All-Racine County girls' soccer: Horlick, Park dominate first-team selections

BY ALAN NUNN

Thursday, July 12, 2007 2:13 AM CDT

Journal Times Deputy Sports Editor

The choice for Racine County Player of the Year gets tougher every season.

This year's finalists included Horlick High School junior Laura Lins and Park sophomore Emily Clark - each named to the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association all-state "Best of the Rest" list- and St. Catherine's senior Kaitlin Meier, the lone Racine County representative in the Masonic All-Star Game.

Lins and Meier, along with Horlick seniors Abby Husch and Jenna Schonert and Case senior Alli Hill are two-time All-County selections.

Here are capsules on the first-team players on the All-Racine County team, as chosen by the county coaches:

Sara Carney

School: St. Catherine's

Grade: Senior

Positions: Midfielder, forward

Stat sheet: 9 goals, 10 assists. Has 19 career goals and 21 assists.

Honors: First-team All-Lakeshore, Sportsmanship Award, team captain, honor student.

Notable: Carney had game-winning goals in two sectional victories and assisted on St. Catherine's only goal in the WIAA Division 3 state semifinal win over two-time defending champion Ozaukee. Her penalty kick was the Angels' only goal in state final loss. TOPS Soccer volunteer.

Quotable: St. Catherine's coach Ben Lake - "Sara really connected our attack going forward. She is an amazing competitor and very intense with everything she does. Sara has always been someone that we have counted on to provide us either with a great through ball or a great finish."

Emily Clark

School: Park

Grade: Sophomore

Position: Forward, defender

Stat sheet: 14 goals, 2 assists.

Honors: Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association all-state "Best of the Rest" list. All-Southeast Conference.

Notable: Scored game-winning goals against New London in final of Redwing Soccer Invitational, in 1-0 win over WIAA Division 3 state runner-up St. Catherine's and 1-0 overtime win over Frankin. Had hat trick against Milwaukee Hamilton. Was second-team All-County as a freshman.

Quotable: Park coach Matt Maletis - "Emily is an intense player and fierce competitor. She goes strong to the ball and works hard to win position. Emily started this season as a defender. She finished as our leading scorer on a team that beat or tied most everyone in the county."

Megan Gloor

School: Horlick

Grade: Senior

Position: Goalkeeper

Stat sheet: 12 shutouts, 0.96 goals against average, allowed three goals in nine Southeast Conference games (0.33 gaa).

Honors: All-Southeast Conference first team. Team captain for 9-0 SEC champions, high honor student.

Notable: Made three saves on breakaways in 2-1 victory over Park. Four-year starter who will attend and play for Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Quotable: Horlick coach Jim Demetriou - "She came to Horlick with some big shoes to fill after losing Jen Johnson to graduation. Each year she progessed in maturity and confidence. At the end of her junior year against Brookfield Central she had an incredible game and that rolled into the '07 season. With hard work and great coaching from (Rebels assistant) Brian Lucareli she became a fantastic keeper."

Tiara Herron

School: Park

Grade: Sophomore

Position: Midfielder

Stat sheet: 10 goals, 5 assists.

Honors: First-team All-Southeast Conference.

Notable: Scored Panthers' only goal in a victory over Plymouth. Had a goal in the first three minutes and added three first-half assists in an 8-0 victory over South Milwaukee. Was second-team All-County as a freshman.

Quotable: Park coach Matt Maletis - "Tiara has a unique combination of foot skill and speed. She excels at pressuring defenders, attacking one-on-one and serving crosses. She also has the abiltiy to win 50-50 balls and defend with a lead. Tiara is a special player that is capable of taking over a game."

Alli Hill

School: Case

Grade: Senior

Positions: Midfielder, stopper

Stat sheet: 8 goals, 2 assists.

Honors: Two-time All-Racine County selection; two-time All-Southeast Conference second-team. Most dedicated player award. Team captain. National Honor Society.

Notable: Eagles' second-leading scorer despite playing primarily defensive midfielder and stopper. Had game-winning goal against Franklin and rallied Eagles with two headers off corner kicks for goals in a four-minute span in the final 15 minutes of a 4-3 win over Kenosha Tremper.

Quotable: Case coach Dan Peterson - "Alli is one of the best players I've ever had the pleasure of coaching. She was our target player for heading all four years and was one of the best finishers out of the air in county history. Alli is perhaps the best captain and leader I've ever had at Case."

Abby Husch

School: Horlick

Grade: Senior

Positions: Sweeper, stopper

Honors: Two-time All-County second-team; All-Southeast Conference first-team. Team captain.

Notable: Led a defense that allowed just five goals in nine conference games. Scored first of Rebels' five shootout goals in Racine County Tournament final. Will attend and play at Bethel College (Ind.)

Quotable: Horlick coach Jim Demetriou - "She had a way to keep everyone positive and look to the bright side of things. She was very hard on herself, always striving to be better and never was satisfied with her achievements. That spirit became infectious for the whole team."

Alexandra Kirchner

School: Park

Grade: Senior

Position: Goalkeeper

Stat sheet: 11 shutouts, 0.91 goals against average, 2 assists.

Honors: Team MVP.

Notable: Four-year starter. Allowed just four one-on-one goals in high school career. Made three key saves in a 1-0 victory over WIAA Division 3 state runner-up St. Catherine's. Had three shutouts in Panthers' Redwing Soccer Invitational championship. Will attend and play soccer at Alma College in Michigan.

Quotable: Park coach Matt Maletis -

"Alexandra is dominant through the air. She took command of the goal mouth, especially during corner kicks. She excelled at quickly transitioning us into the attack."

Kaitlin Meier

School: St. Catherine's

Grade: Senior

Positions: Defender, midfield.

Stat sheet: 3 goals, 4 assists. Has 10 career goals and 15 assists.

Honors: Two-time All-Racine County selection, three-time All-Lakeshore Conference, three-year team captain, St. Catherine's Most Outstanding Athlete Award, Foots Award nominee, honor student.

Notable: Meier, who also plays tennis and basketball for the Angels, is the first St. Catherine's athlete to earn 11 varsity letters. Meier led a defense that allowed five goals during an 8-1-1 run leading up to the WIAA Division 3 state final. TOPS Soccer volunteer.

Quotable: St. Catherine's coach Ben Lake - "Kaitlin lead a very young group and she has carried on our traditions. Her ability to read the game and close down space was incredible."

Jenna Schonert

School: Horlick

Grade: Senior

Position: Midfielder, stopper

Stat sheet: 7 goals, 8 assists. Has 40 career goals and 53 assists.

Honors: Two-time All-Racine County first-team, two-time All-Southeast Conference first-team. Team captain for 9-0 SEC champions, high honor student. Was second-team All-Racine County as sophomore and freshman. Will attend and play at Northern Iowa.

Notable: An unselfish clutch player whose ability to play both ways made her one of the county's top players over the last four seasons. Had two assists in 2-0 win over Muskego. Delivered corner kick that led to game-winning goal in Rebels' SEC-championship 2-1 win over Case.

Quotable: Horlick coach Jim Demetriou - "Whether she scored or had an assist, when it mattered most she would rise to the occcasion and lift the team to victory. She's a great student and team leader. She wanted what was best for the team this season and it took us a long way."

Nicole Simon

School: Case

Grade: Junior

Position: Sweeper, stopper

Stat sheet: 2 assists.

Honors: Two-time All-Southeast Conference first-team. Two-time team defensive MVP.

Notable: Had game-winning assist in second overtime against Burlington. Led a defense that kept Horlick all-county players Laura Lins and Jenna Schonert scoreless. Missed only one start in three seasons as a varsity starter.

Quotable: Case coach Dan Peterson - "I think she is the best defender in the county. She plays mentally and physically tough and is almost impossible to beat one-on-one. She is one of the smartest players knowing and reading the game I've ever coached."

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