Kayla Wisniewski provided quite a jolt to her future coach, Beau Shogren, when she turned up at a camp for prospective Wauconda soccer players in the summer of 2014.
Wisniewski grew up playing exclusively as a defender.
“We already had some quick and experienced defenders,” Shogren said. “Out of need, we threw her out top as a forward, and the rest is history. In retrospect it is crazy to think about putting her any place else.”
A junior, Wisniewski has emerged as a highly skilled, explosive and versatile offensive talent. As a sophomore, she had 22 goals and nine assists for a Class 2A sectional qualifier.
Now Wisniewski and senior defender Aimee Berg are the cornerstones for a Wauconda team in the midst of its most dominant season.
Wisniewski has 21 goals and 17 assists. With Wisniewski directing the offense as both a playmaker and finisher, Wauconda has a goal differential of 76-5. The Bulldogs (15-0-1) capped their their first-ever unbeaten regular season by beating Grayslake Central on Tuesday. Wauconda opens postseason play on Wednesday with a regional semifinal against Resurrection at Antioch.
“The best part of my game is that I am quick, explosive and unpredictable,” Wisniewski said. “It was a different switchover when I moved to forward, because I never played the position before. It took a lot of dedication learning how to play there. The way I play predicts how we are going to do. I think I have gotten really good at it.”
Wisniewski has attracted recruiting interest from Michigan State, Illinois State and other Division I programs.
Wauconda was a team on the verge a year ago. Its final game, a 4-1 loss against Lake Forest in a sectional semifinal, underscored the need for improvement. Now the team has taken a profound leap.
“I think our work ethic is much better this year,” Wisniewski said. “I am connecting with my team more, and we are communicating much better out there. We all remember our final game last year and we all came in saying we wanted to go farther.”
If Wisniewski is the face of the offense, Berg is the equivalent foundation player on the back line. Junior goalkeeper Jillian Rejczyk has 12 shutouts. Berg, who has two goals and four assists, is the solidifying presence.
The Bulldogs have allowed only three goals with her on the field.
“This year our movement on the balls is a lot more dynamic and we are getting to the difficult balls,” Berg said. “I like to see the whole field and see where the ball is going to go. I am a faster player, but also a very aggressive one. I like to use my head, and even though I am kind of small, I like to body up some people.”
The team’s only blemish is a 2-2 draw against Crystal Lake South (15-1-1) where the Bulldogs recovered from a 2-0 deficit.
“These girls are really cool and they don’t get shaken,” Shogren said
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.
