Ava Roth, a senior midfielder and forward on George Mason High School’s girls varsity soccer team, signed a letter of intent to play Division-1 soccer for Lehigh University at a signing ceremony held at Mason this morning. The all-state four-year Mason varsity soccer player said she plans on continuing to play both positions for the Mountain Hawks.

“I’m really excited,” Roth said. “I’m looking forward to playing there and it’s a great school athletically and academically, so I should be challenged in both departments.”

Roth has been a standout player for the Mustangs almost every year since she started playing for the team in 2012, most recently scoring the two goals that led to a Mustang state championship victory over Maggie Walker Governor’s School last spring. She said she decided to take her talents to Lehigh after taking some unofficial visits to the school.

“The campus is beautiful and the team is very welcoming,” Roth said. “There’s close relationships within the team and between the team and the coaches.”

Ava’s parents, Barb and Jesse Roth, attended the signing ceremony and were joined by Mason Principal Tyrone Byrd, athletic director Tom Horn, assistant athletic director Julie Bravin and Mason girls soccer head coach Jennifer Parsons.

“I’m so excited for her,” Parsons said. “I think D-1 soccer is a perfect fit for her and Lehigh sounds like a great school for her. She’s talented enough to be there and she has the motivation and dedication to be really successful there and I think have a really great impact on the program.”

Parsons said that Roth will continue to be one of the Mustangs who sets the tone for the other players in practice and training in her final season on the team. “She’s one of those people who comes to practice and goes 120 percent and sets the bar really high for the rest of the team,” Parsons said. “So, I expect her to continue to do that. If there’s specific things that she wants to work towards as goals for getting ready for the fall then we’ll incorporate that into what we do.”

Parsons said that she’ll hopefully be able to make it to Roth’s games with the Mountain Hawks in the fall. “I think with their conference play and their schedule they usually find their way south a little bit,” Parsons said. “So hopefully we’ll get to see some games.”