PORT ANGELES — Central to the success of the Port Angeles High School girls soccer program during her four seasons on the Roughriders’ varsity, midfielder Delaney Wenzl recently signed to continue her career with Lower Columbia College in Longview.
Wenzl, members of her immediate family and Port Angeles athletic director Dwayne Johnson took care of the paperwork in person as Wenzl inked her letter of intent during a signing ceremony in May that was followed by an online ceremony with more family, friends and her Riders’ and soon-to-be Red Devils teammate Bella Money.
Money previously signed to play for Lower Columbia, and Wenzl said the pair are expect to room together with a Columbia River teammate this fall.
Wenzl said she clicked with Red Devils’ coach Bryan Vogel in their first telephone call.
“Coach [Vogel] really caught my attention right off the bat,” Wenzl said. “From our first phone call, he was genuine and helpful, and he seemed to have done research on me before the call. That was the first coach who had done that, and it stood out.”
Her status as a soon-to-be college junior also played a role in her school selection.
Wenzl is a Running Start student at Peninsula College who will earn her associate of arts degree at the end of spring quarter.
“I’ll be able to start my bachelor’s degree in the major I want to pursue [psychology] at LC. And the fact that it’s not located across the country. And it helped that I have Bella Money going with me. That put the cherry on top for me I would already have a friend from here and we can make the transition together.”
Wenzl was a four-year starter for the Riders, playing virtually every position on the field for Port Angeles. She was a three-time Peninsula Daily News All-Peninsula Girls Soccer team pick, earned second-team All-Olympic League as a junior and a was a first-team all-league selection last fall as the Riders won the Olympic League title and advanced to the Class 2A state quarterfinals.
She showed a knack for scoring goals at crucial junctures throughout her high school career.
“Delaney is a big-time player who is a key reason for our success over the last four years,” Port Angeles head coach Scott Moseley said. “She has scored some of our most critical goals, including the game-winning penalty kick versus Sequim to send the Riders to state in 2016, the third goal on a header versus Lindbergh in 2017, that sent us to state and four goals and three assists in four postseason games in 2019. Her leadership on and off the field will be greatly missed.”
Wenzl had seven goals and seven assists her senior year, despite playing on a torn meniscus in her knee that ultimately required offseason surgery.
“I would add that her leadership on and off the field has been critical,” Moseley said. “I would consider her to be the heart of the team through her hard work and her ability this past season to play through a nagging knee injury.”
Wenzl said she was appreciative of all the people who helped her reach this point.
“There’s been a lot of people,” Wenzl said. “I thanked the people there at the signing, everyone present at the event has been a huge part of my life and my soccer career. There’s plenty of people I could go on to thank.”
Wenzl is the daughter of father Don Wenzl and stepmother Brenda Wenzl and mother Kate Stevenson-Clarke and stepfather Jeremy Clarke.
Lower Columbia welcomed Wenzl to the fold via social media posts.
“Delaney is a very versatile and athletic player. She reads the game well and can contribute from literally any position on the field,” the Red Devils official soccer Twitter account said in announcing her signing.
Moseley is confident Wenzl will make a similar impact with the Red Devils.
“They are going to get a gem,” Moseley said. “She is going to love the higher level of competition and I think she will be a star there and have lots of success. As I said during the virtual signing — so many of our kids on the peninsula when they go away to play — their college coaches may not have seen them play a whole lot, but when they see her playing and practicing in person they will be blown away by what she can do.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
