Raetzman, Kotsakis share all-area captain honor

Trying to get either one of the Daily Herald’s girls soccer team all-area captains to talk about themselves is about as likely as stopping them from scoring.

That is, nearly impossible.

So we’ll do the next-best thing and describe how and why Fremd’s Elise Kotsakis and Conant’s Courtney Raetzman have earned the 2011 honor in Cook County.

They were two of the brightest stars in the local soccer galaxy this season, earning just about every postseason award available.

Both were identifiable leaders for their high-achieving teams and showed good sportsmanship and the ability to influence the outcome of a match with just one touch.

“After a while, there isn’t much else to say about Courtney that hasn’t already been said,” says Conant coach Jason Franco. “Aside from all of the talent she has, her desire to improve and the dedication to the sport and her teammates is at another level. And this year we all saw just how good of a player she really is.”

“The Mid-Suburban League had a great group of talented players in the league this year, and both Jason and I were fortunate to have the two best in Elise and Courtney,” said Fremd coach Steve Keller. “Before you even begin talking about the kind of player Elise is — what kind of leader she is, and what she does so well in the game — the thing you have to know about her is she is a just a great kid, and we’re obviously going to miss her just because of that.”

The three-year starter will be off to Butler University next fall where she will continue to play and begin her studies in Actuarial Science.

“Butler felt comfortable, and just a perfect fit for me right from the start,” said the Vikings’ senior, who will room with Buffalo Grove star defender Kelly Mahoney. She’ll play soccer as well and plans to enroll in the school’s pharmacy program.

Kotsakis and Mahoney are club teammates as well, along with several members of the 2011 all-area team, including, Alexis Tice, Amanda Filian, Stephanie Pouse and Emily Hyde.

“Two years ago when I was a sophomore, and we had all these great players on a team that played in the state championship game, I would have had no idea that I would be sharing all-area honors with Courtney — it was all very surprising to me,” said Kotsakis. “The truth is, none of this ever happens to me without my teammates. I’ve worked hard on my own to become a better all-around player and goal-scorer, but at the end of the day, it’s my team first, then everything else second.”

Her coach has seen the change in his best player, who has emerged to become not only a superb goal-scorer, but a premier marksman with a well-rounded game. Keller sees only improvement for Kotsakis at the collegiate level.

“I know for a fact that Elise would work extra hours during the season on Sundays, but it’s not only her skill level and overall game which has improved, it’s been her focus and intensity in the game and her ability to almost will us to victory,” Keller said. “I really feel that’s been the biggest difference in her this season, and I know at Butler they are getting a player who is only going to get better.”

As a sophomore, Kotsakis scored the decisive spot-kick in the Vikings’ shootout victory over Conant to advance into the championship match against Hinsdale Central, where the Vikings fell 2-1 despite Kotsakis’ 11th goal of the season.

If there were any question marks over her goal-scoring abilities, they were all answered last season when she scored 17, before breaking out with an astounding 36 this spring to lead all scorers in the area.

“Elise is such a force,” says Keller. “She can score from anywhere, and with either foot, she is strong in the air, and she is just relentness in her efforts to score or in helping others to do so.”

Kotsakis, who had 21 goals in the Vikings first 12 matches, enhanced her reputation as an elite scorer when she drove home 33 of 68 shots on frame before the sectional semifinal against Lake Forest. In that contest, her double led to a 3-1 victory.

Both co-captains seem to coax the best out of their mates, but you’ll never see a touch of swagger from either one, as they both treat the sport and their opponent with respect.

“Each just go out and play the game the way it should be, and while they’re different kinds of players, it’s a lot of fun to watch them both and to see how much they enjoy the sport,” said Keller.

Franco says Raetzman may not be the best pure scorer around, or have the stats others have, but he does know one thing about his magnificent captain: she can really play the game.

“I admit, I might be a little biased. but Courtney can truly do it all out there,” Franco said. “She plays so hard on both sides of the ball, something you rarely ever see from your top scorer, and she does all the little things which help make her the complete player that she is, and (still) always doing what is best for our team.”

Franco says when he hears opposing coaches scream to not to let No. 18 (Raetzman) get so many touches, then he knows she has far too much influence on the pace of the game from the opponent’s point of view.

Raetzman can be a lethal dribbler, and when she is the Cougars’ playmaker, she has the ability to make the game look easy, gliding past defenders and into the area. Once there, the three-time all-area junior can transfer over to either foot before unleashing on frame, or with a lovely ball to a teammate. Frequently, the beneficiary was her running mate up top, Kaitlin Chiero. Together they totaled 42 goals and 26 assists to help the Cougars carry away the Class 3A third-place trophy last weekend.

“I really didn’t expect to be named as one of the best in the area, especially after watching Elise have such a great year scoring goals and everything else that she does, but it was exciting to learn that I was going to be the co-captain along with her,” Raetzman said. “I know both of us wanted success for our team over the individual stuff.”

Raetzman’s path to her top honor along with her MSL West rival began at a young age, when she would watch her brother and sister playing, both at Conant. Fast-forward to a freshman year when she broke onto the scene in a big way, leading the Cougars in scoring (11 goals, 7 assists) and a fourth-place finish at the state tournament.

“We had heard some great things about Courtney before she came into our program, but we never imagined just how much of an impact she would eventually make, not only as a player, but as a person,” said Franco, who knew his potential star already had a foot in the door on the national scene.

Raetzman is a national team pool player, along with Elk Grove juniors, Katie Naughton and Kelli Hubly.

“It was kind of an (in-between) year for our age group, but, for me, as soon as the season is over, I’ll turn my attention to club (Sockers) and regional camps and more training, with an eye on getting a call-up or two when the our national team is involved in some friendlies,” she said.

Raetzman’s club team is almost an MSL all-star team, headed by Naughton and Hubly, as well as Ali Schmalz and Teagan Eberle of Schaumburg, and Hersey’s Olivia Stasiuk and Prospect keeper Megan McCabe.

Raetzman has already verbally committed to play at Kentucky in 2012, and will join her best friend (Hubly) there after going through the usual process of collegiate visits associated with making this very big decision.

“My ultimate goal is to one day play for our national team,” said Raetzman, “but playing in a quality D-I program and getting an education is very important to me.”

Raetzman’s movement sets her apart from many others, but then so does the tactical and technical genius of her game. She’s got an intuitive flair, with and without the ball, which leads to lung-bursting runs forward.

This spring, she has recorded a trio of hat tricks and had two games in which she had 4 assists.

“Awards, goals, and everything else takes a back seat to our team, and this year, going in, I thought there was a lot of potential for us to have a real strong season, just like we did two years ago,” says Raetzman.

For both Raetzman and Kotsakis, it’s mission accomplished.