Huntley’s Aimee Wronski earns 2nd soccer POY award in row

Huntley’s Aimee Wronski has been selected as the Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Wronski was chosen as the area’s best girls soccer player for the second year in a row. Huntley was ranked as high as No. 6 in the country and No. 3 in the state this season by ESPN RISE. (Lauren M. Anderson – landerson@nwherald.com)

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It took eight years for Huntley’s girls soccer program to go from its inception to perennial contender.

In the past four of those years, Aimee Wronski established a standard for Red Raiders players for years to come.

The senior forward never played in anyone’s shadow. Opponents knew she was dangerous halfway through her freshman season. Since then, the Illinois State recruit has become one of the state’s most dominant and feared forwards, a skilled playmaker who can hurt defenders should they miss so much as a step.

Although her overall résumé is impressive, Wronski solidified herself as perhaps the best player to come through the Raiders’ program and one of the most prolific scorers in area history this year. Wronski’s 35 goals led the area, and she notched career goal No. 102 in a Class 3A regional final.

For her leadership and dominance, Wronski is the Northwest Herald’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year as selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.

Marian Central senior defender Tess Bottorff also was strongly considered for the award, which goes to Wronski for the second consecutive season.

“Her 35 goals and eight assists were incredible, but she brought so much more to our team and program,” Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. “She was always a great sport. She just let her play do all the talking for her. She was a physical player, but I never saw her play dirty soccer.”

That’s the other thing about Wronski that made her so dangerous: She wasn’t afraid to take a hit or give one as long as it was in step with the play.

Wronski could take defenders one-on-one or turn on them and bury a shot from seemingly anywhere on the field. Just when a team thought they had contained her, she would strike and either convert or force a keeper to make a tough save.

“Her growth from her freshman year to this year was incredible,” Jacobs coach Anthony Cappello said. “She was always a good player, but she just became dominant.”

Wronski said her game reached a new level because she made a conscious effort to overcome her insecurities on the field.

“When I was a freshman I was really intimidated,” she said. “I had a lot to work on. Just playing with the girls I have over the last four years and watching them taught me a lot. One of the main things that helped me grow was developing an awareness on the field and knowing what to do and when to do it.”

Wronski and her team entered this season with higher expectations than most teams could imagine, much less handle.

The Raiders were ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 3 in the state by ESPN Rise and figured an appearance in the state semifinals could finally be theirs.

Huntley bowed out in a Class 3A sectional semifinal to Barrington, but that didn’t take anything away from the Raiders’ season, Wronski said. Huntley finished 19-1-1.

“We didn’t accomplish our main goal, but we accomplished so many other goals throughout the season,” Wronski said. “We should not dwell on the one we did not meet. Yeah, it’s disappointing, but we can’t not be proud.”