Girls soccer/Fox Valley all-area team
Ashley Barnes Elgin Academy
Barnes, a senior center midfielder, set a new program single-season record for goals with 43. Barnes was Elgin Academy’s team MVP and also earned the team’s captains award. “Ashley Barnes is the definition of a student-athlete,” said Elgin Academy coach Shannon Walter. “Ashley put in the hard work everyday at practice for herself and still found time to help her teammates. To score 43 goals in a season while surrounded by a strong soccer team is a feat in itself, but Ashley succeeded in doing so with a very inexperienced team around her. This season, Ashley has not only improved her game, but has made an impact on each of her teammates in a positive way.” Barnes, an all-Independent School League selection with the second-highest vote total among all-conference nominees, will continue her career at Roanoke College next season.
Stephanie Brown Streamwood
Streamwood’s senior attacking center midfielder, Brown finished the year with 16 goals and 12 assists and was a major driver in the team’s improvement in 2012. Brown, a four-year starter and a three-year team captain, was an all-Upstate Eight Conference and all-sectional selection. She will continue her career at Bemidji State. “Stephanie has played in every minute of every game this season, playing against some of the best teams in the state,” said Streamwood coach Matt Polovin. “Stephanie goes hard and never backs down from a challenge. She is normally the smallest player on the field, but plays bigger than most of the girls on either team.”
Camille Dela Cruz Burlington Central
A junior attacking midfielder, Dela Cruz finished the year with 16 goals and 13 assists en route to earning all-sectional honors. She led the Rockets with 63 shots.“Camille is the type of player who can control the temp of the game from the middle of the field,” said Central coach Mike Gecan. “This season, she has become a huge scoring option for us. Even though she leads the team in goals, Camille is a very unselfish player. Her teammates have helped her realize that she needs to be a scoring threat in order for us to be successful.” Dela Cruz is currently looking at several Division I college soccer options for her future.
Kathleen Duffy St. Edward
Duffy, St. Edward’s freshman center defender, started all 29 games and played every minute of those contests. She tallied 3 goals and 5 assists and was a key factor in St. Edward shutting out 17 opponents, including a streak of 9 matches in a row. “Kathleen has poise, knowledge and strength,” said St. Edward coach Tim Brieger. “She is mature beyond her years on defense, is calm and is a leader.”
Paige Gannon St. Edward
The honorary captain of the 2012 Daily Herald All-Area team, Gannon set a host of school single-season and career records in helping the Green Wave reach the Class 1A final eight for a second year in a row. A senior goalie, Gannon established single-season marks for games started in goal (29), goals-against average (0.89), shutouts (17) and consecutive shutouts (9). She also set all-time program records for most varsity games played (102) and games played in goal (76). She finished her career with 29 shutouts. A repeat All-Area selection. “To have her dominating physical presence in goal was huge for us,” said St. Edward coach Tim Brieger.
Chelsea Gnan St. Edward
Just a freshman, Gnan played a major role in St. Edward winning 19 matches and advancing to within one game of a second-straight Class 1A state finals appearance. She set a school freshman single-season record with 16 goals (breaking teammate Allison Kruk’s old record of 10). She also set a program single-season mark with 15 assists. Gnan tallied 3 goals and 8 assists in playoff action. “Chelsea is a complete player with speed, skill and finishing ability,” said St. Edward coach Tim Brieger. “She is the other half (along with Kruk) of one of the most dynamic forward duos I have had in 17 years.”
Nicole Gobbo Bartlett
A senior forward, Gobbo registered 12 goals and 10 assists in 2012. “Nicole has been a vital part of our attack the last four years and a tremendous threat up top,” said Bartlett coach Heather Thomas. “She has been a leading goal-scorer during her tenure at Bartlett, and is someone that we will not be able to replace. Her speed and skills give her a double threat that is very difficult to defend.” Gobbo will play for Northern Illinois University next season.
Natalia Grodzki Bartlett
Bartlett’s senior goalie allowed 30 goals and registered 8 shutouts. Grodzki will continue her career at Division I Quinnipiac in Connecticut next season. “Without her expertise in the back line, we wouldn’t have been as successful as we were,” said Bartlett coach Heather Thomas. “She made several game-saving saves that allowed us to stay in the game. Natalia is incredibly confident in her abilities, which is absolutely vital in that position. She’s exceptional with her feet, allowing us to play back to her to get us out of pressure. She is going to be tremendously missed next year.”
Korey Kronforst Cary-Grove
This all-Fox Valley Conference and all-sectional selection finished the season with 16 goals and 3 assists. Kronforst, a senior forward, helped Cary-Grove go 13-5-1 and win the FVC Valley Division with a 6-0 mark. “Korey is the most dangerous player on our team and causes the most concern to opposing teams,” said Cary-Grove coach Ray Krystal. “Korey is also a strong leader both on and off the field. She truly is a team player.”
Allison Kruk St. Edward
Kruk, a sophomore forward, set a St. Edward single-season record with 19 goals. She also tallied 7 assists for a Green Wave team that went 19-8-2 and advanced to a Class 1A supersectional. Kruk scored 5 goals and had 1 assist in the postseason. “Allison has a combination of speed and power,” said St. Edward coach Tim Brieger. “She is a big-game player.”
Paige Lincicum Cary-Grove
Lincicum, a senior goalie, was an all-Fox Valley Conference and all-sectional selection. She registered 7 shutouts and had a 0.76 goals-against average for a Cary-Grove team that ran the table at 6-0 in the FVC Valley Division. “Paige is an amazing goalkeeper and has the ability to change the game,” said Cary-Grove coach Ray Krystal. “She has an impact and skill set seldom seen in the girls’ game. She has been a key to this team’s success.”
Delaney Loprieno Huntley
A sophomore center midfielder, Loprieno finished 2012 with 10 goals and 6 assists and earned all-Fox Valley Conference and all-sectional honors. “Delaney is one of the top two center midfielders in our conference,” said Huntley coach Kris Grabner. “Delaney is a strong all-around center midfielder. She is very strong off the dribble, shoots very well with both feet, is strong in the air, defends very well and serves great set pieces.”
Margaret Rivera Jacobs
An all-Fox Valley Conference and all-sectional selection, Rivera is a repeat All-Area selection. Rivera, a junior defender, finished the year with 4 goals and 10 assists. “I would consider Margaret the top defender I have seen all season,” said Jacobs coach A.J. Cappello. “Defensively, she is as tough a defender 1-on-1 as there is. She has added a vocal component to her game this year to where she in directing all the girls on the field both defensively and offensively. On free kicks, every ball she serves is deadly. And any shot she puts on goal gives goalies a fit.”
Cassidy Sherman Jacobs
An all-sectional pick and a repeat All-Area selection, Sherman tallied 13 goals despite seeing reduced duty due to a sprained MCL. “Cassidy is the ultimate competitor no matter who the opponent is on the field,” said Jacobs coach A.J. Cappello. “No matter what drill we are running, Cassidy always wants to win. It is this drive that makes Cassidy so successful.” Sherman had 12 goals in the first 11 matches of the season before the knee injury. Sherman scored a total of 38 goals over the last 3 seasons. “Cassidy has been a two-year captain for us,” said Cappello. “She is a coach’s ideal candidate for a captain. On top of her goal scoring and leadership abilities, she is a rock defensively and a dominate force in the air.”
Caitlin Solberg Burlington Central
A senior goalie, Solberg allowed only 21 goals and registered 11 shutouts for the Rockets. She finished with a 0.95 goals-against average and blocked 3 penalty kicks. Solberg was a 2012 DeKalb invitational all-tournament team selection. “Caitlin has tremendous athletic ability and has really grown into a great goalkeeper,” said Central coach Mike Gecan. “Caitlin is the type of player that I have been able to count on in big games and high-pressure situations. Solberg will continue her career at Illinois College in Champaign. “I think she will be very successful and I look forward to seeing what she can do at the next level,” said Gecan.
Natalie Starrenburg Hampshire
A senior left midfielder, Starrenburg earned all-Fox Valley Conference honors after registering 9 goals and 12 assists. A team captain, Starrenburg was named Hampshire’s MVP and also earned the program’s high-point award. “Natalie scored or assisted on more than half of our team’s goals,” said Hampshire coach Pat O’Brien. “She dominated the left side of the field for four years as a varsity player. She was our team MVP and one of the classiest players we have had in our program.”
Madalene Stoneman Burlington Central
Stoneman, a senior forward, tallied 14 goals to go with 13 assists and earned all-sectional honors. “Maddie has been double- and sometimes triple-teamed all season, but she still has found a way to score goals for us,” said Central coach Mike Gecan. “This year she has really become more of a playmaker for our team. Maddie has really become a great distributor of the ball for us.” Stoneman will study at the University of Wisconsin where she is considering walking on to the Badgers’ soccer team.
Savanah Uveges South Elgin
Only a sophomore, Uveges registered 22 goals and 4 assists, moving her varsity totals to 41 goals and 8 assists in just two seasons of play. Uveges is a repeat all-Upstate Eight Conference selection and was the team MVP for a second year in a row. “Savanah is a strong leader both on and off the field,” said South Elgin coach Tiffany Disher. “She is extremely fast, intelligent and always gives 110 percent. She is a very sound, technical and tactical player. She has the ability to see the field and think ahead of the play. Savanah is the type of player that listens to every word the coaches say and then does her best to apply it in the game. Savanah usually plays midfield or forward, but she is also a strong defender. She can control the middle of the field and maintain a high work rate the entire game.”
2012 All-area roster
Player School Pos. Yr.
Ashley Barnes Elgin Academy MF Sr.
Stephanie Brown Streamwood CMF Sr.
Camille Dela Cruz Burlington C. MF Jr.
Kathleen Duffy St. Edward Def. Fr.
*Paige Gannon St. Edward GK Sr.
Chelsea Gnan St. Edward F Fr.
Nicole Gobbo Bartlett F Sr.
Natalia Grodzki Bartlett GK Sr.
Korey Kronforst Cary-Grove F Sr.
Allison Kruk St. Edward F So.
Paige Lincicum Cary-Grove GK Sr.
Delaney Loprieno Huntley CMF So.
Margaret Rivera Jacobs Def. Jr.
Cassidy Sherman Jacobs F Sr.
Caitlin Solberg Burlington C. GK Sr.
Natalie Starrenburg Hampshire MF Sr.
Madalene Stoneman Burlington C. MF Sr.
Savanah Uveges South Elgin F/MF So.
* — Honorary captain
Honorable mention
Burlington Central — Cali Andrew (So., OMF), Courtney Andrew (Sr., OD), Catherine Kaynish (Sr., DMF)
Cary-Grove — Liz Koch (Sr., MF), Sierra Romero (Sr., D)
CL South — Emily Hamrick (Sr., D), Biance Miceli (So., F), MacKenzie Taldone (Jr., MF)
Elgin Academy — Veronica Clements (So., CD), Alysson Whittmeyer (Fr., GK)
Hampshire — Jori Anderson (Sr., LD), Lizzy Panzica (Jr., Sweeper)
Huntley — Jessica Galason (So., GK), Abigale Nordeen (So., CMF)
Jacobs — Erin Flores (Sr., D), Catie Sherman (Jr., MF)
Larkin — Rose Camarena (Sr., D)
St. Edward — Katie Ayello (Sr., D), Corey Lopoudre (So., MF), Jordyn Madden (Sr., MF), Monica Ramirez (So, MF)
South Elgin — Lauren Vedrine (Sr., D)
Streamwood — Sharice Ellenwood (Jr., Sweeper)
Westminster Christian — Whitney Woodhouse (Fr., Sweeper)
Captain’s honor roll
1997 — Candice Spiniolas (Cary-Grove)
1998 — Liz Malmen (Cary-Grove)
1999 — Lauren Wright (Jacobs) and Becky Elk (Cary-Grove)
2000 — Becky Duffy (St. Edward)
2001 — Shelly Hecht (Jacobs)
2002 — Jessica Madary (Bartlett)
2003 — Sarah McLaughlin (Cary-Grove)
2004 — Lauren Zimka (Jacobs)
2005 — Jodi Zwingelberg (Larkin)
2006 — Jodi Zwingelberg (Larkin) and Shannon Walter (Larkin)
2007 — Laura Knutson (Crystal Lake South)
2008 — Kelsey Passaglia (Cary-Grove
2009 — Corinne Wronski (Huntley)
2010 — Aimee Wronski (Huntley)
2011 — Aimee Wronski (Huntley)
2012 — Paige Gannon (St. Edward)
All-area selections and capsules by Mike Miazga