CEDAR GROVE — Each of the past two seasons Arden Getschman has been second on the Cedar Grove-Belgium girls soccer team in goals.
Yet last season despite being second, she tied for 10th in the state with 36 goals. She was also third in the state in assists.
That’s the byproduct of the state’s all-time leading goal scorer, the now-graduated Cora Erickson, on your team.
Now a junior Getschman is being asked to step up besides being just a prolific goal scorer and facilitator
“I feel its a big role that used to be filled by some big shoes,” Getschman said of the leadership role left by Erickson. “We have a bunch of talented players trying to fill that role now.”
One such player is senior Gracie Schmidt, who was second in the state in assists with 30.
Getschman knows with teammates as talented as Schmidt she doesn’t have to do everything herself.
“We’re working together to try and lift each other up,” Getschman said. “It doesn’t matter if I mess up because I have teammates to help me.”
Rockets coach Zac Garza has seen Getschman grow beyond her skills on the pitch.
“Her development has been incredible,” Garza said. “I think we’ve seen the step up in maturity this year with leading by example. This year you see her fighting and pressing from the first minute to the last.”
Leadership means you can still make an impact even if you’re not the one putting the ball in the back of the net.
“There might be games where she doesn’t get on the score sheet or have the best game but she’s going to set the tone with her effort,” Garza said.
Garza added Getschman has also grown as a player who isn’t purely a scorer or even facilitator which causes problems for the opposition.
“It’s her willingness to get involved in all aspects of the game,” Garza said. “She’s a player when you watch she’s not going to stay still. She’s constantly moving, constantly thinking ahead and constantly putting herself in a position to succeed. It gets difficult to defend her because she doesn’t sit still.”
With her maturity Getschman says she has allowed for the game to slow down to a degree.
“I feel like my calmness,” Getschman said about what’s changed from her first two seasons. “I’m much more comfortable on the ball. I don’t try to just get rid of it right away.”
And while she has become a strong leader, Garza knows what Getschman brings to the table.
“I think we see her being a major part of our offense whether its assists or goals,” Garza said. “She’s added something new with her arsenal with her ability to take free kicks. I see her continuing to grow.”
Getschman knows what she expects for the rest of the season too as her 19 goals through May 4 are third in the state while her 14 assists are tops in Wisconsin.
“Score a lot,” Getschman said.
A good leader knows what they do best.
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: High-scoring soccer star from Cedar Grove-Belgium growing as a leader
Reporting by Tom Dombeck, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
