Girls soccer: Fox Valley All-Area team

Mariela Alba BartlettThis three-year varsity starter accumulated 15 goals and 21 assists over 3 seasons, and has now cracked her first all-area team with 7 goals and 10 assists in 2015. The versatile IHSSCA all-sectional forward can play any position on the field, but is mainly a threat on the attack in the middle of the field when the Hawks need her to create room to operate and score. "(Mariela) is a general on the field, and she commands the respect of her teammates because she works hard day in and day out," Hawks coach Ben Beary said. "She holds herself accountable for her own mistakes. I have never once heard her blame anyone other than herself for mistakes that happen on the field."

Tawny Carroll StreamwoodNamed the honorary captain of the 2015 Daily Herald Fox Valley All-Area team, this Drake-bound striker ended her four-year Streamwood career with 85 goals and 54 assists, including 31 goals and 19 assists this season, the best of any of her four. A 2-time all-area, 3-time all-UEC/all-sectional and 2015 all-state selection, the speedy, competitive, skillful forward was just a handful for anybody on the pitch. "She is the best player out there," Sabres coach Matt Polovin said. "You're going to have to throw everything in your power sometimes two or three times to stop her. She made the other defenders' lives not exciting, that's for sure."

Katie Costantino HuntleyIn her first all-area appearance, Costantino developed a reputation of shutting players down as a defensive center-mid. Earning all-FVC honors, her ability with first touches, passing, corner kicks and set pieces helped her reach 4 goals and 10 assists, Huntley a second-straight supersectional and Austin Peay in the fall. "She's a worker, she goes out and she's just nonstop. Really, what she brought was that work rate that every teams needs," Red Raiders coach Kris Grabner said. "She has the ability to track anybody. She does everything well."

Candace Cunningham Cary-GroveThis first time all-area selection didn't score or add any assists, but finished her three-year Cary-Grove career aiding in 25 shutouts. The athletic, durable and dependable defender was not only strong in 1-on-1 situations as well as providing support and recovery, but set a positive example. "She has a great will to win and is one of the most determined individuals I have ever coached," Trojans coach Ray Krystal said. "Candace is an intense competitor and also a young woman of uncompromising character."

Brittany Dazzo ElginThis freshman made a splash on the Maroons right away, scoring 7 goals and 5 assists. Dazzo drew an all-UEC selection, as her speed, precision on corners and set pieces, along with a strong boot made her a game-changer for Elgin this season.

Kathleen Duffy St. EdwardA 4-year starter and 3-time all-area selection, this all-Metro Suburban honoree anchored the Green Wave defense for the bulk of her tenure. But 2015 brought a move to her natural position at center-mid and she garnered 5 goals and 8 assists to total 18 goals and 14 assists for her career. Duffy also coveted a St. Edward ironman record of 105 consecutive starts which helped the Wave deep into the playoffs and her to Lindenwood University in St. Louis. "(Kathleen) made use of her high soccer IQ," coach Tim Brieger said. "(She had an) outstanding touch and ball control and strength. One of the finest all-around players to come through the Wave program."

Chelsea Gnan St. EdwardGnan ended her Green Wave career a 4-time all-area selection, a rare accomplishment. This 3-time all-conference selection scored 14 goals and 10 assists in 2015 and finished with 80 goals and 49 assists in her career, making her the all-time leading goal scorer for either program. Gnan was marked closely this season as well, but still found success up front and on corners and will take her scoring prowess to Wheaton College. "Chelsea was the only returning double-digit goal scorer for the Wave this year and opponents knew it," coach Tim Brieger said. "(She's) one of the most complete strikers I have coached in my tenure - quick, aggressive, strong with the ball and a passion for scoring."

Elizabeth Gousios Burlington CentralA freshman who helped make Burlington's wheels go round, this all-sectional honorable mention garnered all-area and all-BNC honors. But it was more of a transformative process for the forward to find her sweet spot on the field, and once Rockets coach Jess Arneson found it, Gousios took off with 17 goals and 7 assists. "She's incredibly fast. She's a really fast player and had the defense spinning in circles sometimes," said Arneson. "She's really excelled at set plays and her and (Jordan King) really play off each other so well and have really become far more dynamic."

Missy Greco South ElginThis young midfielder moved from outside wing as a freshman to center midfielder and enjoyed a 10-goal, 4-assist campaign in her first all-area selection. Greco was strong off the ball and mastered her foot skills to beat opponents 1-on-1. She also continually won balls out of the air and worked hard at creating space. "Her creative sense of play has allowed her to be an offensive threat on the pitch," Storm coach Tiffany Disher said. "Missy is the player to look out for in the future because she has the passion, desire and determination to never settle and is always working hard at improvement."

Deanna Hecht HuntleyAfter an injury-plagued junior year, this 2-time all-area selection returned in 2015 with vengeance, scoring 28 goals, good for third in the area. An all-conference selection off to Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, Hecht added 4 assists and maintained her quick release that had power and precision. Even when she missed Huntley's final 2 games due to a broken bone in her foot, she was still a vocal leader. "She was just a good vocal leader and set good examples for everybody," Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. "She grew so much as a person and as a soccer player. Understanding how to prepare, how to get yourself in condition to be a goal scorer … if she continues with that she can be successful in college as well."

Corinne Hildebrandt South ElginA 3-year starter as an outside defender, this first-time all-area selection scored 2 goals and 4 assists, but her stats weren't indicative of her story, as she mainly made solid runs to support the Storm's attack this season, that culminated with a regional title. "With Corinne's speed and knowledge of the game, she single-handedly created several scoring opportunities for our team the past few seasons," Storm coach Tiffany Disher said. "Corinne rarely goes unnoticed by other coaches, teammates, and spectators."

Taryn Jakubowski HuntleyNo surprise here. This pass-first midfielder made it back-to-back all-area and all-FVC selections. After filling the role left by teammate Deanna Hecht's injury last year, the Creighton-bound technical specialist went back to a more natural center-mid and contributed 14 goals and 15 assists this season. "(Taryn) was really able to find a happy medium between the two - between the pass-first and get-your-own-opportunity," Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. "I really think that's maturity. She really grew into a true role of an offensive center mid, where you're creating plays but you also have to look for your own opportunity and her numbers show that."

Alyssa Kaufman HuntleyThe hope prior to the season was that this first-time all-FVC/all-area selection would explode in the scoring column on the wing. Thanks to her ability to break people down, get around defenders and get to the end line, Kaufman tallied 10 goals and 14 assists. "She had a really nice blend of goals and assists," Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. "Those are strong numbers. I kind of go back (prior to the season) to her having the ability to selfish at times and know when to give the ball up and get the assists. I think if she continues to grow as she grew this year, she can easily be in there with 25 goals next year."

Megan Kearney St. EdwardA 4-year varsity veteran and a 3-year starter, Kearney moved from center/marking mid to her true position at forward and exploded for 22 goals and 7 assists this season. Earning all-area honors for the first time, this all-Metro Suburban selection ended her Green Wave career ranked fifth all-time with 40 goals and 16 assists. She will be remembered not only for her speed and marking ability, but her unselfishness. "(She was) a dangerous combination of speed and athleticism," said Wave coach Tim Brieger. "One of the toughest players I have coached. Played the entire playoffs with a painful ankle injury, but never let herself be taken out of a game."

Jordan King Burlington CentralThe future is bright on Rocket Hill with this freshman lightning rod, who dubbed all-sectional, all-area and all-BNC honors in her rookie season. King placed second in the area in goals scored with 30 and added 7 assists to boot for a total of 67 points with an array of skills. "We knew right off the bat she was going to be a big goal scorer," Rockets' coach Jessica Arneson said. "She's very, very gifted talent-wise as well as intelligence. She can pinpoint what exactly needs to get done and she can get it done."

Morgan Lockwood Harvest ChristianOff to Trinity International, this all-Northeastern Athletic selection collected 13 goals and 6 assists. Lockwood posted back-to-back 13 goal seasons and was also a repeat conference and team MVP. A 2-time all-area selection with 34 goals and 27 assists, her knowledge increased every single year. "Her intelligence about the game has grown a ton and she's much better making the smarter run, rather than just running," said Lions coach Jason Acres. "She was our best leader on the field, she acts so much like a coach to our other players. The work-rate she has really adds to that as well and I think the other players fed off that."

Samantha Moreno LarkinNot to be confused with her cousin and freshman Sam Moreno, the junior Moreno earned an all-UEC conference honors by dominating play in the midfield. Moreno reached the net at the very least 5 times in 2015 and used creativity, good pace and quality distribution to help Larkin improve its ball control heading into the postseason.

Weronika Noyszewski South ElginThe Storm's team captain and MVP garnered first-time all-area, all-UEC and all-sectional selections. As the defensive backbone who barely missed a single minute in her 4-year career, Noyszewski accumulated 12 goals and 15 assists, including 5 goals and 3 assists this season. She'll continue on at Clairon University, and she got there by good reason. "Not only is Weronika extremely fast and brutally strong, she is equally intelligent," Storm coach Tiffany Disher said. "When she wasn't in the game there was a significant drop off, especially with balls won out of the air. Weronika left the team with some solid lessons in what it means to put your body on the line to protect the ball."

Jenni Phillips Cary-GroveA defender Phillips, who scored 4 goals and had 3 assists, is another all-area first who played different roles depending what Cary-Grove needed. A strong ball winner, either through tackling or in the air, Phillips trained and played with passion as one of C-G's most versatile players. "She is willing to battle because she believes every play matters," C-G coach Ray Krystal said. "She is fueled by a love for the game and competition. She has a consistent high work rate, and provided presence both on and off the field."

Jessica Schoenfeldt CL SouthThis holding-mid warranted her first all-area selection as well as an all-FVC spot with 7 goals and 8 assists. A complete player for the Gators, Schoenfeldt had a knack for defense, winning the ball in the air and scoring those headers. "She often had the responsibility of containing some of the best scoring threats in the area, usually frustrating the opposition with her physical, aggressive style, taking them out of their game," Gators coach Jay Mueller said. "She also was key to starting our counter attack and tied for the team lead with 8 assists."

Kimmy Sulikowski CL SouthAt times this season, Sulikowski was the lone striker up top for the Gators. But this 2-time all-area/all-FVC selection didn't disappoint with 11 goals and 8 assists, topping last year's 10-goal, 4-assist performance. "She had to balance taking advantage of scoring opportunities at times with holding the ball and distributing to our midfielders at others," CLS coach Jay Mueller said. "She tied for the team lead in both goals and assists and she was also a captain and team leader."

2015 All-area roster

Player School Pos. Yr.

Mariela Alba Bartlett M Jr.

*Tawny Carroll Streamwood F Sr.

Katie Costantino Huntley M Sr.

Candace Cunningham Cary-Grove D Sr.

Brittany Dazzo Elgin F Fr.

Kathleen Duffy St. Edward MF/D Sr.

Chelsea Gnan St. Edward F Sr.

Elizabeth Gousios Burlington Central F Fr.

Missy Greco South Elgin MF So.

Deanna Hecht Huntley F Sr.

Corinne Hildebrandt South Elgin D Jr.

Taryn Jakubowski Huntley M/F Jr.

Alyssa Kaufman Huntley M Jr.

Megan Kearney St. Edward F Sr.

Jordan King Burlington Central F/M Fr.

Morgan Lockwood Harvest Christian F Sr.

Sam Moreno Larkin M Jr.

Weronika Noyszewski South Elgin D/M Sr.

Jenni Phillips Cary-Grove D Sr.

Jess Schoenfeldt CL South F Sr.

Kimmy Sulikowski CL South F Sr.

* - Honorary captain

Honorable mentionBartlett - Jenna Dombrowski

Burlington Central - Julia Petsche, Megan Majewski

Cary-Grove - Genna Sobieszczyk, Kelly Stayart, Frankie Frericks

CL South - Katherine Siavelis, Taylor Mraz

Dundee-Crown - Alyssa Moreno

Harvest Christian - Amanda Moore

Huntley - Paige Renkosik, Sam Heustis

Jacobs - Caroline Craig

Larkin - Stephanie Nunez

St. Edward - Ashley Lopez, Casey Gredzieleski

South Elgin - Delaney Kelleher

Streamwood - Alondra Blanco

Westminster Christian - Whitney Woodhouse

Captain's honor roll1997 - 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)

2013 - Corey Lepoudre (St. Edward)

2014 - Monica Ramirez (St. Edward)

2015 - Tawny Carroll (Streamwood)

All-area selections and capsules by Steve Nichols