Schoenfelder moves in,
makes difference at Batavia
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The first day a student enters high school for the the first time is loaded with significance — personal, emotional or social.
Add to the case of Kate Schoenfelder, a new location and adapting to the unfamiliar.
The defender arrived at Batavia from arguably another part of the world, in her case, the suburbs of Dallas.
Sports were her point of entry. She played basketball her first two years at Batavia.
Soccer was a constant, her security, her point of purpose. She started playing the sport at the age of 3.
“Playing soccer was something I always enjoyed doing,” said the recent graduate. “Growing up, I played other sports as well. I always walked away from those sports without ever questioning it.”
It was a natural and intuitive part of her upbringing, and key to unlocking her personality and her competitiveness.
The growth and learning is often imperceptible, almost second nature. Schoenfelder discovered something vital and impressive about herself in the process.
“Growing up playing competitive soccer, I learned how to take something seriously from a very young age,” she said.
“I always took school seriously and that probably came from the fact of playing soccer and being an athlete. My relationships with my friends, classmates and teammates have always been very important. I love being part of a team and being part of something that is bigger than me.
“I get a lot more satisfaction.”
She is a two-year starter and part of an electrifying backline. Her athleticism, balance and intelligence played a signature role on the defense that recorded a deeply impressive 13 shutouts last year.
Batavia (17-5-2) earned a share of the DuKane Conference with St. Charles East. The Bulldogs ended St. Charles North’s run of nearly four-year regular season unbeaten streak.
Her tenacity, emphasis and attitude shaped the ruling ideas of the Bulldogs’ back.
“As much as I like winning, I hate losing more,” Schoenfelder said. “I hate getting scored upon. I loved being a part of the reason we had so many shutouts.
“I think the most important part about our backline is that everybody really trusted each other. We put the team first, and that allowed us to have that success.”
Being an athlete made her transition to a new school and a new community that much more fluid.
Soccer also has regional differences and natural subtleties of emphasis or styles of play.
When she arrived at Batavia, Schoenfelder noticed immediately a game more predicated on team style and tactical play, with an emphasis on passing combinations and individual development.
That was just part of her acceleration process in assimilating to a new time and place.
Her new teammates recognized her contributions and value.
“Kate is a very selfless person,” senior forward Grace Salyers said. “She always puts others before her whether that is on the field or off. She is always keeping things positive.
“She leads by example, and always works hard and is the kind of person you can rely on. She never gives up and constantly tracks down balls no matter how far or how hard they are to get.”
Her background playing basketball also shaped her game. Both games are physical and aggressive and require a combination of awareness and tactical thinking.
Both are about the art of the body and how to bend, angle or move on the turn of a dime.
“I always thought playing basketball made me a better defender,” Schoenfelder said. “In soccer, you learn how to break down the attacker.
“A lot of the on-the-ball defense in soccer correlates to basketball.”
In her first year on the varsity pitch last year, Schoenfelder blended in superbly.
“I am more of an aggressive player,” she said. “Last year we had a lot of really successful seniors. My role was not necessarily that of somebody in a huge leadership position.
“My role was to be there for my teammates and play clean soccer. I was the connection to my other teammates.”
She played the part expertly, demonstrating toughness and passion but also a less showy, even sacrificial nature.
That kind of malleability is a talent by itself.
“When you play with her,” Salyers said, “her effort makes you want to work harder. She sees the field very well and reads the game.
“She is also the first person to take the blame even though it is never one person’s fault. That shows a lot about her character.”
Batavia reached a Class 3A sectional semifinal (losing its rematch with St. Charles North). The Bulldogs finished last year ranked no. 23 in the exclusive Final 50 statewide poll of Chicagoland Soccer.
Despite losing several college-bound players, the Bulldogs appeared on the verge of surpassing the achievements of last year’s group.
The novel coronavirus was prickly and bent on ruining the season for every team. That included the Bulldogs who returned 14 players, There was a great deal to be excited about.
“Emotionally what happened this year was very hard,” Schoenfelder said. “We were all sitting in lunch the day everything was cancelled.
“We got a notification that after school activities were cancelled through the weekend. The seniors just looked at each other, and it felt like this was the start of the end.
“Little by little, it kept getting worse.”
The dread and the anxiety of having her senior season snatched from her proved more disruptive and heartbreaking than the news itself.
“The anticipation was almost worse than when it actually happened,” she said. “Our coach (Mark Gianfrancesco) has done some things to lessen the pain, with team Zoom calls and special yard signs.
“We are looking back at the years that we had. It was about wrapping up my soccer career.”
Now Schoenfelder is naturally ready to contemplate the next stage of her young life. A standout student, she is set to attend the University of Nebraska.
Her exact soccer future is open-ended, with her likely participation in the form of club or intramural play in Lincoln, Neb.
Perhaps fittingly, the beauty of the game and her love affair with it was never crystallized to a single thing. There were many things spliced together.
“Honestly I am not sure what is about soccer specifically,” Schoenfelder said. “I was always at my happiest playing. We scored, or we won a big game, and that was always the best feeling in the world.
“When you see a really big passing combination, or when we are getting countered and we make a big defensive play and counter back and string together a series of passes. All the moving parts came together and it just made me smile.
“I never got that from any other sport.”
makes difference at Batavia
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The first day a student enters high school for the the first time is loaded with significance — personal, emotional or social.
Add to the case of Kate Schoenfelder, a new location and adapting to the unfamiliar.
The defender arrived at Batavia from arguably another part of the world, in her case, the suburbs of Dallas.
Sports were her point of entry. She played basketball her first two years at Batavia.
Soccer was a constant, her security, her point of purpose. She started playing the sport at the age of 3.
“Playing soccer was something I always enjoyed doing,” said the recent graduate. “Growing up, I played other sports as well. I always walked away from those sports without ever questioning it.”
It was a natural and intuitive part of her upbringing, and key to unlocking her personality and her competitiveness.
The growth and learning is often imperceptible, almost second nature. Schoenfelder discovered something vital and impressive about herself in the process.
“Growing up playing competitive soccer, I learned how to take something seriously from a very young age,” she said.
“I always took school seriously and that probably came from the fact of playing soccer and being an athlete. My relationships with my friends, classmates and teammates have always been very important. I love being part of a team and being part of something that is bigger than me.
“I get a lot more satisfaction.”
She is a two-year starter and part of an electrifying backline. Her athleticism, balance and intelligence played a signature role on the defense that recorded a deeply impressive 13 shutouts last year.
Batavia (17-5-2) earned a share of the DuKane Conference with St. Charles East. The Bulldogs ended St. Charles North’s run of nearly four-year regular season unbeaten streak.
Her tenacity, emphasis and attitude shaped the ruling ideas of the Bulldogs’ back.
“As much as I like winning, I hate losing more,” Schoenfelder said. “I hate getting scored upon. I loved being a part of the reason we had so many shutouts.
“I think the most important part about our backline is that everybody really trusted each other. We put the team first, and that allowed us to have that success.”
Being an athlete made her transition to a new school and a new community that much more fluid.
Soccer also has regional differences and natural subtleties of emphasis or styles of play.
When she arrived at Batavia, Schoenfelder noticed immediately a game more predicated on team style and tactical play, with an emphasis on passing combinations and individual development.
That was just part of her acceleration process in assimilating to a new time and place.
Her new teammates recognized her contributions and value.
“Kate is a very selfless person,” senior forward Grace Salyers said. “She always puts others before her whether that is on the field or off. She is always keeping things positive.
“She leads by example, and always works hard and is the kind of person you can rely on. She never gives up and constantly tracks down balls no matter how far or how hard they are to get.”
Her background playing basketball also shaped her game. Both games are physical and aggressive and require a combination of awareness and tactical thinking.
Both are about the art of the body and how to bend, angle or move on the turn of a dime.
“I always thought playing basketball made me a better defender,” Schoenfelder said. “In soccer, you learn how to break down the attacker.
“A lot of the on-the-ball defense in soccer correlates to basketball.”
In her first year on the varsity pitch last year, Schoenfelder blended in superbly.
“I am more of an aggressive player,” she said. “Last year we had a lot of really successful seniors. My role was not necessarily that of somebody in a huge leadership position.
“My role was to be there for my teammates and play clean soccer. I was the connection to my other teammates.”
She played the part expertly, demonstrating toughness and passion but also a less showy, even sacrificial nature.
That kind of malleability is a talent by itself.
“When you play with her,” Salyers said, “her effort makes you want to work harder. She sees the field very well and reads the game.
“She is also the first person to take the blame even though it is never one person’s fault. That shows a lot about her character.”
Batavia reached a Class 3A sectional semifinal (losing its rematch with St. Charles North). The Bulldogs finished last year ranked no. 23 in the exclusive Final 50 statewide poll of Chicagoland Soccer.
Despite losing several college-bound players, the Bulldogs appeared on the verge of surpassing the achievements of last year’s group.
The novel coronavirus was prickly and bent on ruining the season for every team. That included the Bulldogs who returned 14 players, There was a great deal to be excited about.
“Emotionally what happened this year was very hard,” Schoenfelder said. “We were all sitting in lunch the day everything was cancelled.
“We got a notification that after school activities were cancelled through the weekend. The seniors just looked at each other, and it felt like this was the start of the end.
“Little by little, it kept getting worse.”
The dread and the anxiety of having her senior season snatched from her proved more disruptive and heartbreaking than the news itself.
“The anticipation was almost worse than when it actually happened,” she said. “Our coach (Mark Gianfrancesco) has done some things to lessen the pain, with team Zoom calls and special yard signs.
“We are looking back at the years that we had. It was about wrapping up my soccer career.”
Now Schoenfelder is naturally ready to contemplate the next stage of her young life. A standout student, she is set to attend the University of Nebraska.
Her exact soccer future is open-ended, with her likely participation in the form of club or intramural play in Lincoln, Neb.
Perhaps fittingly, the beauty of the game and her love affair with it was never crystallized to a single thing. There were many things spliced together.
“Honestly I am not sure what is about soccer specifically,” Schoenfelder said. “I was always at my happiest playing. We scored, or we won a big game, and that was always the best feeling in the world.
“When you see a really big passing combination, or when we are getting countered and we make a big defensive play and counter back and string together a series of passes. All the moving parts came together and it just made me smile.
“I never got that from any other sport.”