Maya Dolan recently played her final game as a member of the Penn State Berks women's soccer team.

Nittany Lions' coach Adrian Munteanu won't soon forget her contributions.

Maya, a 2022 graduate of Solanco High School, enjoyed a stellar senior season as a starting defender on the Penn State Berks squad that finished the year with a record of 8-9-2.

"Maya brought not just a lot of quality to our program, but she was the type of player that every coach should be proud of having her as part of their program," Munteanu said. "She brought team cohesion. She cares about her teammates. She bought in to what we did here, and then she got the opportunity to not only experience a lot of success on the soccer field, but also creating friendships and bonding with her teammates."

The Nittany Lions' season came to a close with a 4-0 defeat to top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg Nov. 4 in the semifinals of the United East Conference.

In the quarterfinals on Nov. 1, Maya scored the game's first goal by heading home a corner kick taken by Devin Deery in Penn State Berks' 2-1 triumph over Lancaster Bible College. "Devin had a good cross from the corner, and there I was," Maya said.

"She scored a great goal to get us the lead against Lancaster Bible," Munteanu said. "She does exactly what we ask her to do, and she leads the team in big moments, and she's just a prime example of the player that, as I said, exemplifies being a role model."

Maya saw limited playing time as a freshman at Penn State Berks before breaking into the starting lineup in her second season and becoming a captain as a senior. "I'm really grateful for all opportunities," she said. "I just really love my team, and I love everything we done together, so it means a lot."

Munteanu said, "She came in every day to training with the mindset of trying to get better. Every day was a process, and then her evolution as a player from day one when we broke her in as a freshman to this day when she graduated as a senior, it's huge, and we're proud to have her part of our program. I think we're not only going to miss her as a player, but we will miss her as a person and what she's done her career."

"I love Berks," Maya said. "I love the team and the coaches. Everyone's really supportive."

Maya closed out her college career by helping the Nittany Lions win four of their final five contests. "We were good," she said. "We started off a little rough, then it got better."

Maya enjoyed a successful season despite playing with a slight tear in her left knee. "It just kind of felt worse over time," she said. "There was a little tear in it, so just like a little tweak, but it's OK. We got a good athletic training staff, so it's all right."

Maya will graduate either in December or in the spring with a degree in hospitality management and a minor in business, and she plans to pursue a job in the event planning industry. "It's kind of crazy," she said of her college years. "It went really fast."

Maya also left a legacy at Solanco. A four-year starter, in 2019 she played an integral role on the first Mules' team to qualify for the district playoffs. Sixteenth-seeded Solanco shocked top-seeded Lower Dauphin in the first round and then defeated Fleetwood in a penalty-kick shootout in round two. Maya's sister, Gabi, a senior that year, was Solanco's starting goalie.

When Maya was a senior, the Mules posted a playoff win at rival Lampeter-Strasburg.

Maya noted she is grateful for the encouragement from her family and coaches, including Ken Yoder and Matt Jansen at Solanco and Munteanu and assistant Tom Gosselin at Penn State Berks. "They're really supportive," she said. "They have a lot of really good advice. They're always there to help out."