Girls soccer: DuPage County all-area team
Jill D'Amico
Naperville Central
When scoring is difficult, a team must excel defensively, and in goal and for the second straight year, D'Amico was a great shot stopper. "She actually improved after a very good freshman year," Redhawks coach Ed Watson said. "The scary thing for other teams is she keeps getting better." This all-stater only looked into the net on 8 occasions while recording 13 shutouts as the Redhawks earned a 16-3-5 record. The sophomore had several extraordinary efforts, including against Wheaton Warrenville South, St. Charles East and twice against rival Naperville North.
Vanessa DiBernardo
Waubonsie Valley
The captain of this year's All-Area team, DiBernardo had 23 goals and 11 assists in leading the Warriors to a Class 3A championship, her third title in her four years of varsity soccer. "She's a game changer and a great person," Naperville North coach Brent Terada said. "She changes the game single-handedly." The Warriors had an .898 winning percentage the past four seasons. DiBernardo finished with 73 goals and 46 assists.
Colleen Gorkis
Waubonsie Valley
The senior wasn't sure if she'd play this season after opting for her club team during her freshman and junior years. "It definitely is a lot of fun to be able to play for your high school team," Gorkis said. She proved to be a huge addition to a team that lost eight players to college soccer. Along with her fellow strong defenders, Gorkis and the Warriors posted 20 shutouts.
Katie Gratzianna
York
This senior has gotten used to being named Defensive Player of the Year for the Dukes, and she was stellar again in her final high school season. The Dukes only yielded 26 goals and shut out 9 opponents with this four-year starter leading the way. "A real terrific back who is extremely aggressive and one of the best backs I've had the chance to coach," Dukes coach Rachael Shepherd said. "She has natural ability to tackle the ball and is powerful in the air."
Megan Green
Waubonsie Valley
With the graduation of Rachel Bostick, Claire Hanold and Bri Rodriguez, players like Green had to take more of a leadership role this season. This junior not only did that but also scored 11 goals, including the game-winner in the Class 3A semifinals. "We were in a good position this season because not many people knew about us," Green said. "We had an attitude of wanting to work harder and prove people wrong, and I think we all met that challenge."
Rycke Guiney
Naperville North
An extremely intelligent player, Guiney scored 14 goals and as a result of creating many scoring opportunities, she tallied 15 assists. Guiney, an all-state player, will extend her playing days to Marist College. "She went from someone who was a very nice player last year to an absolute difference-maker," Huskies coach Brent Terada said. "She was the driver of the car for us. She was also a leader off the field and had by far her best season for us."
Taylor Heatherly
Naperville Central
Naperville Central didn't allow a goal in the DuPage Valley Conference this spring, and this senior had a lot to do with it. Heatherly moved from center mid to the less glamorous defender position and excelled. "The team needed her to go back and she did a great job of keeping us organized and giving Jill (D'Amico) limited opportunities to make saves." One of 11 seniors this spring for the Redhawks, Heatherly proved to be a great leader on and off the field. This all-stater will play next season for St. Charles native Marci Jobson at Baylor.
Courtney Ksiazek
Neuqua Valley
Starting for the fourth straight year, Ksiazek made the move to center mid this spring and thrived. "She definitely possesses great attacking instincts," Wildcats coach Joe Moreau said. "She's a great athlete who will play at NIU next year." Ksiazek adjusted pretty quickly this year, scoring 8 goals and tallying 3 assists. "Our word this year was 'trust,' and we all worked as a unit, doing what we needed to," Ksiazek said.
Keri Kujawa
Downers Grove South
In her final season for the Mustangs, Kujawa led the way offensively with 24 goals and 5 assists in 23 games. "I think she had an outstanding season for us," Mustangs coach Barry Jacobson said. "She's very creative and scored big, big goals in big games against quality opponents." The team compiled a 15-5-3 record as the all-stater transitioned from midfielder to forward. "She was our first 20-goal scorer in a number of years," Jacobson said. "A very finesse and smart player whose read of the defense was outstanding."
Nicole La Petina
Wheaton Warrenville South
This Wisconsin-bound midfielder was a four-year starter for the Tigers, who tied for the team lead in goals with 9. She added 3 assists. "She has a knack for getting into the backside," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "She gave us versatility and offensive mid on occasion as well." As a team captain, LaPetina provided leadership all spring while providing scoring from the difficult mid position while controlling one side of the field.
Caytin Lewin
Benet
The East Suburban Catholic Conference's Player of the Year led the way for a Benet squad that went 16-6 and only surrendered 16 goals in 22 games. Benet didn't score a lot of goals this spring so stellar defensive play was imperative to its success. Lewin, who was "a scrawny freshman" according to Benet coach Henry Wind, developed into a strong senior who was always there to clean things up. "She's very smart, communicates well and was always there to cover for everybody," Wind said. "She never panicked. She's always under control. She had an outstanding season."
Andi Matichak
St. Francis
It's great to have a sophomore who acts like a senior. Matichak led St. Francis with 29 goals, a year after netting 30 as a freshman. "She's very mature for her age," St. Francis coach Meg Boler said. "I'll talk to her a lot and she's kind of like an assistant coach on the field." Matichak plays center back for her club team so she had to adjust early in the season. "She got frustrated at the beginning, but she's good with change," Boler said. "She did a great job for us and I'm excited to have her for two more years."
Christina Ordonez
York
One of the most exciting players to watch in the area, this all-state sophomore was dynamite this spring, leading the Dukes with 34 goals. She added 7 assists. "She's a very special player who has a unique way of finding the back of the net," Dukes coach Rachael Shepherd said. "She's extremely quick and very fit, definitely a soccer player with a lot of skills." Ordonez's excellent defensive play resulted in many unassisted scores, a tribute to her athleticism.
Megan Oyster
Neuqua Valley
She's made a huge impact ever since taking the field as a freshman two years ago and is a member of the All-Area team for the third straight year. The all-state junior, who will ultimately play at UCLA, is simply an all-around fantastic player. "She's a competitor that steps up in big games and is technically as strong as any player in the area," Wildcats coach Joe Moreau said.
Adrienne Schertz
Naperville North
There wasn't a player on the field for the Huskies this spring who covered as much ground as Schertz, who also played a key role on restarts and other set plays. "She won everything in the air for us, and without her we are not the same team," Naperville North coach Brent Terada said. "She changed the way we play on the field and was absolutely one of the biggest difference-makers." Schertz also chipped in with 5 goals and 2 assists.
Alexa Sharkey
Wheaton Academy
During the Class 2A title game a year ago, Sharkey moved from an attacking role to midfielder to replace an injured teammate. She continued in that role this season, still managed to score a dozen goals and helped the Warriors take third place in Class 2A, after winning the title a season ago. "She plays so well with the field in front of her, and some of that has to do with her basketball background," Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry said. "She always picks the right times to run, put pressure and create problems and she's had a blast playing back there." She'll play basketball at Elmhurst College next season.
Bridget Shrigley
Wheaton Warrenville South
The Tigers yielded a single goal or less in 80 percent of their matches this spring while compiling an 18-4-3 record. Senior marking back and all-stater Bridget Shrigley led the way defensively for the Tigers, who also shut out 12 opponents. "She brought the most value in her defensive role for us," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "She's strong in the air, has great vision and a lot of what we did coming out on transition came through her." She'll play at Augustana.
Crystal Thomas
Wheaton Academy
Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry knew he wouldn't replace Leah Fortune (University of Texas), but this special sophomore was able to accomplish a lot of great things for the Warriors. Said Marksberry: "She's very skillful and comfortable on the ball and she went out there and defined herself. She's works so hard and is very unassuming." Thomas finished the spring with 17 goals and 11 assists.
Nicole Urban
Lisle
Thanks to 37 goals and 27 assists from this junior forward, Lisle made its first appearance in state finals history, claiming fourth place in Class 1A. It was quite a year for Urban, who scored 42 goals her freshmen season and battled an injury and double- and triple-teams last spring. "She came into this year looking for a big season and she continued to mature and grow," Lisle coach Paul Kohorn said.
Alexa Wilde
Neuqua Valley
An extremely unselfish player, this junior, who has committed to Baylor as a midfielder, found herself in goal for most of the season. "She was extremely valuable to us," Wildcats coach Joe Moreau said. "She made the sacrifice for the team by playing goal and only gave up 10 goals." While limited in midfield play, Wilde still finished with 7 goals this spring to help Neuqua Valley post a 19-3-2 record.
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/dupagegirlsoccerfront10.pdf">DuPage Co. all-area team Page 1</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/dupagegirlssoccerteam10.pdf">DuPage Co. all-area team Page 2</a></li>
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