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Moo Galbus stepped up to take a penalty kick for Padua Academy in the 2022 Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association State Final. Tied at 1-1 in the penalty shootout against Middletown High School, Galbus looked to regain the lead.

Middletown’s goalkeeper taunted Galbus, attempting to throw her off. Despite typically having nerves before penalty kicks, the goalkeeper’s antics lit a fire under Galbus before she scored the go-ahead goal. The Pandas eventually tacked on one more goal en route to securing the Delaware Division I State Championship.

“(Galbus) was probably the one player who, when she got up there, I knew exactly where that ball was about to go,” former Padua head coach Justin Romano said. “She didn’t even celebrate. She was just like, ‘This is my job, and it’s going in.’ That’s the type of kid that she is.”

Galbus helped seal Padua’s 12th-ever state championship as a senior. But she weathered a laundry list of injuries before then. She entered the offseason coming off a torn ACL, then broke her collarbone and wrist early in the 2022 season. Though Galbus returned before the postseason, where she finished with four goals and one assist to spark Padua’s title run.

She then continued her soccer career at North Carolina in 2023 but didn’t play, which prompted her to enter the transfer portal. She reached out to Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams after entering the portal and, following a phone call, knew where she wanted to start her next chapter. She’s appeared in 11 games for the Orange this year, helping them win their most games since 2022.

Galbus’ development began in recreational leagues in Wilmington, Delaware, when she was 4. As she continued to develop, Galbus struggled to find local teams that could improve her skills. She spent most of her youth career competing in other states.

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Galbus honed her craft with Penn Fusion Soccer Academy, a program located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, for the next seven years. Though the program didn’t allow players to play for their high schools. But entering her senior year already committed to UNC, Galbus decided to play for Padua.

“Not a lot of schools in Delaware had a good soccer team, but Padua was one of the only ones,” Galbus said. “I decided to just have fun my senior year.”

Coming into the season, Galbus was recovering from a torn ACL that she suffered while competing at Penn Fusion during her junior year, which kept her out for nine months. Not long after Romano stepped in as head coach, he reached out to Galbus.

“I told her, ‘Whatever you want from the program and however I can assist your transition to college, I’ll do,’” Romano said. “I truthfully did not think that she was going to be playing soccer games that season.”

Galbus pushed herself to get healthy. Just three games into the 2022 campaign, she returned to the field and wasted no time making an impact, scoring a game-winning goal over the Charter School of Wilmington.

But Galbus’ triumphant return was quickly cut short. In a matchup against Saint Mark’s High School on Sept. 21, 2021, Galbus broke her collarbone and wrist. The injuries effectively ruled her out for the rest of the Pandas’ regular season.

Whenever she had time away from physical therapy, Galbus offered advice to her teammates on the sidelines. The Pandas rallied late in the season, winning five-of-seven matches to secure a spot in the 2022 DIAA Division I playoffs with a 10-4 record.

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“Seeing (Galbus) go down I think fueled us more,” former Padua forward Haley Dougherty said. “She is amazing to be around, really uplifting. She was an amazing teammate on the sideline.”

After appearing in just eight games, Galbus was cleared to rejoin her team for the state tournament. In Galbus’ first game back, Padua blew a 2-0 lead in the second half to Smyrna High School. But with 15 minutes left, Galbus came up clutch again, scoring a game-winning goal.

Padua soundly defeated Caesar Rodney High School 3-1 in the semifinal, but Galbus’ impact was limited. While battling for possession early in the game, Galbus rolled her ankle. Despite her best efforts to power through, she couldn’t return to the field.

Ahead of Padua’s championship game, Galbus remained a game-time decision. Romano was unsure whether it was in the best interest of the team and Galbus’ safety to place her in the starting 11.

“I looked over to our assistant coach before the final game and I told him that (Galbus) is either gonna play and she’ll be very poor because she wasn’t healthy, or she’s going to be the best player on the field,” Romano said.

Romano rolled the dice by starting Galbus. It paid off. In the fourth minute, she opened the scoring with a tap-in off a corner. Middletown reclaimed the lead with back-to-back goals, but Galbus drew the Pandas back even with a blistering shot to close the first half.

“I think anybody who’s seen her play knows that when she plays within herself,” former Padua forward Anna Poehlmann said. “I feel like once she got past thinking about how she had been hurt (for a while), she was able to play again.”

By full time, the score was tied 3-3, sending the contest into penalty kicks. After Galbus’ tally put Padua ahead 2-1 in the shootout, a goal from teammate Madison Mosier sealed the Pandas’ state title victory.

“We were just happy that she (Galbus) got to experience that Padua tradition that she had always wanted,” Dougherty said.

Now, past the midway point of the 2024 season, Galbus has become an active part of Syracuse’s lineup as a sophomore. Fully healthy and playing for a program where she’s set up to be a key contributor in the future, Galbus aims to rekindle her best moments from playing at Padua.

“Her ceiling is really high. Hopefully she’s healthy and just gets to play the game she loves,” Romano said. “As long as she’s healthy, she’ll be great at any program she goes to.”

Published on October 17, 2024 at 12:51 am

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu