Syracuse Developmental Academy, playing against the top club teams in the country.

Christopher and Rehm’s mother, Amber, signed Rehm up for soccer as soon as she could walk, starting her career at Little Kickers — soccer for toddlers — before continuing to the club level. Amber said she never could watch most of Rehm’s games when she was younger as she had to look after Rehm’s younger sisters. But teammates’ parents would tell Amber after the game how impressive Rehm was, and what potential she had.

But Christopher saw Rehm’s potential from the start. He saw her compete with older girls, never backing down and excelling with her weak foot, a skill he taught her.

Vollmer said the East Syracuse Minoa coaching staff had been interested in Rehm since she attended a summer camp around fourth or fifth grade. They even pulled her up to varsity for the playoffs in seventh grade after her season ended. That marked the first time the Spartans played someone who was pulled from JV for most of the game.

“Leah has a great understanding of the game,” Vollmer said. “She studies the sport, watching it as much as possible. She is constantly thinking about how she can improve, how the team can improve, and what we can do to adjust our strategies.”

Vollmer said Rehm’s biggest impact was in the sectional final against New Hartford last year. The Spartans had trailed 5-0 a few minutes into the second half, but Rehm scored on a penalty kick to cut the deficit. Despite an eventual 5-3 loss, Rehm’s penalty kick-started the Spartan’s attack in the second half. Rehm has always been the player to spark the offense, Vollmer said.

Besides her double hat-trick against Auburn last month, Rehm also scored five goals against Skaneateles. Although she’s a powerful scorer, Rehm has also made strides in assisting teammates. She had 17 assists this season and 41 in her three varsity seasons from eighth-to-tenth grade.

“It’s expected to see a player succeed in scoring, but rare to see them succeed in scoring and passing,” Vollmer said.

Vollmer looks forward to coaching Rehm for two more seasons, describing her as having “limitless energy,” who will take any role on the field. But Rehm still believes she has room for improvement. She wants to increase her goal-scoring rate and work on the outside and long shots to take control of the games.

“My main focus right now in the offseason is working on being able to take over the game every time I play and becoming more consistent especially when it’s a high-pressure game,” Rehm said.

Published on December 13, 2022 at 12:28 am