In a word, opportunistic is a good way to describe the game of Peters Township junior soccer standout Shelli Spamer.

Give her an opportunity, whether it be a ball near the goal, a free kick or a corner kick, she will likely make you pay. As troublesome as her set pieces have been for opponents, the center midfielder has been equally effective in creating opportunities for her teammates.

"She is very opportunistic," Peters Township coach Pat Vereb said. "She is such a strong player when she gets the ball near the goal. She scores on free kicks and corner kicks but she is still very much a distributor and passer."

Spamer has the stats to prove it to the tune of 20 goals and 14 assists this regular season.

Her team has also benefited greatly from the play of Spamer. The Indians completed a 15-1-2 regular season. They shut out Mars, 2-0, in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs and avenged a 2008 WPIAL title game loss to Mt. Lebanon with a 2-1 win in the quarterfinals. That win over Mt. Lebanon, their second of the season, also sent Peters back to the WPIAL semifinals last night against Norwin..

After a breakout sophomore season there was no mistaking that Spamer was one of the premier players in the WPIAL. Her technical foot skills and maturity separate her from most of the soccer players in the area. Spamer and Canon-McMillan's prolific goal scorer, Taylor Schram are the two local players on the U.S. Under-17 sub-regional team.

"It is a lot of time and work and it takes away from school," Spamer said of playing with that prestigious program. "But you gain so much experience playing against different countries."

They were chosen for the team after a Olympic Development Program camp in July of this year. Spamer, who turned 17 on Monday, has been with the ODP for four years. The next step up is the national team poll, which Spamer hopes to reach. Spamer has competed across the country and in Italy and Portugal. Over Christmas break Spamer will head to Kirkwood, Del., to compete with the ODP team.

On the WPIAL scene, Spamer was one of seven returning starters back for the Indians. Her role has continued to evolve with the team from on-the-field play to off-the-field leadership.

"The biggest thing with her is the steps of maturity," said Vereb, who has known Spamer since she was 10. "She has the understanding that each and every year her role is going to change. She has to do a little bit more."

While Spamer is certainly the playmaker in the central midfield, she is far from playing solo. Juniors Shannon O'Connor and Dani Hume combine with Spamer to form one of the most experienced and talented midfields in the WPIAL.

"We have such a strong central midfield," Vereb said. "Shannon is a Division I recruit and she is probably the one name people don't hear about. Hume is a three-year starter and they do a lot of work that goes unrecognized, but that lets Shelli do her thing."

Both O'Connor and Hume play for the same club team as Spamer, Century United.

Now in his third year at Peters Township and with seven years under his belt at Mt. Lebanon, Vereb considers Spamer among the best players he has ever coached.

Only a junior, Spamer has enough postseason experience to last a career. She has already played in two state playoffs, reached the WPIAL title game and PIAA title game and played in two WPIAL semifinals.

"My role is the biggest this year and there is some pressure," Spamer said.

"It gets frustrating but sometimes you have to play your game. It doesn't bother me, it makes me play harder."

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.