Abby Cover Makes Girls Soccer High School All-America Team

The accolades continue to pile on for Severna Park senior midfielder Abby Cover. A two-time state champion, Baltimore Sun Player of the Year, and all-state and all-county first-team selection, Abby has another accomplishment to add to an impressive resume.

United Soccer Coaches announced in December that Abby was among its 142 high school All-Americans, 63 of whom are girls. Players on this year’s United Soccer Coaches High School All-America Teams were recognized for their accomplishments during a ceremony on January 11 in Chicago.

Abby grew up on the soccer pitch and began learning her skills at the SoccerTots program on Long Island, New York.

She also plays basketball. Soccer, though, is her biggest passion.

“I love the fact that it’s in constant motion,” she said when asked why she loves soccer. “The ball rarely goes out of play.”

Her family moved to Anne Arundel County in 2011, and Abby joined a Green Hornets rec team before moving to a club team coached by her dad, Mark Cover, a current Green Hornets U13 coach. Abby’s younger sister, Emma Cover, is on that team.

Abby credits her dad for nurturing her interest in soccer, encouraging her to enjoy the sport and not just the dedication necessary to improve.

“He fostered me into enjoying the game and each piece, and the hard work of getting better,” Abby said.

Hard work guided her as she moved from Green Hornets to higher-level teams, including Maryland United’s U18 club team and Severna Park High School’s varsity team, which she made as a freshman four years ago.

Severna Park varsity girls soccer coach Rick Stimpson, known to the players as coach Stimmo, said Abby is a force on both ends of the field.

“She’s always available to receive the ball, she’s never flustered, and when the game is on the line, she will always step up,” he said.

Examples of that clutch factor are not hard to find. In the fall, Abby scored an overtime game-winner against Chesapeake in the state semifinals.

“In the state semifinal, it was a perfect pass back to me from Ava Scott … which I was able to finish in the net,” Abby said.

She added another goal in her team’s 4-0 championship win over Towson, helping the Falcons claim back-to-back state titles.

“We were under pressure early in the game,” Stimpson said. “Abby converted a penalty kick right after (Erin Hussey scored). It settled us down and gave us the right momentum.”

Abby credits Stimpson with fostering a great environment that makes it easy for players to buy in.

“He had an MVP for each game,” Abby said. “He will recognize our little wins as much as our big wins. It’s just a great culture that has been created on and off the field.”

Abby was a big part of that culture, especially this year.

“We graduated so many seniors who had huge roles,” Stimpson said. “Abby gave everybody the confidence on the field that they were doing a good job, and she encouraged them, but she also took the pressure off of them because she was always available.”

Next fall, Abby will take her skills to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She became sold on the women’s soccer program after meeting the coaches and learning about their emphasis on passing.

“The campus is beautiful, and they have nice facilities,” Abby said. “The coaches and girls on the team are super nice and welcoming.”

After seeing her growth, Mark Cover has no doubt Abby will excel at the next level.

“Watching Abby grow from a 7-year-old skipping down the soccer field to a leader who helped her team win two state championships has been incredibly rewarding,” Mark said. “What stands out most to me is her genuine love for the sport, her teammates and her coaches. At the same time, she is a quiet yet incredibly fierce competitor who pushes herself every day. We are so grateful to all her coaches, especially Rick Stimpson, who has played such an important role in her growth both on and off the field. Our family can’t wait to cheer her on as she takes on her next challenge at UNC Greensboro.”

Soccer and family vacations have taken Abby everywhere from California to Spain, but the January trip marked her first time in Chicago.

Add another accomplishment to Abby’s resume, which will soon have to make room for more accolades.

“It’s honestly more than I could have imagined,” Abby said of the honor.