Soccer seems to strike a chord with Cori Sensenig.
The high school junior from Girard Academic Music Program has followed her family’s footsteps when it comes to excelling on the soccer field and hitting all the right notes in the music room.
Sensenig can play as rough as they come on the soccer pitch at center midfield, while showing the range to beautifully strum the violin, even if it’s not her favorite instrument.
“My mom plays, so I just picked it up and then coming to GAMP I just continued with it,” said Sensenig, who has played the violin for seven years. “I’m not crazy about the violin but my mom likes it.”
Sensenig also plays the piano and taught herself to play the ukulele. That ability to learn new things on the fly relates well to her abilities on the soccer field, where she has been a three-year starter for South Philadelphia High School. GAMP doesn’t field a girls soccer program so Sensenig gets to play for the Rams along with other South Philly schools like Creative and Performing Arts and Mastery Charter. Her soccer abilities come from other areas of the family tree, as her dad, brother and cousins all played soccer.
“They all played and loved it,” Sensenig said. “It runs in our family. I actually played but took a break for a while. I fell back in love with it on this team.”
Sensenig loves the dynamic of teaming up with other schools under Southern’s banner. She already knew fellow GAMP student Hannah Speizman, but name tags are often needed when camp begins each summer.
“I love meeting new girls,” Sensenig said. “It’s a lot of fun. We get to meet a lot of new people and it’s cool to get to play with different people.”
So far, the early chemistry has worked out. Southern won its first three games and hadn’t allowed a goal in the process. Much can be credited to Sensenig taking control in the center of the field.
“She’s a very smart girl and knows the game very well,” Southern coach Joseph DiStefano said. “She makes great angles to the ball and is very vocal with her teammates on and off the field. And she has the size, too. Her dad played college soccer so hopefully down the line she can play for a good school, too.”
Sensenig is unsure of what she wants to study after high school, but the odds are she will quickly figure it out like she did with soccer and even the ukulele.
“I have no clue,” Sensenig said. “I don’t want to limit myself, so we will see what the future holds.”
Until then, Sensenig will be counted on to lead the Rams this year, and even more in 2022.
“We had a solid core coming back with mostly seniors this year,” DiStefano said. “She’s only a junior, so knowing she’s coming back, she will be the No. 1 go-to player for us.”
