The Virginia Tech women’s soccer program has released the name of a fifth player pf the ten who will make up the 2020 class. She is Kate Bonshak, a 5-foot-4 forward from Whitehall, Penn., who was recently named an All American for her performance during the 2019 season.
Bonshak attends Whitehall High School and is considering majoring in Human Nutrition, Food, and Exercise when she arrives at Tech.
For the Zephyrs, she earned nine varsity letters while competing in three different sports. Her four letters in soccer were under coach Chris Bleam. Her honors include first team all-conference selections all four seasons and being named the league’s MVP as a junior and a senior. She also earned first team all-state honors three times, was a two-time USC All-Region II (East) Female Team selection and was the Morning Call’s Player of the Year as a junior. In her four-year career, Bonshak scored 89 goals and had 28 assists.
She also earned three letters running for the school’s track team. She won the league title in the 4×100 three times, won a district title twice and qualified for the state meet three times while setting the school record in the event. She also picked up a pair of letters playing as a forward for the Zephyrs’ field hockey team.
Almost a decade of Bonshak’s soccer experience comes from playing with the Lehigh Valley United under coaches Manny Oudin and Bleam, a team that was a national tournament qualifier in 2016. She also played a season for the Reading Rage under coach Eric Puls on a squad that was ranked first in the state, sixth in the region and 18th in the nation. For one season, she was with the Lehigh Valley Tempest of the Women’s Premier Soccer League, playing six games, scoring five goals and earning East Region All-Conference honors.
“Kate is an extremely athletic, left-footed player who could see time up front, out wide or on the flank,” Tech head coach Chugger Adair said. “She’s got a great first tap, good pace, good turn of pace and a tremendous work rate. She will embody the blue-collar mentality and the workman-like mentality that we have within our group and our culture. She’s going to step right in and make an impact with her work rate and all that she can bring to us going forward.”
Asked why she chose VT, Bonshak said, “As soon as I walked onto the stunning campus, I felt at home. I was immediately comfortable with the coaching staff and players. My desired major was an option here for me. The highlight of my visit was being able to go onto the field of a Tech football game and soccer game.” She said she especially liked the level of competitiveness.
On a personal level, Bonshak declared her soccer strengths to be her speed, passion, competitiveness and leadership. She listed Abby Wambach, a former US Women’s National player, as her favorite player because I have looked up to her since I was a little girl. I looked up to her leadership ability and of her accomplishment of having the most career goals of all men and women. I even used to wear my headbands like she did.”
Her favorite soccer memory “was being announced in the starting lineup of my last high school game, doing a final pre-game handshake with my lifelong best friend and teammate and then having to crutch off the field to watch my team play its last game.”
At Tech, she plans to major in Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise because I hope to become a nurse, PA or PT.
Asked what the one thing she’d want Tech fans to know about her, she answered, “During (my first) two years of high school, I doubled-up, playing two varsity sports during the same fall season, field hockey and soccer.
–VT Athletics
