MILWAUKEE – Preparing for an opponent like the Divine Savior Holy Angels girls soccer team is one thing.
Actually playing against the highly-touted Dashers is another issue entirely.
Top-seeded DSHA was impressive in shutting out Kimberly 3-0 in a WIAA Division 1 state semifinal at Uihlein Soccer Park on June 18.
DSHA (18-2-2) advances to play Muskego (14-2-3) in the D1 title game Saturday, June 20. Muskego, the four-time defending state champion, beat Oregon 2-1 in the other semifinal.
The Dashers brought a style of play that was unique to the Papermakers. DSHA’s aggressive attack forced Kimberly to drop extra defenders in the backfield, according to Kimberly coach Andrew Sutton.
“They do some things that we’ve never seen before,” Sutton said. “We watch some film, but it’s hard to replicate it and practice against.
“They really trust their backline, so when you leave your centerbacks back and you’re attacking with eight or sometimes even nine girls, that means everybody has to defend. A lot of teams we play, they leave four back and so they’re only attacking with six.”
DSHA controlled play for most of the first half. The Dashers got a goal from Sarah McElherne, who booted in a loose ball in the box in the 21st minute. Reese Roethe scored 10 minutes later off an assist from older sister Avery Roethe that gave DSHA a 2-0 lead heading into the half.
Izzy Burris scored DSHA’s third goal in the 50th minute off a header in the box to complete the scoring. DSHA outshot Kimberly 10-5, including 5-1 in the first half. The Dashers also had a 2-0 corner kicks advantage.
Kimberly (22-2) was able to pressure DSHA on offense more in the second half, according to Sutton.
“I thought we had some really good moments in the second half,” Sutton said. “Again, we just couldn’t quite get that really good shot that we wanted. But I thought we had moments where we were in their defensive third. But [DSHA] is just so smart on the ball and they would defend well and then find a way to get it out. We just couldn’t find that final shot.”
Kimberly says goodbye to a senior class that helped the Papermakers make three consecutive state appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2024 – Brey, Bee Brockert, Lily Werner, Ayla Raasch, Emily Urban and Katie Owens.
“I’m just still in awe,” Sutton said. “To come down here for the third time. … You look at some of the seniors who have been such a key part of our success, even as sophomores two years ago. Part of the reason we’re here is because of them. But then we have some sophomores and a freshman. We had some juniors come up big this year. I think we were able to jell. I think the seniors helped relay some of the expectations of how we play and why we’re so successful.”
Owens pointed out how difficult it is for teams to make it to state three consecutive seasons.
“I’m just super proud of this team and what we’ve gone through,” she said. “It was super cool playing with my younger sister Lindsey. And it’s cool playing with the senior group and we’ve been here since we first came to state my sophomore year.”
Brey said she had a memorable connection with her team.
“I have such wonderful teammates,” Brey said. “I know everyone out there played 110% for us. I can walk away from this game knowing that we tried our best. We might not have gotten the victory, but it shows the people we are and that we did try our best.”
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kimberly falls to powerful DSHA in state soccer semifinal
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
