What started off as a mere suggestion has helped give the Kimberly girls soccer team a more explosive offense over the past four weeks.
Kennedy Ebben’s switch from the defensive backfield to a more offensive role has paid off nicely for the Papermakers as they prepare for their WIAA Division 1 state semifinal game against Divine Savior Holy Angels on Thursday, June 18, at 4:30 p.m. at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.
Oregon plays Muskego in the other Division 1 semifinal at 7 p.m. with the championship game set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.
Ebben, one of the state’s top defenders and a University of Utah verbal commit, teamed with UW-Milwaukee commit Emily Urban to headline one of the state’s best defenses. But with Kimberly needing a little more refinement on offense, the team looked to change the uber-talented Ebben’s focus to scoring.
“We weren’t quite clicking the way I wanted and even the girls noticed it,” Kimberly coach Andrew Sutton said. “They’re the ones who came to me and said, ‘What can we do to change it?’ And it was like, ‘OK, you know what, let’s change it. And if it doesn’t work we can always go back.’ “
The move came after a 1-0 loss to Waunakee on May 9. Kimberly was 11-1 following that game and averaging 3.08 goals a game. Since the change, the Papermakers have been undefeated (11-0) and have averaged a goal more per game (4.09).
Ebben was on board with the move and felt she had the skills to successfully make the transition to midfielder/wing.
“I was kind of prepared for it,” she said. “I work out at Purdy Performance a lot and we work on a lot of offensive stuff, where for my club training and even at high school … it was more defensive minded. We had Emily [on defense] and she’s able to handle herself and I was like, ‘I have other tools in my toolbox.’
“I had a meeting with Sutton and we thought about it. We talked it over with the coaches and they thought it would be a good decision to try something new, more balance over the field a little bit more for me.”
Ebben is third on the team with 13 goals. Sophomores Vada Sousek (21 goals, 7 assists) and Ashlyn Krueger (17 goals, 12 assists) are the team’s leading scorers.
Brockert, defense still key for Papermakers
The Papermakers had more than enough talent on the roster to absorb Ebben’s switch to offense, with senior goalkeeper Bee Brockert leading the way.
Brockert has a .333 goals allowed against percentage, the best in the Division 1 state tournament field.
There’s one problem with the efficiency of the Kimberly defense – how to stay focused when there’s a lack of shots on goal?
Brockert had a unique answer for how she stays focused when she “wanders off a little bit.”
“I talk to myself a little bit,” Brockert said. “[Kimberly defender Laney Sitek] said she can hear me mumbling and I kind of have a rambling mind and I talk a lot. Anything I see on the field I can nitpick. … But really to stay locked in I sing songs. I tap my leg a lot to tell myself, ‘Hey, wake up, wake up, wake up.’ And usually I look around, look at the field. You just really get a new perspective as a goalkeeper. You see everything. It keeps me busy.”
Sutton said the team makes sure Brockert gets a lot of work during practice. She also works closely with assistant Ryan Smith and the addition of sophomore keeper Naomi Sotomayor has also helped keep her focused.
“Sometimes [Smith] has them both for over an hour and they’re just constantly working,” Sutton said. “And having a backup goalie this year – we don’t always have one – I think having that tandem with Naomi has really helped her as well.”
DSHA presents challenge as top seed
Kimberly’s defense has allowed five goals all season and has 19 shutouts. The Papermakers are a good matchup with DSHA, which is led in scoring by freshman forward Reese Roethe (12 goals, 7 assists) and junior midfielder Samiya Khan (11 goals).
DSHA is 17-2-2 and champion of the Greater Metro Conference. The Dashers’ two losses have come to Springfield (IL) and Hartland Arrowhead. They got a measure of revenge against Arrowhead in the sectional final, knocking off the Warhawks 2-1 to advance to the state tournament. DSHA is making its 13th overall trip to state and has won five state titles, most recently in 2021.
“They’re the type of team that they’re sending a lot of girls to play college ball,” Sutton said. “They’re going to be fast. And I know they’re going to be well-coached and from what I’ve seen watching film, they’re very technically sound. They don’t miss traps. Their passes are right on the money.
“But I also tell the girls that any time we play a team that has some of those kids, I just remind them that we’re not playing pros. They’re still 17-year-old girls. And to just go out and do it. You’ve been coached to do the best you can, and hopefully it’s good enough.”
Kimberly is looking for its first state title and is making its third consecutive trip to the state tournament and fifth overall. The Papermakers lost in the semifinals last season to eventual state champ Muskego. Two seasons ago, the Papermakers fell to Muskego in the state final.
This is the third consecutive season Kimberly has drawn the No. 4 seed.
“I think it’s great, even just going in and being the underdog,” Urban said of the team’s third state appearance. “We know we have what it takes and the talent that they just don’t see. We’re really excited to go in there and show them what this side of the state can do.”
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Lineup change sparks Kimberly soccer team on its way to state
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
