Huntley’s Wronski scored an unexpected 27 goals

Cori Wronski, the Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Player of the Year, scored 27 goals to lead the area in scoring. (Lauren M. Anderson - landerson@nwherald.com)

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Many fans had high expectations for the Huntley girls soccer team this season, but the players were not quite sure what to expect.

They knew they were talented, and the Red Raiders felt they had a strong chance of accomplishing everything they wanted, but position by position, the players wanted to simply watch the season unfold knowing they had a solid foundation.

So when junior striker Cori Wronski finished the season with 27 goals and seven assists, she not only pleasantly surprised herself, but she made possible many of the other goals the Raiders’ had set.

“We were not expecting to win as much as we did, we weren’t expecting to allow as few goals as we did, and we definitely weren’t expecting to score as often or as much as we did,” Wronski said. “We surprised ourselves more than anything, and we had an awesome season. We accomplished so, so much, and we did almost everything we wanted to do.”

Wronski played a major role in the Raiders’ 24-2-1 season, improving from a 16-goal scorer last year to help the Raiders become the area’s most dangerous offensive team.

For her efforts this season, Wronski is the Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Player of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.

Wronski, who has made a oral commitment to Upper Iowa, attributes much of her success to gaining more confidence.

“I did so much in the offseason with [the Crystal Lake Force club soccer team] and I was training all the time, but I really was working on becoming more confident out there,” she said. “I was surprised at what I was able to do, but our entire team this year was just so awesome. It wasn’t the same season as we had last year. I was expecting to not [contribute] as much, but I got the job done, and I couldn’t have done it without my team.”

Wronski pointed to the first Fox Valley Conference Fox Division match against Grayslake Central, when she scored early in overtime to give the Raiders a 1-0 victory, as the turning point in her season.

“That game just seemed to light a fire under me,” Wronski said. “I think after that I just felt like I wanted to score in every situation.”

Wronski’s scoring became more versatile, too. She ended her scoring parade in dramatic fashion - with the tying goal in the Class 3A sectional semifinal against Boylan. Wronski launched a left-footed shot from 30-feet out into the right corner of the Titans’ net to send the match into overtime. The Raiders went on to win it.

“She’s one of the most pure strikers I’ve ever seen,” Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. “She has great pace on the ball, great placement, and she started playing so much faster this season than she ever had before.”