Salisbury High School recently saluted seniors who are going to continue their academic and athletic careers in college. Two of those players – Ellyana Belletiere-Bieber and Josh Hudak - came from the soccer program.

Belletiere-Bieber will be playing soccer at DeSales University, while Hudak will attend Penn College of Technology.

“Our team doesn’t always have as many players as a lot of other teams, so I had the opportunity to play a lot of different positions, and I think that taught me a lot,” said Belletiere-Bieber, a future nursing major.

At first, Belletiere-Bieber was not sure she was going to continue playing soccer in college, but one text changed that.

“I was just going to go through their nursing program and was not going to play soccer,” she said. “One day I was just sitting at home, and I got a text from Melina (Couzis) the soccer coach at DeSales and she asked me if I wanted to commit.”

Healthcare of one sort or another was always the plan for Belletiere-Bieber, but it switched from animals to children. After initially wanting to be a veterinarian, her love for kids outweighed her love for animals and she chose to pursue a nursing degree and wants to eventually work in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“It’s tough work, but it’s really what I want to do, so I’m looking forward to it,” said Belletiere-Bieber. “At college, I’m looking forward to being on my own a little and figure out soccer and my schedule and everything that goes with college.”

“I would describe Elliana’s style of play as passionate,” said Salisbury head coach Rick Babyak. “She is strong-willed and has a big heart and she never shied away from putting in the work to improve herself and the team.”

Hudak put his ability to kick to good use at Salisbury.

Not only did he star on the soccer team, but he was a kicker and punter for football and this spring turned in his best season in track and field when he medaled at both the Colonial League and District 11 meets and qualified for states in the triple jump.

As a midfielder and striker on the soccer field, Hudak was one of the team’s captains in 2025 and head coach Barry Frick found the leadership skills that he showed to be huge for this year’s team.

“He’s a vocal leader, has a lot of energy, and is very aggressive on the field, and has great knowledge of the game,” said Frick. “I coached him for six years as he came up from middle school, and he was always a pleasure to watch and to see how he developed.”

In his senior season, Hudak scored 15 goals, a season-high, and finished with 36 goals and 23 assists for the Falcons. His career stats placed him among the top 30 players all-time for Salisbury soccer.

“I was deciding between college and the military and one night I was talking to my dad, and he suggested that I consider some of the trade occupations,” said Hudak of his decision to attend Penn College of Technology. “He had heard about Penn College, so I reached out to the head coach, and he liked how I played and invited me for a visit, and I never looked back.

“I had a special bond with all of my coaches in every sport. It definitely was all a blast, and I have to thank all of my friends for their help, because they were there right with me the whole way.”