BLOOMSBURG — Allie Barber has been a college athlete for about a month. Before she took her first midterm at Bloomsburg University, the former Pittston Area soccer star had already made a name for herself on the field.
A 2014 Pittston Area graduate from Pittston Township and a freshman on Bloom’s women’s soccer team, Barber recently scored her first career goal and added a hat trick in the same week for the Huskies.
Barber left Pittston Area as the school’s all-time leading scorer as well as District 2’s leading scorer in girls soccer. Her 159 career varsity goals stand tall in both categories. She also added 38 career assists to back those numbers up.
Barber found the transition from the high school field to the college field difficult at first.
“It was hard to get adjusted early,” she said. “After I was able to get a few games under my belt, it started to become more natural.”
Coach Matt Haney was an assistant when Barber was recruited by the Huskies. He’s since taken over the program and said many other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) coaches were a bit jealous when the team landed the former Pittston Area star.
“One thing that stood out is her knack for the goal,” Haney said of Barber. “She’s an athletic person and when she gets around the goal she has the ability to put the ball in the net. She’s really meshed well with her teammates.”
Through her first eight career games, Barber has established herself as an integral part of the Bloom offense. She has scored five goals and added an assist in her last four games. Bloomsburg is currently 4-3 overall and 4-3 in the PSAC.
She was the star of the show against Seton Hill on Sept. 19.
In a 5-2 win, Bloomsburg trailed early before Barber got going. Then, with Bloom ahead 2-1, Barber scored the first of her three goals just before halftime. In the 64th minute, Barber took the rebound of her own shot and hit the back of the net, then in the 73rd minute scored again for the hat trick.
For Barber, it was nice to hit a milestone so early in her career.
“I had an assist on the first goal against Seton Hill and I think that got me going,” she said. “Then I was able to get some more shots on goal when I got comfortable and they were able to go in.”
So far this season, Barber’s role on the team has been coming off the bench as a forward. She plays about 25 minutes each half for the Huskies.
“That was different for me,” said Barber, who rarely saw herself on the bench while playing for Pittston Area’s basketball or soccer teams. “It’s all about doing what I can to help the team.”
Just two days before the Seton Hill game, Barber scored her first career goal. Against Lock Haven, she scored in the 81st minute after a scramble in front of the net.
“I just want Allie to help create chances,” Haney said. “We know they won’t come in bunches like that. She has the ability to make things dangerous for other teams. She can force pressure as a lone forward because of her pace.”
Barber’s most recent goal came in a 2-0 win over Holy Family on Sept. 23. She took the ball to the baseline and fired a shot on goal. The ball was initially stopped by the goalie, but could not be controlled. Barber never gave up on the play and went after the loose ball, drilling home the goal.
Barber is the daughter of Sophie and Steve Barber of Pittston Township. So far this season, her family has made it to every one of her games, including a six-hour trip to Gannon University in Erie. When she was in high school, the Barber family was a staple at every sporting event in her career.
“I’ve always had a strong supporting cast,” she said. “It’s always nice to see them in the stands.”
The former Patriot star also scored 1,000 points while on the high school basketball team, and was a three-year letter winner in track and field, which includes a few medals at the District 2 championships. She led the Patriot girls basketball team to the school’s first district title this past February.
The Huskies get back to work with a matchup against California University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 26. The team travels to Shippensburg on Sept. 29.
