By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
SUAMICO – Bay Port junior soccer player Alaina Abel was named an Allstate All-American May 7.
The honor recognizes 250 of the best high school soccer players from across the nation.
All the honorees are juniors.
“Our team is working with MaxPreps, which is one of the largest reporting bodies of high school sports across the country,” said Allstate All-American Player Communication Manager John Clarke. “They have a selection committee that was responsible for selecting the players.”
Of the 250 Allstate All-Americans, 80 (40 boys, 40 girls) will be selected to compete in the Allstate All-America Cup game in Orlando, Florida, on July 31 in coordination with the Major League Soccer All-Star weekend.
“We are very excited, because not only are the kids going to be down in Orlando during the all-star weekend, but also at halftime of the MLS All-Star game, they will be honored on the field,” added Clarke. “The same group that identified the 250 players through MaxPreps, is also responsible for narrowing the list down to 80.”
The games will be broadcast on the ESPN network.
Abel, a Division I Loyola-Chicago recruit, was a member of the 2018 WIAA Division 1 state championship soccer and 2019 state championship basketball teams.
She is a three-year starter for head coach Brooke Mraz and was named first-team all-conference, and second-team all-state after the 2018 season from her defense position.
“Coach Mraz called me and told me I was an All-American,” said Abel. “I was kind of surprised because it came out of the blue. I never really thought this would happen – it’s pretty crazy. Playing defense is hard at times because rarely do you get any recognition because you don’t have the stats to back it up, so this is a great honor. Honestly, I have no idea what my chances are [to make the Allstate All-America Cup game]. It would be an awesome honor to be coached by former U.S. National Team members and be in Orlando.”