Waterford-Halfmoon's own Payton Galuski, a rising junior, has officially committed to play Division I soccer at Penn State, marking a huge step in her already incredible career. She announced her decision on July 8, less than a month after her recruitment window even opened on June 15. Talk about making a quick impact!
From Middle School Dominance to Boys' Team Captaincy
Before even hitting high school, Galuski was already tearing it up. As a middle-schooler, she played up on her school's girls' varsity soccer team, leading the Fordians to back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023. She racked up an insane 80 goals and 39 assists during those middle school years, even earning New York State Class C and Times Union Small School Player of the Year honors as a seventh-grader in 2022. But Payton wasn't content there, right? She joined Waterford-Halfmoon's boys' soccer team as a freshman, then became a captain on that same boys' squad as a sophomore. The girl ended up on the boys' all-state team, too, a feat believed to be a first for any female player. She's scored a ridiculous 116 goals across both the girls' and boys' teams in her time there, with 36 goals and 30 assists over her two seasons with the boys. "I've always wanted to be somewhere where I have to really work to be the best," Galuski said, and honestly, you can tell. She pushes herself constantly. Her boys' coach, Ryan Hardy, totally gets it. "She's a player that leads by example," Hardy noted. "It was an easy choice to put her in that captain role, and she took it and ran with it." That kind of drive is just next level.Penn State Had the Gut Feeling and the Pro Vision
When it came down to choosing her college, Galuski had some serious options like North Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan State, and Notre Dame. But Penn State just felt right. "I really enjoyed talking with Erica (Damback), the head coach. I had a gut feeling that Penn State was where I should be," Galuski explained. She talked to other schools, but it always came back to the Nittany Lions. And here's the real kicker: Galuski wants to go pro. She made that clear to every school she considered. "That's part of the reason I chose Penn State, because of how open they were to hearing about it," she said. The program's focus on player development was exactly what she needed for her ultimate goal. Plus, she'll link up with former Section 2 standout Kennedy Ring, a 2025 Columbia High School grad, who will be a senior when Galuski starts her freshman year. Ring, who has trained with Payton and played with her older sister, Addyson, kept telling her to come to Penn State because "it would be amazing." Galuski is still a rising junior, so she's got more high school soccer to dominate before heading to Penn State and linking up with Ring. She's clearly got her eyes on the big picture, aiming for professional soccer, and finding a program like Penn State that's all in on that vision? That's a game-changer. Get ready to watch this talent light up the college ranks, because she's just getting started.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.