After a scoreless start, Strohecker rewrites Millersville’s record book
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LEWISTOWN -- Aubrey Strohecker arrived at Millersville University with 92 high school goals behind her. Her first college season ended without one. For a player accustomed to scoring, her greatest challenge had little to do with soccer.
She missed her family. Her ankles hurt. She began questioning whether she belonged.
“I lost hope at points and didn't think I should keep going or that it was right for me,” Strohecker said. “I stuck it out and gave myself time to get more comfortable, and it was the best decision I made.”
By the end of her senior season, the former Mifflin County High School standout held Millersville’s career records for goals (42) and points (99). She scored a school-record 23 goals in 2026 and earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Player of the Year honors.
A difficult beginning
At Mifflin County, Strohecker amassed 92 goals and 209 points. When she arrived at Millersville in 2023, those accomplishments came with expectations.
Then came the separation from home, the demands of college soccer and ankle injuries that lingered through preseason and beyond. She appeared in 13 games as a freshman, started four and took 12 shots. None became goals.
“The biggest adjustment was leaving my family behind and starting something completely new,” she said. “It was a very hard adjustment for me. I for sure doubted my abilities freshman year and didn't feel like myself on the field.”
Millersville coach Matt Procopio knew Strohecker had ability. Getting her comfortable enough to use it would take time.
“During her freshman year, it was tough to see her struggle through injuries and just adapting to the college game,” Procopio said. “In training, you saw her potential. Injuries often hindered her, which was super frustrating for everyone.”
Procopio said Strohecker struggled to feel comfortable with her role, teammates, injured ankle and ability. By the following spring, her confidence began returning. Millersville’s athletic trainer worked with her to manage the ankle problems. Procopio saw a player who was still working hard even when the results gave her little reason to feel encouraged. The progress that spring gave them something to build on.
Procopio kept encouraging her to trust the ability he’d seen from the beginning.
Strohecker credited Procopio’s encouragement with helping her regain her confidence. He reminded her that “everything will click and fall into place,” she said.
Finding her game
Strohecker returned for her sophomore season with greater confidence. In September 2024, she scored her first collegiate goal against Mansfield.
She finished with six goals, five assists and a team-leading 17 points. As a junior, she scored 13 goals with seven assists for 33 points, earning first-team All-PSAC East honors.
One of Strohecker’s favorite college memories came during the 2025 conference tournament against Bloomsburg. She scored the tying goal in the second half, then assisted on Caroline Wood’s late winner in a 2-1 victory that advanced Millersville in the playoffs. The team eventually reached the PSAC semifinals.
“It was the best feeling,” Strohecker said.
Procopio said she arrived with a scorer’s instincts. Confidence and experience helped her apply them against college competition.
“She is very crafty, powerful, explosive and knows how to score,” he said. “Her hunger and desire to score really drives her. She is super competitive.”
She can protect the ball, turn defenders, outrun them or beat them with speed. Procopio marvels at a sharp cutting move she makes with her hips, a maneuver he admits he still doesn’t understand physically. Fatigue rarely discourages her when she sees a chance to score. Yet Procopio believes her character separates her as much as her skill. She listens to coaching, puts in the work and remains humble despite the awards.
“She is relentless,” he said. “If she sees a chance to score, she will do everything she can to score.”
Records, and what they don’t show
By her senior season, Strohecker had become the scorer Millersville believed it was getting three years earlier. Against Shippensburg on Oct. 28, she scored four times in a 5-2 victory, tying the school’s single-game record while breaking its career and single-season goal marks.
She finished with 23 goals and 49 points for the season. Her 42 career goals surpassed the previous school record of 39 held by Kay Liebl, while her 99 career points set another program mark. She earned her second consecutive All-PSAC East first-team selection along with the division’s Player of the Year award.
Strohecker said she gave little thought to records until she heard how close she was. “I was proud to see that my hard work paid off, but again, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the ones who supported me,” she said.
Procopio said she battled physical problems even during her senior season. He hopes people remember how she reached the records.
“People will see the goals and records, but most won't have seen her struggle or her toughness,” he said. “She had the ability, but it wasn't going to be given to her; she earned it.”
Home and what comes next
Her parents, Shane and Leigh Anne, helped make that career possible. They drove her to practices in Harrisburg twice a week, took time away from work to attend tournaments and enrolled her in activities she sometimes resisted because they believed those experiences would make her better. Whether she was close to home or far away, she expected to find them in the stands.
“One of the greatest feelings as an athlete is knowing that no matter where I was playing, I would always have someone in the stands cheering me on,” she said.
Mifflin County remains central to Strohecker. She hopes younger players there will imagine similar possibilities for themselves.
“I love the feeling of knowing I can help inspire a younger athlete to chase their dreams and work hard for the things they want in life because I was once in their shoes,” she said.
Strohecker hopes to pursue a marketing career and remain in the area after college. Although she doesn’t plan to continue playing competitively, she wants to stay involved in soccer by helping younger athletes develop. The friendships she made at Millersville will remain among her most meaningful experiences.
For all the goals and records, Strohecker considers her personal growth her greatest accomplishment. The freshman who once questioned whether she belonged found reasons to believe in herself again.
“I am most proud of how much I've grown as a person,” Strohecker said. “Facing the challenges college threw at me as a student-athlete has helped me become stronger all around.”