DuPage County All-Area girls soccer team
Jessica Arabia | Naperville North
The hard-tackling three-year starter's work rate made her an invaluable part of the Huskies' run to a supersectional, as a defensive midfielder who held the middle, got forward into the attack and took free kicks to boot. "She just works and works," Huskies coach Brent Terada said of the Marist-bound senior. "We asked her and Adrienne (Schertz) to cover more ground than anyone. She's very competitive, and she just wants to win."
Amy Baschen | Downers Grove South
Baschen did whatever was needed for the 16-6-1 Mustangs this season, from midfield to a forward's role, and her 6 goals and 4 assists gave the four-year varsity player 17 goals and 11 assists total. "She's been an all-around player for us, and she had a great all-around season this year," said Mustangs coach Barry Jacobson. "She played well wherever we needed her on the field."
Lee Battaglia | Hinsdale Central
The three-year Northwestern-bound starter returned to the fold after sitting out her junior year, and her play in the central midfield keyed a Red Devils run to the program's first downstate berth in 20 years. "She has great energy in the midfield, she's technically sound, and she played in a position that's new to her to help complement the team lineup," said Red Devils coach Skip Begley. Battaglia had 10 goals and 7 assists heading into the state finals.
Kelly Blumberg | Naperville Central
"She's a throwback to the way midfield used to be played - she's just a mid," coach Ed Watson said of his four-year varsity player. "She attacks, she defends and she links out of the back." The DePaul-bound senior was also a prime example of the value of relentlessness in a career that saw her move around the attack as needed. Her 6 goals this year leave her with 25 total.
Rachel Bostick | Waubonsie Valley
There was no more dominant player in the air than the Illinois State-bound Bostick, a defensive midfielder whose ability to get her head on seemingly every ball in the air was uncanny. The four-year varsity player played on two state championship teams, had 12 goals and 5 assists for this year's 18-4 squad and finished with 38 goals and 18 assists total. She also had a goal and 2 assists during Waubonsie's two downstate title runs.
Sarah Carlson | Wheaton North
From outside midfield to marking back, and into the attack, the senior did a little of everything and she did it well for coach Tim McEvilly, who relied on Carlson's play in a rebuilding season. "She did everything and anything I needed her to do," he said. "She's an extraordinary athlete with a great competitive spirit." Carlson led the way in goals and assists for this year's Falcons, who reached a regional title game before falling to eventual supersectional qualifier Conant.
Jill D'Amico | Naperville Central
One of two freshmen on this year's All-Area team, D'Amico posted 16 shutouts and had a 0.44 goals-against average for a team that struggled to score and relied heavily on her throughout an 18-4-3 campaign. "She is a tremendous competitor and she has outstanding instincts," said coach Ed Watson. D'Amico shined in games against rival Naperville North, St. Charles East, Schaumburg and a host of others. "The shutouts she got, she earned," Watson said.
Vanessa DiBernardo | Waubonsie Valley
The junior's ability to attack the net and finish stands alone in the area, and her three-year total of 54 goals and 34 assists give her 142 points - well within reach of the program's all-time points leader, Kristen Zmijewski, who had 170 in a four-year career. The forward had four multigoal games this year for the 18-4 Warriors, including the third postseason game-winning overtime goal of her career, in a sectional semifinal win over Neuqua Valley.
Liz Dudek | Benet
The senior forward had 20 goals and 6 assists this year and leaves the program having netted 66 goals in a four-year varsity career. "This year she became a dynamic player," said Benet coach Henry Wind. "She has incredible speed and quickness, and what makes her special is her cutting ability and her ability to finish." Dudek netted a hat trick vs. Palatine during the Naperville Invitational and was a marked woman every time she stepped on the field for the past two seasons.
Leah Fortune | Wheaton Academy
The captain of this year's All-Area team, Fortune has 27 goals and 12 assists in leading the Warriors into the Class 2A finals and has 85 goals and 52 assists for her four-year career. The Texas-bound senior's skills, work rate and selflessness stood out this season. "No matter where we needed her on the field, she came through for us," said Warriors coach Scott Marksberry. "She's a special player."
Alexa Gaul | Neuqua Valley
The Texas-bound goalkeeper played her first season of high school soccer this year, and she made it count. The senior was rock-solid in net and a surprise on the field, where she was the Wildcats' second-leading scorer with 10 goals. "We had no idea she was so talented as a field player," said Wildcats coach Joe Moreau. With great hands, instincts, smarts and reflexes, Gaul and four-year keeper Rachel Suther were an excellent tandem sharing net duties this season.
Claire Hanold | Waubonsie Valley
Hanold's 9 shutouts this year gave her an Illinois record 73 in four years that saw her play in 104 games between the pipes as the anchor behind two team state titles. The DePaul-bound senior departs Waubonsie having given up 36 goals in four years, for a goals-against average of 0.34. Hanold's 2 shootout saves gave Waubonsie its third consecutive Naperville Invitational title.
Devin Johnston | Lake Park
The four-year varsity player "has been a key component in any success Lake Park has had over the past two years," according to Lancers coach John Gouriotis. The 6-foot attacking midfielder was the Lancers' target player offensively, and she'll play both basketball and soccer next year at Olivet Nazarene University. Johnston departs with 22 varsity goals and 21 assists. "She was our leader this year since Day One," Gouriotis said. "She's a gamer."
Toni Kokenis | Hinsdale Central
The junior netted 24 goals and had 8 assists through a 17-3-2 campaign heading into the Class 3A finals. The coaches' all-state basketball player is simply a top-shelf athlete who "has developed into an exceptional scorer," said Red Devils coach Skip Begley. "She's strong in the air, and she can finish in tight space with power." Kokenis' 24 goals came in 19 games played thus far, prior to Friday's state semifinal game against Carl Sandburg.
Haley Krentz | Naperville North
The Missouri-bound senior led the attack with 12 goals and 5 assists during the 19-3-3 Huskies' run to a supersectional game this season. "She's been a real difference maker for us. She can hurt teams in a lot of different ways," said Huskies coach Brent Terada. Krentz scored the game-winning goal in a sectional semifinal win over rival Naperville Central, "and she's one of the most competitive kids I've coached in a long time," Terada said.
Lauren Livingston | WW South
The tireless outside midfielder spent the season racing up and down the touchline all season, and the four-year varsity player departs the program with 15 goals and 16 assists. "She's been a key cog in what we've tried to do," said Tigers coach Guy Callipari. The Bowling Green-bound senior played up top and in the central midfield, "but she's been most effective for us on the flank, and she's been our most consistent player."
Andi Matichak | St. Francis
The freshman gave coach Tim Dailey 30 goals and 8 assists as a quick, fast and skilled forward this season. "She possesses excellent vision, she works hard to receive and distribute the ball, and she has a nose for the goal," Dailey said. The Spartans went 22-4 with a bevy of talented young players in the fold. "For a freshman, she is just remarkably composed in front of the net. She is our offensive catalyst," Dailey said.
Kelsey Mulcahy | Neuqua Valley
The Wildcats went 18-4-1 this year and sat atop the Daily Herald's rankings for most of the season, and the Missouri-bound Mulcahy was a key reason why. "Plain and simple, Kelsey is a great defender," said Neuqua coach Joe Moreau. "She has a great battling mentality, she's great in the air, and she has the ability to be both physically strong on the ball and very agile at the same time."
Megan Oyster | Neuqua Valley
The national team player has a combination of size and skill that was unsurpassed this year, and as a sophomore she was simply the Wildcats' best player. "She's as technically strong as any player in the area," said Neuqua coach Joe Moreau. "She's excellent at maintaining possession, and one of the most impressive things about Megan is her understanding of when to play simple and when to be more creative."
Bri Rodriguez | Waubonsie Valley
Her four-year varsity career is over, and the West Virginia-bound senior midfielder leaves as arguably one of the greatest distributors of a soccer ball in state history. With unparalleled foot skills and field vision, Rodriguez leaves with 44 goals and 71 assists and a national player of the year honor to her credit, as the player who, "more than anyone else, put Waubonsie Valley soccer on the map," said Warriors coach Julie Bergstrom.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>All-Area Teams</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Cook County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298406"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298405">Softball captain: Nikki Goranson</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298398"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298397">Baseball captain: Jon Carlson</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298403"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298402">Soccer captains: Laura Mayer, Mary Kubiuk</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298401"><B>Boys volleyball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298400">Volleyball captain: Chris Falknor</a></li> </ul> <h2>DuPage County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298388"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298392">Softball captain: Hannah Santora</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298388"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298582">Baseball captain: Jack DeAno</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298391"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298394">Soccer captain: Leah Fortune</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298390"><B>Boys volleyball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298393">Volleyball captain: Joe Kelly</a></li> </ul> <h2>Fox Valley</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298676"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298362">Softball captain: Kimberly Pierce</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298660"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298356">Baseball co-captain: Brian Brauer</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298355">Baseball co-captain: Craig Lipp</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298658"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298361">Soccer captain: Cori Wronski</a></li> </ul> <h2>Lake County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298410"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298408">Softball captain: Olivia Duehr</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298407"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298396">Baseball captain: Chas Evans</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298404"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298409">Soccer captain: Courtney Levy</a></li> </ul> <h2>Tri-Cities</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298385"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298379">Softball captain:Stephanie Becker</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298383"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298380">Baseball captain: Matt Milroy</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298382"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298378">Soccer captain: Emily Hinchman</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>