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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Keira Kelly, who will study marketing at Kansas, sees soccer as easy sell at St. Charles North. ‘Hard to leave.'
Keira Kelly watched the past four years at St. Charles North flash right before her eyes. The senior midfielder was caught in a whirlwind of emotions, memories and sharp reflection. 'I think it's incredible to be with this group of girls,' Kelly said afterward. 'It's going to be really hard to leave this team. I've learned being part of this program that we stand by each other. 'And we fight for each other.' That fight, for now, came to an end Friday for the North Stars in a 6-0 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South in the Class 3A Glenbard West Sectional championship game in Glen Ellyn. Kelly generated four shots on goal for St. Charles North (11-6-3), which was aiming for a third straight sectional title. The bittersweet result didn't dull a remarkable career and legacy for Kelly. As a sophomore, the three-year varsity regular played in the supersectional. She also saw action last spring in a state championship game setback to New Trier that was decided by penalty kicks. 'I was placed in different roles throughout the years,' Kelly said. 'I think this year, it was really about how to keep the team going. It was about how to help players if they had problems off the field or just be that confidence boost for the girls. 'I think that made me very communicative.' Senior defender Courtney Suhr fought back tears talking about a friendship with Kelly that began when they played together in a recreational league at age 5. The two are set to be roommates at Kansas, where they both hope to participate in club soccer. 'We've seen each other grow,' Suhr said. 'We've been on club teams where we've been torn apart and now our high school team. Keira is one of my favorite people ever. 'She's very strong and courageous and it definitely translates onto the field because nothing ever gets past her. She always dominates on the field.' Kelly finished the season with two goals and an assist, but St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said her impact transcends numbers. She was the connecting thread and an emotional spark. The intangibles told everything. 'She does so many little things that help make her teammates look good,' Harks said. 'She makes the play or the pass that sets up the play that leads to a big goal. 'It doesn't matter the stakes of the game or if it's a practice, Keira is a tremendous competitor who leads by example.' While subtle in being a difference-maker, Kelly brought a distinctive quality to her style of play that carried larger consequences. 'I like to pass and give-and-go quickly,' she said. 'I think I'm a very strong player, on and off the ball. I think I connect with the team really well. 'We all hang out together outside of soccer. We bond a lot, and I'm very supportive and helpful.' Her brother Liam, is four years older and was a standout for the boys soccer team at St. Charles North. He was her earliest inspiration. His manner and ease brought her to the game. 'I actually wanted to play because of him,' she said. 'I wanted to become who he was on the field. I watched him, and he was a huge reason why I fell in love with the game,' Creative off the field, Kelly and Suhr managed the team's social media accounts and came up with original material. Kelly also draws and paints when she's not playing the game. Kelly, who intends to study marketing in college, has always found joy in playing soccer. 'This is your family, you play for them and you love the game,' Kelly said. 'You play for the little girl you once were and for those who want to be you.'
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Meet Metea Valley's Emma Strcic, a DePaul commit whose best means ‘you shouldn't even know I'm on the field'
Metea Valley's Emma Strcic is an invisible star. The junior defensive midfielder might be the best player you've never heard about or at least haven't noticed. That's just the way she likes it. 'I always make the joke that if I'm doing my job right, you shouldn't even know I'm on the field,' Strcic said. 'If I'm possessing the ball well, if I'm covering other people, even if I'm just standing in position to cover the ball if it goes over, helping my teammate, that's the role of the 6. 'It's doing the things people don't always see, but it's definitely key to the game.' Strcic's name doesn't show up on the stat sheet. The DePaul commit has no goals and one assist in 30 career games for the Mustangs (10-1), but the plays she makes endear her to anyone who understands her position. 'It's my favorite position on the field because that's what I played for the most part growing up, and I love the position because you're right in the thick of it,' Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. 'It just takes somebody with a really strong mindset and somebody that's not afraid to get in on tackles and somebody who just give you their best effort every game. 'And that's exactly what Emma does.' Strcic put those talents to good use during the BodyArmor championship game on Sunday. The Mustangs held previously unbeaten Wheaton Warrenville South to just three shots and won 2-1 in La Grange. The Tigers (9-1-2) rarely had the ball in their offensive third because Strcic disrupted their attack by constantly winning tackles, doing the literal dirty work that left her with a sweaty jersey and muddy knees. 'She was just a bulldog out there today,' Whaley said. 'She was in our midfield, keeping our intensity up and winning tackles and keeping the ball in their half when we could. Loved it.' So did Metea Valley junior midfielder Mckenna Wigfield, an SIU-Edwardsville commit who scored the winning goal Sunday. 'I love her,' Wigfield said. 'She's probably the most composed player on the field. She works so hard. She's not afraid to go into tackles, and she's really good about switching the field and having her head up, like knowing what she's going to do with the ball before she receives it.' If Strcic's name sounds familiar, that could be because her older sister, Riley, played the same position for the Mustangs and was a junior on the 2022 Class 3A state championship team. 'She was a big role model,' Strcic said. 'I didn't get to play with her my freshman year because I was still on a club team that didn't allow me to play. 'But the year after she graduated, I was just really excited — not to fill her shoes but make my own path at the same position.' While that position is far from glamorous and even further from the spotlight, Strcic enjoys the intricacies. She is the oil that keeps the Mustangs' high-powered attack humming while greasing the skids of opponent's offenses. 'I really like seeing the whole field, and the whole field is basically in front of me,' Strcic said. 'I can run the field, basically. I can get the ball and swing it this way. I can dictate play whichever way I want.' Strcic also gets to attempt to dictate which way her marks go. She said that's also among her strengths. 'When there is a target forward, I'm always stuck on them, just 1v1 defending,' she said. 'And then distributing the ball, getting the ball to one side or the other and keeping possession.' While Strcic and her sister differ in styles of play, there are interesting parallels in the arc of their prep careers. Strcic is a junior on a team that features a potent offense. Metea Valley has won 10 consecutive games since its season-opening 1-0 loss to Oswego, which is 13-2-2. The Mustangs boast a bevy of senior stars, including forwards Isabelle Leofanti, Chloe Birch and Lily Senese and attacking midfielder Olivia Hernandez, so hopes are high that they can repeat the 2022 team's success. 'We have a really talented team,' Strcic said. 'Our team chemistry and the amount that we work for each other is crazy. 'This weekend our seniors all had prom, but they came back and they worked so hard. We really trust everyone, and we really lean on each other.'
