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Girls soccer: Lake County all-area team captain

Kayla Wisniewski dealt with adversity her senior year.

Injuries to her shins and then hamstring caused her to miss five games. Few players, however, had healthier four-year varsity careers than the Wauconda midfielder.

She led the Bulldogs to a Class 2A sectional final for the second straight year this spring, as they went 17-2-1. An all-state player, Wisniewski is the captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County girls soccer all-area team. She was named all-area all four years of her high school career.

She contributed 18 goals and 5 assists in her senior season, giving her 78 goals and 38 assists for her four years. She will be playing Division-I soccer for the University of Purdue Fort Wayne in the fall.

When Wisniewski returned from her first injury, she made an immediate impact. In her first game of the season, she scored a pair of goals in a 3-0 win over host Stevenson.

"I was so excited because the last time we played them we lost," said Wisniewski, referring to the last North Suburban Conference championship game two years ago. "I was just ready to come out and play my hardest. It felt really good to be back. It made me feel more positive and ready to have a really good season as a senior."

Her hamstring injury occurred late in a match against host St. Viator in the PepsiCo tournament quarterfinals. The Bulldogs won 2-1 but lost to Wheaton Warrenville South in the semifinals. Wisniewski had to sit out for a few games after the injury.

When she returned, she led Wauconda to the Northern Lake County Conference title with an unbeaten record.

"Kayla has earned herself a lot of attention," Wauconda coach Beau Shogren said. "As a freshman, we had a strong feeling that she was going to be something special. Her speed really jumped out at you, but there was also this killer instinct that started to show through. By sophomore year, she was unstoppable. Her relentless attacking mentality was a nightmare for defenses to handle because she combined that speed with incredible foot skills, forward moves and crossing ability.

"By the time she was an upperclassman, defenses were really keying on her," Shogren added. "She would regularly draw double and triple teams, and even then she would find ways to get shots off. I am sure there are several teams on our schedule who are happy to see her graduate."

When she was younger, Wisniewski was a defender. She was given the opportunity to move to forward by the time she was entering high school.

"I always thought I was a defender," Wisniewski said. "I thought defenders didn't get recognition. But I was switched to forward because I was quick and always wanted the ball. I was like, 'Oh, great. I can kick a ball.' But I couldn't really kick it all that well. I had to work on it with both my right and left foot, which is just as strong. I practice a lot by myself with my foot skills. I stay after practices to do my own thing. I practice shooting a lot and running after the ball. I think it helped me overall. I saw an increase in my ability year after year."

Teammate Abigail McHugh saw Wisniewski continue to get better.

"I've known her since eighth grade," McHugh said. "Seeing her grow as a player was fantastic. Off the field, she's a great person. As a player, she's absolutely fantastic and probably one the best soccer players I've ever seen in my whole life."

At Purdue Fort Wayne in Indiana, Wisniewski plans to study physical therapy. Her dream is to play professional soccer.

"I really want to do that, that but I don't tell people that," Wisniewski said. "I just have to keep working hard at it."

Wisniewski was a team leader in many ways for the Bulldogs. She always maintained poise.

"It wasn't easy being the player with all of these expectations, yet her emotions never really show through," Shogren said. "She puts a lot of pressure on herself because she knows that we are counting on her, but it seems to drive her to do even better every time she has the ball. Kayla is the centerpiece of a senior class that has helped turn around the success of this program."

Wauconda defender Annalyse Maze had plenty of interaction with Wisniewski in practices and appreciated her teammate's skill set.

"I've seen her skill and her ability to dribble through players," Maze said. "She creates opportunities for us to win games. I see it all developing and happening. She is very talented, has the right skills with speed, and she works hard. She's just an amazing player."

  Wauconda senior midfielder Kayla Wisniewski is the captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County girls soccer all-area team. Photo by JOE AGUILAR/jaguilar@dailyherald.com
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