KARNS CITY — The Seton Hill women's soccer team went looking for goal scoring.

The Griffins came to the right place.

Karns City senior Emily LoPresti, who scored 65 goals for the Gremlins last fall, signed a national letter of intent this week to continue her academic and soccer career at Seton Hill.

“If I work hard enough, they feel like I can get on the field right away and help them,” LoPresti said. “That's what I want to do.”

Seton Hill is coming off a 5-10-3 season overall, 5-8-3 in the PSAC. The Griffins' leading scorer, freshman Megan Warman, scored four goals last season.

The team is returning its top three scorers overall.

“Emily is arriving there at the right time,” Karns City coach Tracy Dailey said. “She will be part of a talented young group of forwards who can lead that team.”

LoPresti scored 159 goals in her high school career and will graduate third on the Karns City girls all-time goal-scoring list, trailing only Leslie Barnhart and Brittni Grenninger.

She was teammates with Breann Wood — also one of KC's all-time top scorers — who is now playing for Carlow College.

“We have an outstanding youth program at Karns City and the girls are coached well at a young age,” Dailey said. “Our program has really benefited from that.”

LoPresti was part of three successive District 9 championships with the Gremlins. Karns City's record during her four years was 75-5-2.

Seton Hill came into the picture late on LoPresti's recruiting trail.

“I was actually visiting IUP (Indiana, Pa.) and they were playing Seton Hill,” LoPresti said. “They wanted me to visit there, too, and I wasn't going to, at first.

“I decided to check it out and everything just clicked. It's a small school and I'm used to attending a small school. I've got a good chance to get playing time as a freshman and they have what I want academically.”

LoPresti carries a 3.4 grade point average and plans to major in physical therapy.

She played Cup soccer for eight years with the Pa. Crew Academy and will play for North United's U-18 team out of Harmarville this year.

“It's a step up in competition and will help prepare me for the college game,” LoPresti said. “But my coach at Pa. Crew (Gabe Kleinert) taught me more about soccer than anybody.”

Dailey describes LoPresti as a multi-faceted offensive player who can strike from anywhere.

“She's just a force,” the coach said. “Emily can come straight at you with an aggressive move, she can drill the ball from long range, she can make a cross pass into the box to set up a teammate.

“She is very unpredictable and hard to defend because of it.”

In saying goodbye to Karns City, LoPresti said she will “miss the atmosphere that our winning created and all the friendships I made on that team.”

But Dailey insists she's ready for the next move up.

“Making the transition from high school to college soccer is a big step, but Emily's work ethic will help her become successful,” Dailey said. “She has the leadership skills to make an impact at Seton Hill.

“She's more than a great soccer player. She's an outstanding young lady, a good person. She will make their university better.”

Seton Hill women's soccer coach John Fogle has been at the helm for 25 years. He is a member of the university's Athletic Hall of Fame.