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School: Butler

Sport: Soccer

Class: Junior

Notable: Schnur's return from a knee injury propelled the Golden Tornado into last night's PIAA Class AAA semifinals. The 5-foot-6 midfielder/forward had three assists last week as Butler won a pair of state playoff games.

Schnur assisted on Annie Lowry's goal in a 1-0 victory over WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair, then assisted on goals by Elise and Lyndsey McCaskey in a 3-0 win over Norwin in the quarterfinals. The wins exacted a measure of revenge for the Golden Tornado, who lost to Norwin in the PIAA quarterfinals last year and to USC in the WPIAL quarterfinals this season.

"This is great for our self-confidence," Schnur said. "Some people said we were underdogs. To come out on top is a victory in itself."

Schnur scored 15 goals and 15 assists as a sophomore last season in leading Butler to its first section title in a decade and the WPIAL finals. She was diagnosed with a discoid lateral meniscus in her left knee while playing in an Olympic Development Program 16-and-under tournament in Chicago this summer, and missed much of the early season after having surgery.

Butler went 12-1-0 in the first 13 games since she returned, and is getting better every game. The Golden Tornado defeated defending WPIAL champion and PIAA runnerup Mt. Lebanon, 2-1 in a shootout, in a state semifinal game last night.

"I was a little nervous at first," Schnur said, "but my team was doing well so it was easier to come back to a good team."

Schnur is the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review/Fox 53 Sportstar Athlete of the Week. She will receive a plaque from the Pittsburgh Trophy Co. and will be featured tonight on Fox 53's 10 o'clock news. Toyota will present Butler with $100.

Bright future: A two-time All-WPIAL selection who was named all-state last year, the 16-year-old Schnur is widely considered one of the best players in the state and among the best in her age group nationally. She has played Cup soccer since she was 12 {ed} she led Beadling to a state title last summer despite the bum knee {ed} and for the ODP national team the past two years.

Schnur also ranks at the top of her class of 675 with a 4.4 grade-point average, and is already receiving college interest for her soccer prowess. Virginia, Santa Clara and Connecticut are among those sending letters, and Schnur said she would like to play at either Virginia or Notre Dame.

First, she wants to win a state championship.

"We've come so far," she said. "It's just two more games."

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