Kilbride fourth Lady Chiefs' soccer player named an NJCAA All-American
Waubonsee Community College’s Haley Kilbride was recently named an NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Second Team All-American. Kilbride heads up a large contingent of Lady Chiefs’ players recognized for their outstanding performance this past season by the NJCAA’s Region IV and the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC). Along with Kilbride, Kelli Cardine, Andrea Garcia and Elizabeth Goll were each chosen to the All-Region IV First Team; while Lisa Gaffino, Lindsay Spears, Daniela Bueno, Mayra Patino and Savannah Ricker were each named to the All-Region IV Second Team.
A steady and consistent performer, Kilbride was also chosen as the ISCC’s Player of the Year after helping lead the Lady Chiefs to a conference title, going 6-0 in league play. Cardine, Garcia, Goll, Spears and Bueno were all tabbed All-ISCC First Team. In addition, Patino, Ricker, Ashley Darlak, Anne Marie Giese, Jasmine Velazquez and Olivia Cozzoni all were selected to the All-ISCC Second Team. Coach Brad Schlemmer was chosen the Region IV and ISCC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
A sophomore midfielder from Rosary High School, Kilbride tallied 15 goals and 14 assists, which tied her for 13th nationally among all NJCAA Division I players in assists. Her 44 points were the 10th highest single-season total in the program’s existence. The Batavia native had three game-winning goals this past fall, while recording a point in 12 of the Lady Chiefs’ 22 matches. Kilbride, the fourth Waubonsee women’s player ever named to the All-American team, finishes her Waubonsee career sixth in points (67), fifth in assists (19) and fourth in most games with an assist (11).
Cardine, a Dekalb High School graduate, booked seven goals and nine assists on her way to totaling 23 points. The sophomore midfielder had a pair of game-winning goals this fall, while helping Waubonsee win 27 matches the last two seasons.
Garcia led Waubonsee in scoring with 22 goals, tying her for 14th nationally in goals scored. The forward from Aurora East High School also was credited with nine assists, giving her 53 points on the season. Her 53 points tied her for 15th nationally and is the fifth highest single-season total for a Waubonsee women’s soccer player. In addition, Garcia booked three game-winning goals. The sophomore finishes her Waubonsee career fourth in points (82) and tied for third in goals scored (36).
Goll, a sophomore from Plano, tallied 11 goals and 12 assists. The midfielder’s 34 total points tied her for third most on Waubonsee’s team this fall, as seven Lady Chiefs’ players reached 20 or more points.
Aurora Central Catholic High School graduate Gaffino was solid in the net for Waubonsee. A Montgomery native, Gaffino finished the season 22nd nationally in save percentage (.862) and recorded 76 saves in the 14 matches she played in. The sophomore keeper had a 1.32 goals against average while posting a 10-2-1 record.
Spears was instrumental in Waubonsee’s defense, which provided protection for Gaffino and the Lady Chiefs’ other keeper Christina Sommerfeld. A sophomore from Batavia, Spears helped lead a unit that posted three straight shutouts in the Region IV Tournament en route to outscoring their competition 23-0 and out shooting them 90-11.
Bueno, a sophomore from Aurora West High School, contributed four goals and seven assists. Along with Kilbride and Goll, she completed the Lady Chiefs’ dominating trio of midfielders.
Patino, another key sophomore defender, helped Waubonsee dominate ISCC foes. The Aurora East High School graduate was part of a Lady Chiefs’ defense that allowed only three goals and 20 shots on goal total in six conference matches.
A forward from St. Charles East High School, Darlak netted 15 goals and four assists. The freshman booted four game-winning goals and was tied for third in points (34) on Waubonsee’s team.
Ricker, a sophomore from DeKalb, was a defender with offensive capabilities too. She helped the Lady Chiefs’ defense post seven shutouts while also registering seven goals and seven assists on the season.
A Kaneland High School graduate, Giese was part of a defensive unit that allowed only 29 goals prior to the National Tournament, the fourth lowest total in the program’s history.
Velazquez provided the Lady Chiefs with a fourth quality midfielder off the bench. The freshman from Aurora East High School chipped in with three goals and four assists on the season as well.
Cozzoni gave the Lady Chiefs a fifth legitimate scoring threat as she contributed 15 goals as well. Her total of 30 points put the freshman from Rosary High School fourth on the team in scoring.
Schlemmer, in his sixth season with the program and third as head coach, led Waubonsee to the National Tournament for the second time in the program’s history. A native of Massillon, Ohio, he has helped guide the Lady Chiefs to 82 wins the last six years including three Region IV titles, two ISCC crowns and two berths in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament.
The Region IV title was the fourth for Waubonsee’s women’s soccer program. The Lady Chiefs eventually lost to top-ranked Iowa Western College and eighth-ranked Butler (KS) Community College at the National Tournament in Melbourne, Fla., to finish the season 15-5-2 overall, the fourth most wins in a single season in the program’s history. Waubonsee ended the season fifth nationally among all NJCAA Division I squads in goals scored (107) and assists (83). Schlemmer’s crew set school records for most goals in a game (15) and most players to reach double-digits (5) in goals scored in a single-season. The Lady Chiefs tied a school mark with nine goals in the first half of play versus Daley College in mid-October. Waubonsee also had 10 players reach double-digits in points scored for the season.
