By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
SUAMICO – It’s safe to say the Bay Port girls’ soccer team is working on a dynasty.
For the third consecutive season, the Pirates are heading to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament at the Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.
Bay Port (21-2) finished runner-up in 2017 and won the 2018 title over Fox River Classic Conference rival Sheboygan North.
“The girls are focused, excited and ready to go,” said Bay Port head coach Brooke Mraz. “After last year when we lost 10 [seniors], there was a question mark about what this season would be like. They worked really hard through the course of the season and showed a lot of growth. You can always hope the state tournament can be the outcome when you have good players, but I wouldn’t have predicted this three years ago – there is so much parity in the girls’ game. We play a tough schedule and in a tough sectional – it wasn’t easy to advance.”
The four state teams were re-seeded after sectionals, with the Pirates receiving a No. 2 seed.
No. 1 Waunakee (18-2-2), No. 3 Divine Savior Holy Angels (13-6-4) and No. 4 Muskego (15-4-3) are the other participating teams.
Bay Port, who is making its fifth overall appearance at state, will open tournament play against DSHA in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 14.
The Pirates beat DSHA 4-2 at the Muskego Tournament May 3.
“DSHA is a stacked team,” Mraz said. “We have some pretty good matchups with them. They play a system similar to us – they like to use their outside back in their attack. The biggest things will be not holding back offensively in our attack and keeping the pressure on them. If we can do that, we have a good shot.”
If Bay Port can manage to win their opener, they’d play the winner of the other semifinal June 14 at 4:30 p.m. for the title.
The Pirates also beat Muskego at the same tournament as DSHA, 2-1.
“Both DSHA and Muskego are tough teams,” said Mraz. “There is value in seeing them in the past and having productive results, but I also cautioned the girls that this is season two. Whether you win or lose a game, you can’t pay too much attention to those results.”
Waunakee is the top-seeded team for good reason.
“Waunakee was ranked higher than us in the final coaches poll,” Mraz said. “They also knocked off No. 1-ranked Arrowhead – that was a difference maker. I kind of expected us to get the No. 2 seed.”
Bay Port is led by Emma Nagel’s 42 goals and 15 assists.
The junior Nagel is a Division I Drake University commit.
Another junior, Mac Johnson, has added 26 goals and 11 assists.
The Pirates have outscored their opponents this season 98-12, including allowing only one goal in its four postseason games.
Bay Port has shut out its opponents 16 times on the year.
Defenders Alaina Abel (Division I Loyola-Chicago commit), Grace Krause and Katy Kane are the captains of the defense, while Hailey Kane, Mara Gustafson, Cecilia VanDen Heuvel, Delaney Wahl, Maya Jacques, Jenna Jacques and goalie Megan Nygaard have added valuable experience.
Ava Style, Madison Noe, Olivia Wahl, Lauren Bradley, Lindsay Herber and Grace Thomas have added depth during the regular season.
“Megan has done a stellar job in net for us,” said Mraz. “Our backline has been lights out, but our team defense as a whole has gotten a lot better. We are executing it a lot better. They are peaking at the right time.”
Abel, Krause, Johnson and Nagel were also a part of the 2019 WIAA Division 1 state championship basketball team.
“We have some veteran players,” Mraz said. “That will definitely help. When you are at state for the first time, it’s a big stage. There are a lot of nerves. Since many of these girls have been here before, that will help keep their minds a little more focused on the job at hand.”