Breier has left her mark at Plainfield North
By Steve Nemeth
Senior Nights are simply bittersweet affairs.
Intended to be a joyful recognition of a career, it’s also the culmination for the passage of a time that’s impossible to forget.
Every senior class lives on in Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe’s memories, but one of the six honorees for Tuesday night’s 6:15 p.m. regular season and Southwest Prairie Conference finale versus Joliet West figures to remain in the Tigers’ record book.
Megan Breier and fellow quad captains Brittaney Kroll, Jessica Christmas and Erin Kuyawa, plus classmates Megan Donnally and Melissa Juarez will share the spotlight and expect to share the Plainfield North tradition of another victory.
There’s no disrespect intended to Joliet West, it’s just the visiting Tigers are underdogs at 4-14-1 overall and 0-8-0 in the SPC as a result of a current three-game losing streak.
“Knowing its Senior Night is sort of sad because of all it represents. Soccer season is always my favorite part of the year,” Breier explained. “I really love being on the field with my teammates.”
That’s an emotion Breier has relished for four years thanks to a burning desire to play that began with the challenge of her freshman year.
“We had so much talent, individuals like Heather Handwork, Sara Stevens and Shayna Dheel, however we were short on defense and Megan was too good to keep out of the lineup,” Crowe recalled. “With each year she has moved either up the field or into a greater scoring role or leadership position.
“Programs now have players who drop out a year or two, or join varsity later because of club play, so it’s hard to have a player stay all four years. But from day one, her loyalty to our program has shown,” Crowe noted. “I also believe it shows how important the program is to her.”
Breier is currently fifth all-time at Plainfield North for career points (107) and goals (34), plus seventh for assists (39).
“When I was in eighth grade, Sam Elster was a freshman and a good friend, who really encouraged me when it came time for the a varsity tryout. At first, I just wanted to make the team. I had always played midfield and had never tried a different position,” Breier remembered. “I trained so hard for a month to be a defender and was extremely nervous, never thinking I’d get to start.”
Hindsight as they say, is 20/20.
“Plainfield North has shaped me into the player I am today. The past four years have challenged me so much as a player, forcing me out of my comfort zone,” Breier said. “I’m so thankful to be a part of such a competitive program during high school. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without coach Crowe, my parents, and all my teammates throughout the years.”
Breier now recognizes her time as a right back enabled her to see the field from a different perspective. Learning how difficult it was to be a good defender ultimately helped her analyze the field as attacker.
“Having been in that position and knowing what the defenders want to accomplish then made it easier for me to learn to create opportunities for myself or teammates,” Breier said. “Although I’ve taken on a scorer’s mentality, part of that is knowing when to take shots versus playing the ball through to help others. You learn an assist is just as important as a goal.”
Considering the talent matriculating from Plainfield North’s program, that attitude prompted another compliment from Crowe: “Megan crosses or serves the ball as well as anyone we’ve ever had.”
For most schools, the top scorer and assist leader are not the same player. Add Breier’s team-bests this season for goals (13) and assists (14), and it’s impossible to miss her importance on offense for a squad that has outscored its opposition 38-20.
In 2016, North had a class of seven declared for college soccer. This year’s lineup boasts six, so there’s never been a shortage of talent or leadership.
“There’s often a huge difference in development from a sophomore or junior year. It may not have been as obvious, but we could see Megan following in the upperclass footsteps,” Crowe said. “Her skills enabled us to move her around more to find the best possible slot, sometimes just for a particular game. Her ability to get up and down the field makes her a threat. She’s one of the fittest on the team and that makes her very good with the ball in tight spaces.
“Just when you think she’s stuck, she creates an opening for herself. And yes, she’s a competitor,” Crowe admitted. “When she gets mad, her teammates feel a little more urgency. Megan will turn it up a notch and play harder. This year some of that also comes from being a senior.”
Breier and her teammates still feel the sting of a 1-0 road loss to Minooka which ended Plainfield North’s streak of 60-consecutive conference wins.
At 12-5-0 overall and 7-1-0 in league play, the door for claiming at least a share of the SPC crown still remains open. The Tigers must beat Joliet West and silently root for rival Plainfield South to upset 8-0-0 Minooka.
A week before, North slipped by South 1-0 during a second overtime period. Battling to secure that win produced a Harlem Globetrotter-style highlight for Breier as the Tigers milked the clock.
“Just before I got the ball, I saw there was 1:45 left and not wanting overtime, I didn’t want them to even get a chance to shoot for a goal,” Breier recounted. “At first I just held the ball and when a defender finally ran at me, I kept my dribble, and she followed me.
“I wasn’t planning on going in a circle, it just happened. I was hoping coach Crowe would understand, but luckily I got fouled and 30 or 40 seconds were gone. Victoria (Thornton) came up to me laughing and said it was so funny.”
Fellow captain Kroll is also one of those rare four-year varsity members, which makes her ideal for evaluating Breier.
“She is extremely fast and has such good ball control, but the competitor in her allows her to dribble in and out of traffic. That scenario against South was a sight, especially with coach yelling to her to play the ball to offensive corner,” Kroll said.
As far as memorable plays go, Breier flashes back to a meeting with Naperville Central.
“Back then I was so bad with my left foot, it was 0-0 when I got the ball three yards out of the 18 box. The defender was so tight on me that all I could do was a short touch to my left to be able to get a shot off,” Breier said. “It went into the upper right 90 and the next thing I know I’m flooded by teammates. I was so proud of myself for finally scoring off my left foot.”
Not one to boast, Breier is equally successful academically, and it’s that aspect that determined her future choice for college soccer.
“During a career day, there was a presentation on pharmacy that fit with my interest in chemistry. Ironically (North) had a goalie (Emily Brodict) who went to Ohio Northern for that same major. After a club tourney, the ONU coach e-mailed me and invited me for a visit,” Breier said. “I liked the small school-town feel, coach (Mark) Batman was so nice, and the girls I met and stayed with made it easy to see myself going there. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to play for ONU and coach Batman.”
Located in Ada, the town is best known for the factory that produces Wilson footballs for the NFL, collegiate and high school ranks. Breier admits taking the Wilson tour may have to wait because her priority will be hoping to help the Polar Bears continue a streak of 13-straight winning seasons under Batman.
However, that’s down the road. The priority now is taking care of business against the second of SPC’s two newcomers. Joliet West has had a tougher transition than Joliet Central.
“We have had to deal with a lot of injuries and other issues this season, which have hindered our potential,” coach Mike O’Shea said. “We’ve had several players step up big for us. Our senior center back Graysen Bormet has saved countless goals by stopping breakaways. Offensively we’ve struggled to maintain possession, but when we can, senior forward Anessa Munoz can capitalize. We do have a very solid core of young players who I think will make an impact in the next few years.”
On the flip side, the visitors can expect to see another Plainfield North member during the coming years. With injuries sidelining senior keepers Donnally and Kuyawa, freshman Ashley Clark made a dramatic and successful varsity debut on two-days notice in the league win over Plainfield South. After a 4-2 win over Plainfield East, Clark is looking to remain undefeated at the varsity level.
Joliet West will not be the last home date for North. Perhaps the ultimate prep for the postseason occurs Thursday when Naperville North visits for another 6:15 p.m. contest. The Huskies slipped to third this week after holding the no. 1 spot in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 for seven-consecutive weeks.
Plainfield North, which held a top position of no. 16 this season, is now listed among the honorable mention teams. The Tigers are 2-3-0 against teams in this week Top 25. They have victories over no. 13 Lane Tech and no. 22 Carmel, and losses to no. 11 Batavia, no. 16 Crystal Lake South, and no. 23 Naperville Central.
The Tigers, a no. 7 seed, open with a May 16 date with Class 3A regional and sectional host Lockport, an 11-seed. The winner is expected to face no. 2-seed Neuqua Valley, which opens with 15-seed East Aurora, in the final on May 19.
By Steve Nemeth
Senior Nights are simply bittersweet affairs.
Intended to be a joyful recognition of a career, it’s also the culmination for the passage of a time that’s impossible to forget.
Every senior class lives on in Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe’s memories, but one of the six honorees for Tuesday night’s 6:15 p.m. regular season and Southwest Prairie Conference finale versus Joliet West figures to remain in the Tigers’ record book.
Megan Breier and fellow quad captains Brittaney Kroll, Jessica Christmas and Erin Kuyawa, plus classmates Megan Donnally and Melissa Juarez will share the spotlight and expect to share the Plainfield North tradition of another victory.
There’s no disrespect intended to Joliet West, it’s just the visiting Tigers are underdogs at 4-14-1 overall and 0-8-0 in the SPC as a result of a current three-game losing streak.
“Knowing its Senior Night is sort of sad because of all it represents. Soccer season is always my favorite part of the year,” Breier explained. “I really love being on the field with my teammates.”
That’s an emotion Breier has relished for four years thanks to a burning desire to play that began with the challenge of her freshman year.
“We had so much talent, individuals like Heather Handwork, Sara Stevens and Shayna Dheel, however we were short on defense and Megan was too good to keep out of the lineup,” Crowe recalled. “With each year she has moved either up the field or into a greater scoring role or leadership position.
“Programs now have players who drop out a year or two, or join varsity later because of club play, so it’s hard to have a player stay all four years. But from day one, her loyalty to our program has shown,” Crowe noted. “I also believe it shows how important the program is to her.”
Breier is currently fifth all-time at Plainfield North for career points (107) and goals (34), plus seventh for assists (39).
“When I was in eighth grade, Sam Elster was a freshman and a good friend, who really encouraged me when it came time for the a varsity tryout. At first, I just wanted to make the team. I had always played midfield and had never tried a different position,” Breier remembered. “I trained so hard for a month to be a defender and was extremely nervous, never thinking I’d get to start.”
Hindsight as they say, is 20/20.
“Plainfield North has shaped me into the player I am today. The past four years have challenged me so much as a player, forcing me out of my comfort zone,” Breier said. “I’m so thankful to be a part of such a competitive program during high school. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without coach Crowe, my parents, and all my teammates throughout the years.”
Breier now recognizes her time as a right back enabled her to see the field from a different perspective. Learning how difficult it was to be a good defender ultimately helped her analyze the field as attacker.
“Having been in that position and knowing what the defenders want to accomplish then made it easier for me to learn to create opportunities for myself or teammates,” Breier said. “Although I’ve taken on a scorer’s mentality, part of that is knowing when to take shots versus playing the ball through to help others. You learn an assist is just as important as a goal.”
Considering the talent matriculating from Plainfield North’s program, that attitude prompted another compliment from Crowe: “Megan crosses or serves the ball as well as anyone we’ve ever had.”
For most schools, the top scorer and assist leader are not the same player. Add Breier’s team-bests this season for goals (13) and assists (14), and it’s impossible to miss her importance on offense for a squad that has outscored its opposition 38-20.
In 2016, North had a class of seven declared for college soccer. This year’s lineup boasts six, so there’s never been a shortage of talent or leadership.
“There’s often a huge difference in development from a sophomore or junior year. It may not have been as obvious, but we could see Megan following in the upperclass footsteps,” Crowe said. “Her skills enabled us to move her around more to find the best possible slot, sometimes just for a particular game. Her ability to get up and down the field makes her a threat. She’s one of the fittest on the team and that makes her very good with the ball in tight spaces.
“Just when you think she’s stuck, she creates an opening for herself. And yes, she’s a competitor,” Crowe admitted. “When she gets mad, her teammates feel a little more urgency. Megan will turn it up a notch and play harder. This year some of that also comes from being a senior.”
Breier and her teammates still feel the sting of a 1-0 road loss to Minooka which ended Plainfield North’s streak of 60-consecutive conference wins.
At 12-5-0 overall and 7-1-0 in league play, the door for claiming at least a share of the SPC crown still remains open. The Tigers must beat Joliet West and silently root for rival Plainfield South to upset 8-0-0 Minooka.
A week before, North slipped by South 1-0 during a second overtime period. Battling to secure that win produced a Harlem Globetrotter-style highlight for Breier as the Tigers milked the clock.
“Just before I got the ball, I saw there was 1:45 left and not wanting overtime, I didn’t want them to even get a chance to shoot for a goal,” Breier recounted. “At first I just held the ball and when a defender finally ran at me, I kept my dribble, and she followed me.
“I wasn’t planning on going in a circle, it just happened. I was hoping coach Crowe would understand, but luckily I got fouled and 30 or 40 seconds were gone. Victoria (Thornton) came up to me laughing and said it was so funny.”
Fellow captain Kroll is also one of those rare four-year varsity members, which makes her ideal for evaluating Breier.
“She is extremely fast and has such good ball control, but the competitor in her allows her to dribble in and out of traffic. That scenario against South was a sight, especially with coach yelling to her to play the ball to offensive corner,” Kroll said.
As far as memorable plays go, Breier flashes back to a meeting with Naperville Central.
“Back then I was so bad with my left foot, it was 0-0 when I got the ball three yards out of the 18 box. The defender was so tight on me that all I could do was a short touch to my left to be able to get a shot off,” Breier said. “It went into the upper right 90 and the next thing I know I’m flooded by teammates. I was so proud of myself for finally scoring off my left foot.”
Not one to boast, Breier is equally successful academically, and it’s that aspect that determined her future choice for college soccer.
“During a career day, there was a presentation on pharmacy that fit with my interest in chemistry. Ironically (North) had a goalie (Emily Brodict) who went to Ohio Northern for that same major. After a club tourney, the ONU coach e-mailed me and invited me for a visit,” Breier said. “I liked the small school-town feel, coach (Mark) Batman was so nice, and the girls I met and stayed with made it easy to see myself going there. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to play for ONU and coach Batman.”
Located in Ada, the town is best known for the factory that produces Wilson footballs for the NFL, collegiate and high school ranks. Breier admits taking the Wilson tour may have to wait because her priority will be hoping to help the Polar Bears continue a streak of 13-straight winning seasons under Batman.
However, that’s down the road. The priority now is taking care of business against the second of SPC’s two newcomers. Joliet West has had a tougher transition than Joliet Central.
“We have had to deal with a lot of injuries and other issues this season, which have hindered our potential,” coach Mike O’Shea said. “We’ve had several players step up big for us. Our senior center back Graysen Bormet has saved countless goals by stopping breakaways. Offensively we’ve struggled to maintain possession, but when we can, senior forward Anessa Munoz can capitalize. We do have a very solid core of young players who I think will make an impact in the next few years.”
On the flip side, the visitors can expect to see another Plainfield North member during the coming years. With injuries sidelining senior keepers Donnally and Kuyawa, freshman Ashley Clark made a dramatic and successful varsity debut on two-days notice in the league win over Plainfield South. After a 4-2 win over Plainfield East, Clark is looking to remain undefeated at the varsity level.
Joliet West will not be the last home date for North. Perhaps the ultimate prep for the postseason occurs Thursday when Naperville North visits for another 6:15 p.m. contest. The Huskies slipped to third this week after holding the no. 1 spot in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 for seven-consecutive weeks.
Plainfield North, which held a top position of no. 16 this season, is now listed among the honorable mention teams. The Tigers are 2-3-0 against teams in this week Top 25. They have victories over no. 13 Lane Tech and no. 22 Carmel, and losses to no. 11 Batavia, no. 16 Crystal Lake South, and no. 23 Naperville Central.
The Tigers, a no. 7 seed, open with a May 16 date with Class 3A regional and sectional host Lockport, an 11-seed. The winner is expected to face no. 2-seed Neuqua Valley, which opens with 15-seed East Aurora, in the final on May 19.