Local stars shine bright
Marquette’s Leas leads pack
Boys soccer in the Milwaukee-area has never been stronger.
While the WIAA wants geographical representation at state tournaments, they can’t control state champions. And this fall, schools from the area dominated.
Marquette won a state title in Division 1. Whitefish Bay prevailed in Division 2. Delavan-Darien captured the Division 3 crown. And Racine St. Catherine’s ruled in Division 4.
With so many elite teams from the area, there were candidates galore for the Journal Sentinel’s all-area team. But here were the best of the best:
FIRST TEAM Defenders
Ben Leas, sr., Marquette:
Leas was the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association state player of the year. The University of Wisconsin recruit was also the Greater Metro Conference player of the year. Leas helped lead the Hilltoppers to a third straight WIAA Division 1 state title. He also was one of just 40 players selected to play in the high school All-American Game, which was held Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
Shawn Azcueta, jr., Whitefish Bay:
A first-team all-state selection and runnerup for player of the year in the North Shore Conference, Azcueta helped the Blue Dukes allow just 0.54 goals per game while capturing a second straight state title.
Dante Bova, sr., Arrowhead:
The co-player of the year in the Classic 8 Conference also was a first-team all-state selection. The 6-foot-8 Bova, a UNC-Asheville recruit, was more than just a defensive force. Bova also specialized in finishing corner kicks, using his size against smaller defenders to convert from in tight.
Midfielders
Zak Wegner, sr., Arrowhead:
Sharing the Classic 8 player of the year honors with Bova, Wegner, a first-team all-state selection, will play at Marquette next season. He joined Leas at the high school AllAmerican game Saturday.
Nick Anguil-Andriacchi, sr., Whitefish Bay:
A firstteam all-state and first-team all-North Shore Conference selection, the UWM recruit was fourth on the Blue Dukes in points (20).
Alex Mirsberger, jr., Brookfield Central:
Mirsberger, a first-team all-Greater Metro Conference and first-team all-state selection, helped lead the Lancers to their first state tournament since 2001. He finished second on the team in goals (12) and points (28).
Sam Holton, sr., Marquette:
Holton was the top vote-getter among midfielders for all-Greater Metro Conference team. He also was named second-team all-state and finished second in points (18) on an extremely balanced team.
Forwards
Nick Cheung, jr., Marquette:
Cheung was a first-team all-state selection and first-team all-Greater Metro Conference pick and led the Hilltoppers in goals (21) and points (47).
Connor Provan, sr., Sussex Hamilton:
The UWM recruit was a first-team allGreater Metro Conference selection and led the Chargers in points this year (35) and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer (137).
Tigrio Huerta, sr., Delavan Darien:
Huerta finished 10th in the state in goals (37) and fourth in points (101) and helped the Comets win their second WIAA Division 3 state title in three years. He was named second-team all-state.
Goalkeeper
Elian Haddock, jr., Whitefish Bay:
Haddock finished the season with a 15-2-1 record, an 0.33 goals against average and posted 12 shutouts. He was named first-team all-state and player of the year in the North Shore Conference.
SECOND TEAM Defenders
Roland Conway, sr., Brookfield East
Jacob Olp, sr., New Berlin Eisenhower
Robbie Zimmerman, sr., Oconomowoc
Midfielders
Matthew Comiskey, jr., Whitefish Bay
Dominic Lambo, jr., Marquette
Andrew Schweinert, jr., Brookfield Central
Cameron Briggs, jr., Oconomowoc
Forwards
Payton Aranda, jr., Lake Geneva Badger
Jackson Dryden, jr., Whitefish Bay
Matt Fernandes, sr., Waukesha West
Goalkeeper
Joe Jochem, sr., Marquette
HONORABLE MENTION Defenders
Jacob Adamiec, sr., Kenosha Indian Trail; Evan Donini, jr., Waukesha West; Jeremy Haddock, jr., Whitefish Bay; Charlie Hanson, sr., Homestead; Mike Howell, sr., Greendale; Matt Plantz, sr., Waterford; Ty Monty, sr., Racine Case; Jamie Rodriguez, jr., Delavan-Darien; Sam Rohde, sr., Brookfield Central; Cole Seabrook, sr., Wauwatosa West; Jared Short, sr., Cedarburg; Jack Wright, sr., Lake Geneva Badger.
Midfielders
Logan Block, sr., Grafton; Benny Boelter, sr., Arrowhead; Phil Fobair, jr. Wauwatosa West; Will Hamilton, sr., Lake Geneva Badger; Ben Heydt, jr., Brookfield East; Evan Kauffman, sr., Racine Park; Lucas Morris, sr., Catholic Memorial; Eric Peterson, jr., Cedarburg; John Reardon., jr., Mukwonago; Gerardo Rodriguez, sr., Delavan-Darien; Jonathan Soto, sr., Milwaukee Tech; Grant Wallander, sr., Waukesha North.
Forwards
Noal Baldwin, sr., Cedarburg; Trey Goodnetter, sr., Brookfield East; Alex Goodyear, sr., Pewaukee; Michael Jensen, jr., Kenosha Tremper; Will Juska, sr., Wauwatosa West; Nate Moran, sr., Pewaukee; Alejandro Muro, sr., Oak Creek; Joey Pumo, sr., Waukesha North; Austen Schweinert, jr., Brookfield Central; Jordan Stark, sr., Mukwonago; Cris Trypak, sr., Hartford; Andres Villarreal, jr., Racine St. Catherine.
Goalkeepers
Josh Balicki, sr., Catholic Memorial; Josh Bobke, sr., Oconomowoc; River Clark, jr., Port Washington; Trey Eckert, sr., Racine Prairie; Ricardo Huerta, sr., Delavan-Darien; Peter Villafuerte, jr., Oak Creek.