The Kickoff: Friday, Aug. 16

Your roundup of soccer news across Wisconsin and beyond

Aug 16, 2024

Freshman defender Chloe Cline (Sussex Hamilton) scored the game-winning goal in her collegiate debut, slotting in a shot after a dropped corner kick in the 52nd minute as Illinois State rallied past UW-Green Bay 2-1 in a season opener Thursday afternoon in Normal, Ill. Cline and fellow freshman Eiley Henderson (Kettle Moraine) started for the Redbirds, while a third freshman, Eve Gricius (Oconomowoc), came off the bench.

College women

Thursday’s season openers

Illinois State 2:1 UW-Green Bay
- Hungarian midfielder Hanna Arvay gave Green Bay the lead in the 8th minute of her Phoenix debut after transferring from Stetson.
Xavier 4:2 UW-Milwaukee
- The Musketeers scored twice in the opening 15 minutes and outshot the Panthers 19-4 in Cincinnati. Emily Petring, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, scored in her UWM debut and junior defender Elizabeth Reece scored her first career goal to account for the Panthers’ goals.
BYU 1:0 UW
- The 19th-ranked Badgers dominated the stat sheet, but Lynette Hernaez stopped a penalty by Ayrssa Mahrt (Wauwatosa) in the 60th minute and made six saves for the clean sheet for the third-ranked Cougars. UW outshot BYU 17-7 (6-3 on goal) and had 12 corner kicks to just one for the home side, but Allie Fryer’s 17th-minute strike was the difference in Utah.
Colorado 3:0 Marquette
- The Buffaloes scored twice in the final 20 minutes to pull away from the Golden Eagles, who were playing their first game under new coach Chris Allen. Sophomore keeper Elise Krohn made seven saves in her first collegiate appearance for Marquette, which used 23 players in the match.

Professional

In Poland, defender Hannah Kroupa (New Berlin West/UW-Stevens Point) recently made her debut with Pogoń Tczew in the top-flight Ekstraliga. Club announcement

The 23-year-old center back moved to the Polish club after spending the 2023-2024 season with Cacereño Femenino in Spain’s second-tier Primera Federación. Kroupa started her professional career with Portuguese side Clube Condeixa in 2022.

Kroupa started and played 90 minutes as Pogoń Tczew, which finished eighth in the 12-team league last season, lost to Czarni Sosnowiec 5-0 in its season opener Sunday.

Follow all the players with state ties playing professionally in the U.S. and around the world on our Wisconsin Players in the Pros chart. If we've missed anyone, email us at wisconsinsoccercentral@gmail.com or connect on social media.

High school

We’re tracking the coaching changes in varsity soccer programs across Wisconsin for the upcoming school year:

If you know of others that we’ve missed, drop us an email at wisconsinsoccercentral@gmail.com or connect with us on social media.

Youth clubs

Cross Plains’ Arien van Mol signed with the Minnesota United FC Academy on Thursday — joining Emory Ortwein, whose move was announced Tuesday by Bavarian United SC, where he has played since 8U. van Mol started his youth career with Magic SC in Madison, then played for the Madison 56ers and SC Wave in addition to Madison Futsal’s Forge program and Middleton High School.

Arien van Mol signing with Minnesota United FC Academy

We’re looking to compile a list of Wisconsin players who are playing in Major League Soccer academies. Here’s the start of our list, help us add to it:
- 2007
  - Evan Carlock, Black Earth: St. Louis City
  - Emory Ortwein: Minnesota United
  - Issa Saidi, Appleton: Minnesota United
  - Arien van Mol, Cross Plains: Minnesota United
- 2009
  - Brody Schauf, Holmen: Minnesota United
- 2010
  - Adrian Cerda, Milwaukee: Chicago Fire
  - Evan Emmenegger, Appleton: Real Salt Lake
  - Brett Isaacson, Sturgeon Bay: Minnesota United
Thirty-four state players — 20 girls and 14 boys — were named to the Midwest team rosters for the 2024-25 U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Interregional events. The teams will play against sides from the East, South and West in tournaments in late January and early February in Florida. Elmbrook United leads state clubs with nine selections, while the Madison 56ers have seven.
- GIRLS
  - 2007: Emerson Fitzgerald, Lakeshore United; Allie Billingsley, FC Wisconsin; Kennedy Christensen, Madison 56ers; Lauren Wiitanen, Madison 56ers.
  - 2008: Brailey Baxter, Elmbrook United; Ella McGinnis, Madison 56ers; Gabriela Retana, Madison 56ers; Zoe Sharaf, Madison 56ers.
  - 2009: Malia Zillman, Rockford Raptors (Ill.); Norah Kling, Eau Claire United; Avery Roethe, Elmbrook United; Lucy Colvin, Elmbrook United.
  - 2011: Older — Leighton Weber, Madison 56ers; Reese Roethe, Elmbrook United; Aurelia Lindquist, FC Wisconsin. Younger — Sydney Urban, Elmbrook United; Mollie Samborski, Elmbrook United; Nora Pintens, Elmbrook United.
  - 2012: Older — Haven McKenzie, Milwaukee Kickers; Grace Lawrence, SC Wave.
- BOYS
  - 2007: Gregory Beres, United FC; Katahdin Huwiler, North Shore United; Kellan Gill, SC Wave; Keegan Fredrick, MC United.
  - 2008: Maclane Hoelker, FC Wisconsin; Bryce Vogt, Milwaukee Kickers; Nicolas Gonzalez-Polar, Milwaukee Kickers; Kaito Lor, MC United
  - 2009: Julian Popkewitz, Madison 56ers.
  - 2011: Older — Dylan Connor, North Shore United. Younger — Bennett Hahn, Elmbrook United; Owyn Morris, Elmbrook United
  - 2012: Older — George Nikolic, Milwaukee Kickers. Younger — Silas Olander, club not available.

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