Lake County captain: Mundelein's Stephanie Emery
She knocked in 28 goals and was named all-state.
That will make her smile.
She ran track last spring and qualified for the state meet.
That made her flash a smile.
The soccer forward has a date with Dayton.
That will create a giant grin on her face.
Mundelein's girls soccer team had a lot reasons to smile this season, and the player who was mainly responsible was smiling senior Stephanie Emery, who's the 2010 captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County All-Area team after helping the Mustangs win 19 matches.
"I always like to keep the game fun," Emery said. "I just like to lead by example and help everyone on the team."
She led, in part, with her 28 goals and 8 assists. The Mustangs won the Moline tournament and lost only once in the prestigious Pepsi Showdown.
When things didn't go right, or as well as hoped, the Dayton-bound Emery kept plugging away. She kept working hard, kept smiling.
Mundelein continued winning soccer matches.
"I tried to laugh, keep a smile, say that's OK, and move on," Emery said. "I never let anything hold me back."
She and junior Ashley Begrowicz kept the Mustangs focused.
"She's just a good player with good footwork who can go to the goal," Begrowicz said. "She helped me out and made the whole team a lot stronger. I looked up to her as a player. She has a good personality on and off the field. She's a funny person. She cracks a lot of jokes and says funny things."
When Emery wasn't displaying her skills and strength on the ball upfront, she was dropping back to the midfield to provide support.
"She's a complete player," coach Dave Ekstrom said. "It's hard to find a finisher that really a can finish. She finds way to finish while being marked and even double-teamed."
Emery's endurance might have been helped by her decision to run track last spring. Her athleticism was obvious, as she earned a state berth in the 800 meters while also helping Mundelein's 1,600 relay go downstate.
"I think it actually helped me with my form," Emery said of track. "It made me faster and a better (soccer) player. I look back at it as an asset."
Emery possesses another quality that makes her an elite player. She rarely gets knocked off the ball. Opposing players would bounce off her and often fall to the turf.
"She played hard every minute," Ekstrom said. "She's just a strong, fast, tough player and had a knack for knocking people off the ball. Her strength and approach to the game rubbed off on her teammates."
That's another reason for Emery to smile.
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<h1>More Coverage</h1>
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/lakegirlssoccerfront10.pdf">Lake Co. all-area team Page 1</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/lakegirlssoccerteam10.pdf">Lake Co. all-area team Page 2</a></li>
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