Begrowicz blossoms at Mundelein

Showing leadership was simply standard for Ashley Begrowicz on the soccer field.

Mundelein’s senior forward earned all-state honors.

That’s a fitting finale for a player who was an all-sectional choice last season, an all-conference pick three straight years and a varsity standout four years in a row.

To cap it all, here’s one more honor: Begrowicz has been chosen captain of the Daily Herald’s Lake County All-Area team.

“It’s all because of a lot of hard work,” said Begrowicz. “It’s nice to play for so long. My team helped so much. (The honor) reflects on the whole team.”

Begrowicz says her individual improvement throughout her high school days is the result of playing the sport well before high school, and then being exposed to some very talented players in her four varsity seasons.

“Every year, there’s been someone older, and I’ve been trying to reach their level of play,” Begrowicz said. “Two of them I wanted to be like were Stephanie Emory (Dayton) and Kim Carroll (Illinois). Both graduated over the last couple of years.”

Statistically speaking, Begrowicz stood out for Mundelein, which finished 14-7-3. She produced 29 goals, second most in a season for the program, and she dished out 13 assists.

Begrowicz finishes as the second leading scorer in program history with 62 goals and 31 assists.

“She was a very dangerous forward and a pure finisher,” said Mundelein coach Dave Ekstrom, who made this season his last after coaching 22 seasons in a 30-year span. “She had tremendous speed and could finish with either foot.”

Scoring wasn’t Begrowicz’s only skill in the final third of the field. She also had a knack for maintaining possession while being bumped by opposing players, even when double teams were sent her way.

“She’s just strong and tough and is able to hold off defenders as she attacks,” Ekstrom said. “She was always marked by the opponent’s best defender, if not two. She was also unselfish and set up her teammates for easy goals.”

Begrowicz says her mental skills helped her succeed when the game got physical.

“You have to be tough mentally against defenders,” Begrowicz said. “If you get knocked down, you have to get right back up.

“I would have rather knocked them down,” she added with a laugh.

Begrowicz’s mental toughness also came in handy while trying to keep a positive attitude during a rough spring that was often wet and miserable.

“This was a tough spring,” Begrowicz said. “We had to practice and play in pouring rain, freezing cold conditions and horrible field conditions.”

A senior teammate, Abbey Ekstrom, has played with Begrowicz since the sixth grade and realizes how valuable Begrowicz’s skills were to the Mustangs.

“She was a good team leader,” Ekstrom said. “She set a real good example for the rest of the girls on the field. She knows when to be funny and when to be serious on the field.

“She was always at her best going to the goal and shooting. She has a real good shot and is really fast on breakaways. She scored a lot of exciting goals.”