Who are the all-time best women’s soccer players from the area?

With IHSA sectional competition about to begin, it’s a good time to celebrate the area’s tremendous girls soccer talent.

The Daily Herald coverage area through the years has produced numerous national and international women’s soccer players, perhaps more than any other sport.

This week’s High Five looks at some of the top players to emerge from around here.

5. Jen Grubb

The Conant High School graduate went on to star at Notre Dame, where she was a four-time all-Big East honoree and twice was named defender of the year.

Grubb made numerous appearances for the U.S. national team between 1995 and 1999. She scored goals in the Brazil Soccer Cup and in an international friendly against Finland.

Here’s a Jen Grubb fun fact … kicking for Conant during the 1995 season, she became the first female in IHSA history to score points in a varsity football game.

4. Chris Tomek

Tomek excelled in multiple sports at Wheaton Central High School. She even became the first female to score in an IHSA boys soccer game.

The 1982 graduate was a three-time all-state selection and all-Big Ten softball player at Iowa. She then transferred to George Mason and helped her team win the 1985 NCAA national soccer championship.

Tomek, a longtime soccer coach at Downers Grove North, made 12 U.S. national team appearances in 1986 and 1987.

3. Casey Krueger

Another stellar athlete, the 2008 Naperville Central graduate won three IHSA track and field state titles.

Battling through injuries, Krueger excelled on the pitch at Florida State University and was the fifth overall pick by Boston in the 2013 NWSL draft. However, she played the bulk of her professional career with the Chicago Stars and currently plays for Washington.

Krueger has made 60 national team appearances since 2016. She won a bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics and a gold medal in 2024.

2. Debbie Keller

The prolific scorer, a Waubonsie Valley graduate, helped North Carolina to NCAA national championships in 1993, 1995 and 1996 while twice being named the national player of the year.

Keller, who had 61 goals and 57 assists in 101 games with the Tar Heels, was a member of the 1995 World Cup team that finished third.

1. Korbin Albert

The Grayslake native gets the top spot because her story is still being told.

Albert was among the nation’s top freshmen in 2021 at Notre Dame, and was a first-team All-American her sophomore year with the Irish. She was named the ACC’s midfielder of the year and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top college player.

Since 2023, Albert has played professionally for Paris Saint-Germain, but she continues to make her mark on home soil.

Albert, who doesn’t turn 22 until October, already has made 26 national team appearances including a gold-medal run in the 2024 Olympics. She scored in a 2-1 win over Australia and assisted on the lone goal in the gold-medal match against Brazil.