Seven local girls’ soccer players – five from Waupaca and two from Clintonville – have received all-conference recognition from the Eastern Valley Conference.
Waupaca’s Sierra Patzke and Josee Waitrovich made the first team as a midfielder and goalkeeper, respectively; Waupaca midfielder Lizzi Hanke made the second team; and the third team includes Waupaca’s Anna Abrams (forward) and Courtney Jungers (defender) and Clintonville’s Katie Collier (forward) and Maddy Didier (goalkeeper).
“Sierra is a workhorse on the field,” Waupaca coach Mark Polebitski said of Patzke, a four-year letterwinner for the Comets who switched to the forward position midway through her senior season.
“She knows how the win the ball, shield it and make something positive happen,” Polebitski said. “Her technical and tactical skills on the soccer field are second to none. This is the second year she won first-team honors, something that is very difficult to do in a solid soccer conference like the Eastern Valley. We will miss her leadership and knowledge of the game next year.”
Waitrovich, another four-year letterwinner, played on the field her first two seasons before spending the last two seasons as the Comets’ goalkeeper. She is headed to Middle Tennessee University on an athletic scholarship.
“Josee is an excellent goalkeeper coming from a long run of quality goalkeepers from Waupaca,” Polebitski said. “Her goalkeeping technical abilities are some of the best I’ve ever seen from a high school athlete. I attribute this to a two-year commitment to train every week to learn the position. She is a leader on and off the field and an inspiration for all young female athletes.”
Hanke played forward and sweeper for the Comets and plans to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
“Lizzi sees the field clearly,” Polebitski said. “The coaching staff agrees that Lizzi make things happen in creative ways. On the sidelines, we would try to predict where Lizzi was going to go with the ball. All of a sudden, we saw something totally different with the ball ending up in the back of the net. Her ability to find the open person and get the ball there is second to none.”
Abrams played the sweeper and forward positions for Waupaca.
“Here is a player who reads the opponent very well,” Polebitski said. “She understands how to defend one-on-one, as well as attack one-on-one. Anna can beat the defender on the dribble with her speed and can cross the ball with either feet. Her ability to set up a quick shot is remarkable.”
She plans to play soccer at Crossroads College in Rochester, Minn.
Jungers won three varsity letters for the Comets.
“Courtney is one of the hardest-working players on the team,” Polebitski said.
“She had the duty to defend the best players in the league. Some of the best players in the state have a difficult time scoring on Courtney’s side of the soccer pitch. She is fast and physical. We will miss her talents next spring.”
Eastern Valley Conference 2014
All-Conference Girls’ Soccer Teams
First Team
Midfielder: Helen Joyce*, junior, Fox Valley Lutheran; Kirstin McAdow*, senior, Winneconne; Aimee Conley*, senior, Appleton Xavier; Sierra Patzke, senior, Waupaca.
Defender: Katie Parks*, senior, Appleton Xavier; Stephanie Meyer, senior, Fox Valley Lutheran.
Forward: Maycee Kroening, sophomore, Freedom; Anna Sobel, senior, Appleton Xavier; Jessica Retzlaff, senior, Fox Valley Lutheran.
Sweeper: Caitlin Schutt, junior, Fox Valley Lutheran.
Goalkeeper: Josee Waitrovich, senior, Waupaca.
Second Team
Midfielder: Raina Gerritts, sophomore, Freedom; Catlyn Dziobe, junior, Winneconne; Marlee McAllester, sophomore, Berlin; Marissa Walsh, sophomore, Appleton Xavier; Cami Gerritts, senior, Freedom.
Defender: Rachel Siciliano, sophomore, Appleton Xavier.
Forward: Lizzi Hanke, senior, Waupaca; Izzy Ellis, sophomore, Appleton Xavier.
Sweeper: Sara Lutjens, junior, Little Chute.
Sweeper/midfielder: Jessica Kron, junior, Winneconne.
Goalkeeper: Alissa Balke, senior, Ripon.
Third Team
Midfielder: Hailey Johnson, senior, Fox Valley Lutheran; McKenna Joosten, senior, Little Chute; Haley Fahrman, sophomore, Fox Valley Lutheran; Kara Zueger, senior, Freedom; Amanda Bach, junior, Winneconne.
Defender: Courtney Jungers, senior, Waupaca.
Forward: Katie Collier, senior, Clintonville; Anna Abrams, senior, Waupaca; Courtney Swanlund, senior, Winneconne; Tiffany Henn, senior, Fox Valley Lutheran.
Goalkeeper: Maddy Didier, freshman, Clintonville.
Players of the year: Helen Joyce, junior, Fox Valley Lutheran (offense); Kristin McAdow, senior, Winneconne (defense).
* – Denotes unanimous selection.