Allemang spent time with her sister on soccer field

Latin teacher Elizabeth Allemang credits sports with bringing her family closer together. 

“One of my best memories with soccer was my freshman year of high school,” Allemang said. “My sister was a senior that year and so we had a fun time playing together.”

Ironically, though, the moment she remembers the most from her sports career is losing a playoff game her freshman year alongside her sister. 

“It definitely is not the happiest thing to remember. That season our team made it to the playoffs, but we lost during penalty kicks and got out in the game right before states,” Allemang said. “I thought it was a bit funny though that both my sister and I missed our kicks. We lost that day but it was nice how we went out together.”

Allemang also recounted the memories she made with the rest of her family through soccer. 

“My whole family would always come to my games,” Allemang said. “Especially my grandma, who was my biggest supporter. She came to every single one of my tournaments.”

Allemang said initially she was not planning on playing soccer in college. 

“Looking into college, I felt that focusing on my career and grades was going to be enough to keep me busy. But then I got an offer to play at Pitt and I decided it was in my best interest to take the opportunity,” Allemang said. 

Allemang is now a mom, and her own children have given soccer a shot.

“When they were younger my children tried playing soccer,” Allemang said. “But it wasn’t the right fit for them. They now play softball and baseball instead.”

Allemang credits soccer with making her a better teacher, one who knows what her students are capable of. 

“Through soccer, I got to see the things I was capable of doing. I felt like I had achieved a good amount, so I carried that through into my professional life,” she said. “Because of that, I can see my students’ capabilities better, set expectations for them, and know when and how to push them.”

Allemang said that being involved in something is vital during the high school years. 

“I would tell anyone who is thinking about doing sports to absolutely join,” Allemang said. “To try out and see if you like something is why we have junior varsity at the high school level. You will never regret joining a team, but there is always a possibility that you will regret not joining something,” Allemang said.