Brookfield Central led by seniors
You usually don’t have a team that is this good and goes this far without a strong foundation.
Brookfield Central coach Dan Makal found his three years ago.
Then a second-year coach, Makal brought four freshmen to the varsity. Three started. The other would have were it not for an injury. All four were impact performers when the team won the Division 1 state title a year ago. This year they’ve set the tone for a team that many believe is the best in the state regardless of division.
But beyond the championships they may help bring to the school, Jenny Cape, Sarah Knopp, Emma Staszkiewicz and Brandi Thomsen – along with fellow seniors Megan Stritesky and Nora Barker – have left a huge impression when it has come to building the program’s identity under Makal. Stritesky has been on varsity for three years and Barker for two.
They'll lead Central (16-1-1) into the Division 2 state semifinals against River Falls (16-2-2) at 11 a.m. Thursday.
“They understand the consistency. They understand the level of training that we ask them to do and all the fitness things that go on and they keep asking to do more,” he said.
“When you have kids who want to see how much more they can do, how much more time they can bond and make the whole team and program better, you’ve got really good kids. They’re all the ones that put the team first and don’t worry about the individual things.”
Here are Central’s four, four-year wonders.
Jenny Cape, the comeback kid
The Iowa recruit is part goal scorer, part playmaker. The 5-foot-9 midfielder arrives at state with 13 goals and 16 assists for 42 points.
Versatility and the ability to adjust, however, are her strengths. Some of that might come naturally. When she came to high school she’d been used to playing a position that wasn't part of the formation Central uses. And now, she is sometimes called upon to more from her normal spot in the midfield in a formation changes and does so without issue.
In the postseason, she has five goals and three assists. In the sectional semifinal, her assist to Staskiewicz in the 35th minute proved to be the only goal the team needed in a 3-0 victory over West De Pere.
She is also probably the team's most inspirational player given her recovery from aplastic anemia last year. She capped that comeback by scoring twice in Central’s 3-0 victory over Bay Port in the state championship game.
“If you don’t like Jenny there is probably something wrong with you,” Makal said. “Jen is probably one of the most likable people. She doesn’t rub anyone the wrong way.”
Sarah Knopp, the table setter
Cape plays on one side of field. Knopp is on the other. Good friends and neighbors, they sometimes ride a tandem bike to practice.
“It’s kind of like what one isn’t the other picks up,” Makal said.
Individually Knopp sets up her teammates more than anyone. She leads the team in assists, can effectively use her left or right foot and does a great job of placing the ball on the team’s set pieces.
Her accuracy in that regard helped Central beat Whitefish Bay in the sectional final Saturday. Her assist to Thomsen in the box from about 40 yards out evened the score in the 62nd minute and her pass into the box to Staskiewicz led to the winning goal.
“Sarah can distribute the ball so well. She’s our team assist leader right now and she was last year, too,” Makal said. “Sarah can break you both ways (left or right).”
Emma Staszkiewicz, the social butterfly
Staszkiewicz’s big personality fits her game.
“Emma’s speed is unreal,” Makal said. “She’s an absolute bull. She’ll muscle people up and all of sudden she’ll run and she’s 10 yards beyond somebody, which his hard to do with the ball.”
Staszkiewicz is a finisher. She leads the Lancers in scoring with 27 goals and five assists. In fact, she is the school’s all-time leading goal scorer, a milestone she reached as a junior.
Not only does Staszkiewicz finish plays, but she can make something out of nothing, giving the team a goal and a spark when things haven’t started to click yet.
For her winning goal against Whitefish Bay, she put a wicked spin on the ball that made it impossible for the defender and goalkeeper to stop.
Off the field Makal said she’s all Brookfield Central all the time.
“If I had to jokingly say what Emma is to the program, Emma is the best gatherer of social media and just being social," he said. "Everybody knows Emma in the school. She’s a huge personality . ... When she’s on the field, she’s a difference maker. Sometimes I feel like you get to play with three forwards and then Emma.”
Brandi Thomsen, leader by example
It’s no accident that Thomsen earned the area player of the year award at the Journal Sentinel High School Sports Awards last month. She paid her dues on the field and in the weight room.
“She’s always paying attention to what needs to be done,” Makal said. “If everyone needs to get up and get going and we’re going to start practice, she’s the one that gets out there. One of our rules is if you’re not early, you’re late. She’s out there early making sure everyone is getting up and going.”
The Cincinnati recruit comes into the state tournament with 15 goals and nine assists. Listed as 5-10, she uses her size in the box. That was apparent in the sectional final when she carved out space for herself on Knopp’s pass and tied the game.
That was a huge play in a showdown between the state’s top-two ranked teams. In the scheme of the season, however, Thomen has played a more subtle but equally important role.
“She’s been the one steadying the ship the whole time,” Makal said. “If we ask her to play one position, she’ll do that. Ask her to make a change, she’ll do that. She understands that the roles changes at times, but she still has to be herself. If it’s good for the team. That is what she’s going to do.”