Kotsakis, Tice remember
2011 Fremd finish fondly
By Mike Garofola
The springs of the 2010s proved to be truly memorable for Mid-Suburban League (MSL) soccer.
During this time, the league collected eight state trophies, two of which were Class 3A state championship trophies for Barrington, which also earned third place finishes in 2013 and 2015.
Fremd finished fourth in 2011 with a fourth place finish behind Conant. That was the third overall and most recent state trophy for the Vikings, who defeated Barrington 2-1 in the supersectionals that season and lost 1-0 to eventual state champion Granite City in the semifinals.
In addition that season, Conant sent off Schaumburg in a sectional final, and Palatine knocked off Buffalo Grove in a regional final. Both Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows fell just short in regional championship affairs.
Fremd’s longtime manager Steve Keller coached his Vikings to a second place finish two years earlier. Hinsdale Central took the title.
"It was an exceptional group of seniors that led us to our remarkable finish,” said Keller. “But in 2011, it was (Elise) Kotsakis and (Alexis) Tice who proved to be the key components to that team."
Kotsakis and Tice, great friends since the second grade, were among the best around at their respective positions.
"Tice was as hard a worker that you'll find,” Keller said. “She was a tough, feisty, relentless, box-to-box player who won everything in the air and in tackling. It was her grit and intensity that made her a great no. 6 for us.
"Elise was our striker, who just found ways to put the ball into the back of the net. But she also had a knack for creating opportunities and putting pressure on the opponent with her tireless work rate. That made it difficult for the other team to play out of the back."
After the Vikings beat Libertyville 2-0 in its regional final, the Wildcats then manager Scott Schinto had this to say about the Kotsakis-Tice duo:
"We had nobody to answer what no. 10 (Kotsakis) did in our end, and nobody to match the work rate of no. 18 (Tice). That's why we lost."
Kotsakis bagged two goals in the game to give her 31 at the time.
Four days later against longtime league and crosstown rival Palatine, Kotsakis added two more, with Tice helping on her second, in a 3-1 victory.
"Elise is a player every team wants, while Alexis is the one who takes control in the midfield for them," said Palatine's Willie Filian, the dean of managers in the MSL.
That Friday, Lake Forest manager Ty Stuckslager watched his club fall in the sectional final 3-1 thanks in part to Kotsakis (2 goals) and Tice.
"We had nothing out there to slow or stop no. 10 (Kotsakis), and the work rate, energy and physical play no. 18 (brought) today was something we never really matched at all," Stuckslager said.
Tice was deployed just in front of the marvelous backline of Jennifer Freeman and Kristin Abruscato, both seniors, who were alongside junior Emily Basten, who went on to play at Keller's alma mater Indiana University, where she was recently named an assistant head coach.
Another junior, Shannon Norris, older sister to current Vikings keeper Jenny Norris, was a shining star between the sticks for the club.
"The thing I remember most about that 2011 team was how close of a group we were, how great of a finish it was for us, even with us losing our state semifinal game with Granity City," began Kotsakis, who was in Keller’s first 11 as a freshmen, and scored (10) for the 2009 state runnerup club.
"(Keller) was tough and demanded a lot from all of us, but he could also keep things light, joke around when we needed it. He really helped prepare me for going on to play at the collegiate level."
From the moment Kotsakis laced up her boots at Butler University, the 2011 All-State forward, made an immediate statement on the program.
Kotsakis would play in all 80 games during her tenure and finished her career with 60 overall points (24 goals, 12 assists), which was good for eighth place in program history.
She was twice named to the All-Big East second team (2013-14) and led the Bulldogs in goals her freshmen year.
"The transition from playing at Fremd to Butler wasn’t difficult because of how Keller prepared me and then the coaching staff at Butler, which I absolutely loved," said Kotsakis, who graduated with a degree in actuarial science.
"When you play as much soccer as most of us do when you get to college, there's always the chance to get burned out, but that wasn't the case for me because of the Butler coaches, and the atmosphere in which they provided for all of us."
Kotsakis continued her playing career after graduation from Butler when she signed with Icelandic professional team Afturelding.
"They were in the top women’s league in Iceland, which takes its soccer very seriously. The eight months that I spent there was a terrific experience and one that I enjoyed while learning a new culture and language."
Kotsakis, who was recently married last November in Colorado, works for Willis Towers Watson, a risk management company.
"It's funny to look back and remember (when) Alexis moved to Palatine, and was placed into my second-grade class. After the second day of school, I asked if she wanted to have a sleepover," recounted Kotsakis.
"We've been close friends ever since, and I just love her so much."
"We used to hang out all of the time. We did everything together. We proved to be inseparable," said Tice. She resides in Orange County, California, where she works for Whisker Cloud as a digital marketing specialist.
"I've always teased Elise about how quiet she was during interviews after our games, didn't like to talk about herself. If we interviewed together, I was the one who had to carry the interview," said Tice with a laugh.
Like her friend, Tice went on to have a sparkling collegiate career at the Toledo. She played all four years and starting in over 65 percent of the games. She was named All-MAC second team twice, as well as All-Academic.
"I was injured right at the end of my freshmen year, which caused me to miss a lot of games the next season, but I came back healthy and started all or most of my junior and senior years," said Tice.
"(Toledo) was a great fit for me. I enjoyed playing college soccer and a lot of that was possible because of Keller.
"He was tough on me sometimes, I remember him looking me straight in the eye during (halftime) and he said: 'Tice, you (stink) out there right now.'
"Looking back, he was probably right about that. But he was the guy who helped give me direction in my life, taught me so much about the game and away from the game.
"He was just a fun person to be around, especially in driver ed class, or when he asked our team bus driver to take us to Portillo's ... after a game to celebrate a win.
"Obviously, I miss a lot of girls from that team because we were so close, but I really miss Keller, Mr. Pagnani, Bill Buelow (assistant) and the great run we had to finish off that 2011 year to get to state."
Tice worked as a groundskeeper at the Toledo Zoo to earn some money, then later at Disneyland (California) for half of a year in the Disney College Program.
"We made very little money, but it was a fun experience, nonetheless," says Tice, who joined the staff at Whisker Cloud in January of 2019.
"I've been working at home even before COVID-19 hit, so even though it's a super weird time for all of us, I've still been very busy with my work.”
The Fremd memories never wane.
"That 2011 team enjoyed a real special bond,” Tice said. “Most of us stay in touch via social media and a lot of us were at Elise's wedding back in November."
Keller hasn’t forgotten his old players.
"Elise and Alexis were a joy to coach,” he said. “They were fantastic young women, great friends to this day and on a team that featured a great group of girls, who accomplished a tremendous feat.
"We ran into a very tough Granite City team in our state semifinal but after the game the girls rushed to get to prom.
"Many of them had their hair and make-up done in advance, it was a long weekend, with two hard-fought games, in addition to prom adding to the stress level for sure.
"None of us would trade it for anything. To this day, I am still very proud of each and every one of them, and how they put things in perspective, while handling some adversity with poise and class."
Click here to see the 2011 Fremd team page!
2011 Fremd finish fondly
By Mike Garofola
The springs of the 2010s proved to be truly memorable for Mid-Suburban League (MSL) soccer.
During this time, the league collected eight state trophies, two of which were Class 3A state championship trophies for Barrington, which also earned third place finishes in 2013 and 2015.
Fremd finished fourth in 2011 with a fourth place finish behind Conant. That was the third overall and most recent state trophy for the Vikings, who defeated Barrington 2-1 in the supersectionals that season and lost 1-0 to eventual state champion Granite City in the semifinals.
In addition that season, Conant sent off Schaumburg in a sectional final, and Palatine knocked off Buffalo Grove in a regional final. Both Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows fell just short in regional championship affairs.
Fremd’s longtime manager Steve Keller coached his Vikings to a second place finish two years earlier. Hinsdale Central took the title.
"It was an exceptional group of seniors that led us to our remarkable finish,” said Keller. “But in 2011, it was (Elise) Kotsakis and (Alexis) Tice who proved to be the key components to that team."
Kotsakis and Tice, great friends since the second grade, were among the best around at their respective positions.
"Tice was as hard a worker that you'll find,” Keller said. “She was a tough, feisty, relentless, box-to-box player who won everything in the air and in tackling. It was her grit and intensity that made her a great no. 6 for us.
"Elise was our striker, who just found ways to put the ball into the back of the net. But she also had a knack for creating opportunities and putting pressure on the opponent with her tireless work rate. That made it difficult for the other team to play out of the back."
After the Vikings beat Libertyville 2-0 in its regional final, the Wildcats then manager Scott Schinto had this to say about the Kotsakis-Tice duo:
"We had nobody to answer what no. 10 (Kotsakis) did in our end, and nobody to match the work rate of no. 18 (Tice). That's why we lost."
Kotsakis bagged two goals in the game to give her 31 at the time.
Four days later against longtime league and crosstown rival Palatine, Kotsakis added two more, with Tice helping on her second, in a 3-1 victory.
"Elise is a player every team wants, while Alexis is the one who takes control in the midfield for them," said Palatine's Willie Filian, the dean of managers in the MSL.
That Friday, Lake Forest manager Ty Stuckslager watched his club fall in the sectional final 3-1 thanks in part to Kotsakis (2 goals) and Tice.
"We had nothing out there to slow or stop no. 10 (Kotsakis), and the work rate, energy and physical play no. 18 (brought) today was something we never really matched at all," Stuckslager said.
Tice was deployed just in front of the marvelous backline of Jennifer Freeman and Kristin Abruscato, both seniors, who were alongside junior Emily Basten, who went on to play at Keller's alma mater Indiana University, where she was recently named an assistant head coach.
Another junior, Shannon Norris, older sister to current Vikings keeper Jenny Norris, was a shining star between the sticks for the club.
"The thing I remember most about that 2011 team was how close of a group we were, how great of a finish it was for us, even with us losing our state semifinal game with Granity City," began Kotsakis, who was in Keller’s first 11 as a freshmen, and scored (10) for the 2009 state runnerup club.
"(Keller) was tough and demanded a lot from all of us, but he could also keep things light, joke around when we needed it. He really helped prepare me for going on to play at the collegiate level."
From the moment Kotsakis laced up her boots at Butler University, the 2011 All-State forward, made an immediate statement on the program.
Kotsakis would play in all 80 games during her tenure and finished her career with 60 overall points (24 goals, 12 assists), which was good for eighth place in program history.
She was twice named to the All-Big East second team (2013-14) and led the Bulldogs in goals her freshmen year.
"The transition from playing at Fremd to Butler wasn’t difficult because of how Keller prepared me and then the coaching staff at Butler, which I absolutely loved," said Kotsakis, who graduated with a degree in actuarial science.
"When you play as much soccer as most of us do when you get to college, there's always the chance to get burned out, but that wasn't the case for me because of the Butler coaches, and the atmosphere in which they provided for all of us."
Kotsakis continued her playing career after graduation from Butler when she signed with Icelandic professional team Afturelding.
"They were in the top women’s league in Iceland, which takes its soccer very seriously. The eight months that I spent there was a terrific experience and one that I enjoyed while learning a new culture and language."
Kotsakis, who was recently married last November in Colorado, works for Willis Towers Watson, a risk management company.
"It's funny to look back and remember (when) Alexis moved to Palatine, and was placed into my second-grade class. After the second day of school, I asked if she wanted to have a sleepover," recounted Kotsakis.
"We've been close friends ever since, and I just love her so much."
"We used to hang out all of the time. We did everything together. We proved to be inseparable," said Tice. She resides in Orange County, California, where she works for Whisker Cloud as a digital marketing specialist.
"I've always teased Elise about how quiet she was during interviews after our games, didn't like to talk about herself. If we interviewed together, I was the one who had to carry the interview," said Tice with a laugh.
Like her friend, Tice went on to have a sparkling collegiate career at the Toledo. She played all four years and starting in over 65 percent of the games. She was named All-MAC second team twice, as well as All-Academic.
"I was injured right at the end of my freshmen year, which caused me to miss a lot of games the next season, but I came back healthy and started all or most of my junior and senior years," said Tice.
"(Toledo) was a great fit for me. I enjoyed playing college soccer and a lot of that was possible because of Keller.
"He was tough on me sometimes, I remember him looking me straight in the eye during (halftime) and he said: 'Tice, you (stink) out there right now.'
"Looking back, he was probably right about that. But he was the guy who helped give me direction in my life, taught me so much about the game and away from the game.
"He was just a fun person to be around, especially in driver ed class, or when he asked our team bus driver to take us to Portillo's ... after a game to celebrate a win.
"Obviously, I miss a lot of girls from that team because we were so close, but I really miss Keller, Mr. Pagnani, Bill Buelow (assistant) and the great run we had to finish off that 2011 year to get to state."
Tice worked as a groundskeeper at the Toledo Zoo to earn some money, then later at Disneyland (California) for half of a year in the Disney College Program.
"We made very little money, but it was a fun experience, nonetheless," says Tice, who joined the staff at Whisker Cloud in January of 2019.
"I've been working at home even before COVID-19 hit, so even though it's a super weird time for all of us, I've still been very busy with my work.”
The Fremd memories never wane.
"That 2011 team enjoyed a real special bond,” Tice said. “Most of us stay in touch via social media and a lot of us were at Elise's wedding back in November."
Keller hasn’t forgotten his old players.
"Elise and Alexis were a joy to coach,” he said. “They were fantastic young women, great friends to this day and on a team that featured a great group of girls, who accomplished a tremendous feat.
"We ran into a very tough Granite City team in our state semifinal but after the game the girls rushed to get to prom.
"Many of them had their hair and make-up done in advance, it was a long weekend, with two hard-fought games, in addition to prom adding to the stress level for sure.
"None of us would trade it for anything. To this day, I am still very proud of each and every one of them, and how they put things in perspective, while handling some adversity with poise and class."
Click here to see the 2011 Fremd team page!