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Barrington's Szczesny springs forward

It would be fair to say that April through June were the months which launched Jenna Szczesny into the stratosphere of high school girls soccer.

After finishing the 2014 season with a remarkable tally of 30 goals and 15 assists for Mid-Suburban League champion Barrington, the individual awards started pouring in.

It began with the MSL West player of the year honors, followed by a spot on the all-state team, then all-America honors and finally, the big prize, Gatorade Illinois Soccer Player-of-the-Year.

All of which made the decision to name Szczesny captain of the Daily Herald's Northwest girls soccer all-area team an easy one.

So what was her reaction to this all?

"It's all so amazing, but to be truthful, none of its happens without my teammates," says Szczesny, whose captivating performances helped her follow in the footsteps of former teammate Molly Pfeiffer (now at Marquette), who captained last year's team.

"I am not surprised that Jenna responded the way she did," said Pfeiffer, who after a medical red-shirt (ACL surgery) during her first year, is close to being 100 percent healthy again for the Golden Eagles. "When I was first came to Barrington, I was fortunate to have Amy Johnson as a mentor, a great leader by example. So I knew how important it would be to be there for our young players, especially coming into a program where the expectations are high. So being there for Jenna and the other new players was something that you do.

"When Jenna came in as a freshmen, she was so quiet - you couldn't get a word out of her. But you could tell even then it was always team-first. Now, I guess the best way to describe her is that her actions speak louder than her words, and even though she is still a person of few words, she has remained an unbelievable person, and an even more amazing player."

Szczesny's low-profile approach has yielded high-end results.

"She is so humble, and unassuming - it's part of what she is," says Barrington coach Ryan Stengren, who had an inkling of what was to come when Szczesny was a student of his at Rose Elementary. "I knew we were getting one of the more athletic players to come through since I got here, but she was raw as a player, and no doubt being so shy and quiet would likely hold her back at the start."

Being surrounded by the veteran presence of Pfeiffer and others, along with Szczesny's own strong work ethic ended up quickly surprising Stengren and his coaching staff.

"We figured (Jenna) could make a contribution, but we never thought she would score 11 goals and become a key figure in us winning what would be the first of three consecutive MSL titles," he said.

Szczesny scored in the 2012 sectional final to help the Fillies defeat Huntley 2-0. Last season, Szczesny combined with Pfeiffer to sparkle in the MSL Soccer Cup during a 2-0 victory over Buffalo Grove. She was at it again in the playoffs, scoring twice against St. Charles North in the supersectionals to send the Fillies into the state finals and a third-place finish.

"Molly was a tremendous influence for me when I first came here, and turned into a great friend also," said Szczesny, "so when we were able to help our team beat St. Charles North and get to state, it was only natural that has been my most memorable game here so far."

After another grueling off-season of training following her freshman season, Szczesny's confidence level began to rise as well, and with Pfeiffer running the show and a sensational cast of seniors on hand, such as Aimee Pierce and Emily Morin, she continued to make gains.

Last spring Szczesny dazzled, breaking through with 25 goals and 8 assists, many of them timely, including the two against St. Charles North. She had two more in the third-place state match to set the stage for her superb junior season.

"For me, the key to becoming a better, all-around player has been getting stronger, and staying healthy," she said. "A lot of that credit goes to Tim Scanlon at HealthQuest Fitness in Palatine. He has helped Molly a lot, and for me, he has improved my speed, strength, and all the other little things in order to be match-fit."

While marvelous Buffalo Grove senior forward Kelli Zickert led the area in goals with 33, Szczesny' goal-to-game ratio was unmatched. Szczesny had 30 goals in 19 games, and in two of those she played less than 40 minutes.

"Her father (John) lost his battle to cancer on the first of May, so she lost some time then, but she handled all of that as well as it can be expected, and showed tremendous poise all throughout, and afterward when she returned," says Stengren.

The Fillies family atmosphere proved crucial for Szczesny through those tough times, but it wasn't long before Szczesny's on-field performance was back to normal.

"I have been very lucky to be a part of a program and team like we have at Barrington, and on the soccer side of things, to have a coaching staff that is able to train us like they do on the college level is a real advantage for all of us," said Szczesny.

Elk Grove coach Dan Klaus, who has had his share of premier players during his long tenure, including 2003 Gatorade Illinois player of the year and and three-time All-American at Notre Dame Jen Buczkowski, had plenty to say when asked to write a recommendation to the folks at Gatorade.

"I told them that Jenna is one of the best athletes to come along in some time, but more importantly, I felt she comports herself with class, grace and dignity, while always with a wonderful type of body language while on the field," Klaus said. "She does it all for Barrington on both sides of the ball, and against the top clubs in the state, and was just a fantastic combination of athlete, soccer player and person this past season."

"It is a little humbling to know what coaches are thinking and saying about you," Szczesn said. "I guess it's not anything I would have ever imagined happening to me."

A thumbnail scouting report of Szczesny's abilities might go something like this:

A rare breed of a player. Her pace can break down any defense off the dribble, or conjure up something out of nothing. Terrific size and strength, great reflexes, can dicate the tone from as a forward, which is usually reserved for the playmaking midfielder. Explosive complete striker who can and will score any type of goal, but can also be a hard-nosed in the tackle, or in the air. Unselfish, almost to a fault.

"Jenna is your classic striker you see on the international level," said Stengren. "She'll create for others and herself, be dangerous enough to be double-teammed, then bam, she puts two on the board, helps on a couple of others, and we walk out with a victory.

"She can get to the endline better than anyone, has great service into the box, gets stronger and stronger as the match goes on, and she just goes out there and does her job."

Szczesny has verbally committed to play at Loyola in 2016, with an eye on its first-rate nursing program.

"It might be pediatric nursing for me, but I have time to figure all of that out," she said. "But I like the way they play there, and I'll be close enough to my family, and that's really important for me."

Although the Fillies fell one victory short of reaching the state finals once again, Szczesny and the superb keeper Hannah Luedtke, along with a solid core of returning players, return for what promises to be another exciting Barrington season in 2015.

"I enjoyed taking on the role that Molly Pfeiffer and others did when I first got here," said Szczesny, "and I look forward to continue doing so next year, because that's the way Barrington soccer is."

Images: Daily Herald All-Area Spring Honorary Team Captains

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