Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year
Jordan Lange, jr., MF, Metea Valley
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Wind, rain and unusually cool conditions colored the game backdrop at the Lyons Soccer Complex on May 1.
The field was choppy and hard at a bracket final of the BodyArmor tourney. Playing against Maine South, Jordan Lange took a nasty cleat to her knee. The injury was profound and unsettling.
Before the pain forced her to the bench for the second half, she soldiered on. Her work included a touch late in the first period that created a halftime lead. Forward Lucy Burk took the pass and assisted the first of three goals by forward Tyra King in the Mustangs’ eventual 4-2 victory over Maine South.
The moment crystallized much of Lange’s game — toughness, sacrifice and the willingness to do whatever necessary to put her team over the top.
She is blessed with ineffable qualities like talent, drive and disposition that seem to make things bend in her favor on a soccer field.
Coaches, teammates and rivals all saw it.
“Jordan Lange was the engine that made Metea Valley go,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said.
“Her ability to create opportunities for herself, and her teammates, was a huge reason why they had a historic season.”
Arguably, Lange scored the most important tally in program history when her 71st-minute goal beat Goletz’s Huskies 1-0 in the Class 3A Naperville Central Sectional championship game May 27.
The winner of the game figured to be on the fast track to the state title.
A week later, Lange helped punctuate an unprecedented title run as the Mustangs (22-2-1) captured their first state championship with a victory over Barrington in penalty kicks.
Lange converted the first shot during the shootout — a harbinger of things to come. Fortune favors the bold goes the classic saying.
So does having Lange have your back.
She was the Mustangs’ catalyst whose creativity, shot-making and vision powered the attack. She finished the season with 17 goals, eight assists and a Class 3A championship medal.
Her unselfish style, playmaking and grace under pressure made Jordan Lange the choice for the Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year.
She is the second underclassman to capture the honor. New Trier’s Emma Weaver took the prize as a junior in 2019.
Others considered for Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year were: Triad senior forward Gina Catanzaro; Benet senior forward Mariana Pinto; Lincoln-Way Central senior defender Grace Grundhofer; Deerfield senior midfielder Holly Deutsch; Barrington junior midfielder Brooke Brown; Lyons senior keeper Izzy Lee; Maine South senior forward Molly Pistorius; O’Fallon senior forward Avery Christopher; Lane senior forward Scout Murray; Dundee-Crown senior midfielder Berkley Mensik; Neuqua Valley senior midfielder Brooke Miller; St. Charles East junior forward Grace Williams; and St. Charles North junior midfielder Bella Najera.
“Jordan deserves all the credit in the world,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “She is a creative and confident player. She has scored so many big goals for the team.
“More importantly she gives the team confidence, and she makes others around her better.”
The girls soccer team at Metea Valley provided the ideal bookend to the girls volleyball team that captured the Class 4A state championship last November at Illinois State.
Until this athletic school year, Metea Valley had never won a state championship in any sport.
Lange made the trek to Bloomington/Normal to support her volleyball friends at the state championship. Little did she know she was stepping into a time machine that would project her future.
“Seeing them win state was such a motivator,” Lange said.
“In order to do something, you have to dream about it. You see other people doing it at your school, and you think that is such a cool and amazing thing.”
It made her ponder a basic question about the girls soccer team.
“Could we do that?”
After her freshman season was negated by the pandemic, Lange had an impressive sophomore year that was punctuated by 10 goals, a team-best 13 assists and Chicagoland Soccer all-state honors.
Her team-first mentality has always endeared her to teammates and made her an invaluable performer for the Mustangs.
“I think everyone knows she is an incredible player with unique talents, but only her coaches, teammates and family know how truly humble she is,” midfielder Riley Strcic said.
“Jord always puts others first and wants to be her best for the benefit of the team. I know every single teammate roots for her because of how good of a person she is.”
Her growth has also long been rooted in patience and self-realization.
“Jordan is one of the best players I've ever played with,” defender Kaylee Bannack said. “Playing with her for over 10 years now, for and outside of high school, has been so fun.
“She is so hardworking and talented, and I couldn't ask for a better teammate. Yes, she's fast and has amazing foot skills and can get through anyone, but she has so much grit and passion for soccer; and she is one of the most humble people I know.
“She never backs down from a challenge, and that makes her so great. She definitely deserves the Player of the Year, and I am so proud of her.”
Lange was at her best in the games that truly mattered. She scored seven goals and had four assists as Metea Valley won its first DuPage Valley Conference championship.
Growing up, she played in the shadow of her older sister, Halle, who earned a varsity letter in her freshman season last spring at Illinois Wesleyan
The kid sister started to strut her stuff playing for club program Team Chicago
“I really loved it. Right when I started playing club, I saw this was something I could be really good at,” she said. “I think the more and more I played, the more I fell in love with the game.”
Lange is now pondering what her college academic and athletic life will look like. In addition to playing club ball this summer, she is setting up college visits.
“I’m still not sure what I want to do in my future,” Lange said. “I’m going to take the summer to look at schools and figure out what I want to do.”
With Lange, King, Burk, Strcic and Bannack forming a strong returning nucleus, Metea Valley soccer will remain a force in the state soccer scene.
Jordan Lange helped create the breakthrough.
“Jordan is a lot of fun to watch but not a lot of fun to game plan against,” Goletz said.
Chicagoland Soccer Players of the Year
2022: Jordan Lange, jr., MF, Metea Valley
2021: Aubrey Mister, sr., F, O'Fallon
2020: None selected; coronavirus pandemic
2019: Emma Weaver, jr., MF, New Trier
2018: Sam Schmitz, sr., GK, Barrington
2017: Sophia Spinell, sr., MF, Barrington
Jordan Lange, jr., MF, Metea Valley
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Wind, rain and unusually cool conditions colored the game backdrop at the Lyons Soccer Complex on May 1.
The field was choppy and hard at a bracket final of the BodyArmor tourney. Playing against Maine South, Jordan Lange took a nasty cleat to her knee. The injury was profound and unsettling.
Before the pain forced her to the bench for the second half, she soldiered on. Her work included a touch late in the first period that created a halftime lead. Forward Lucy Burk took the pass and assisted the first of three goals by forward Tyra King in the Mustangs’ eventual 4-2 victory over Maine South.
The moment crystallized much of Lange’s game — toughness, sacrifice and the willingness to do whatever necessary to put her team over the top.
She is blessed with ineffable qualities like talent, drive and disposition that seem to make things bend in her favor on a soccer field.
Coaches, teammates and rivals all saw it.
“Jordan Lange was the engine that made Metea Valley go,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said.
“Her ability to create opportunities for herself, and her teammates, was a huge reason why they had a historic season.”
Arguably, Lange scored the most important tally in program history when her 71st-minute goal beat Goletz’s Huskies 1-0 in the Class 3A Naperville Central Sectional championship game May 27.
The winner of the game figured to be on the fast track to the state title.
A week later, Lange helped punctuate an unprecedented title run as the Mustangs (22-2-1) captured their first state championship with a victory over Barrington in penalty kicks.
Lange converted the first shot during the shootout — a harbinger of things to come. Fortune favors the bold goes the classic saying.
So does having Lange have your back.
She was the Mustangs’ catalyst whose creativity, shot-making and vision powered the attack. She finished the season with 17 goals, eight assists and a Class 3A championship medal.
Her unselfish style, playmaking and grace under pressure made Jordan Lange the choice for the Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year.
She is the second underclassman to capture the honor. New Trier’s Emma Weaver took the prize as a junior in 2019.
Others considered for Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year were: Triad senior forward Gina Catanzaro; Benet senior forward Mariana Pinto; Lincoln-Way Central senior defender Grace Grundhofer; Deerfield senior midfielder Holly Deutsch; Barrington junior midfielder Brooke Brown; Lyons senior keeper Izzy Lee; Maine South senior forward Molly Pistorius; O’Fallon senior forward Avery Christopher; Lane senior forward Scout Murray; Dundee-Crown senior midfielder Berkley Mensik; Neuqua Valley senior midfielder Brooke Miller; St. Charles East junior forward Grace Williams; and St. Charles North junior midfielder Bella Najera.
“Jordan deserves all the credit in the world,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “She is a creative and confident player. She has scored so many big goals for the team.
“More importantly she gives the team confidence, and she makes others around her better.”
The girls soccer team at Metea Valley provided the ideal bookend to the girls volleyball team that captured the Class 4A state championship last November at Illinois State.
Until this athletic school year, Metea Valley had never won a state championship in any sport.
Lange made the trek to Bloomington/Normal to support her volleyball friends at the state championship. Little did she know she was stepping into a time machine that would project her future.
“Seeing them win state was such a motivator,” Lange said.
“In order to do something, you have to dream about it. You see other people doing it at your school, and you think that is such a cool and amazing thing.”
It made her ponder a basic question about the girls soccer team.
“Could we do that?”
After her freshman season was negated by the pandemic, Lange had an impressive sophomore year that was punctuated by 10 goals, a team-best 13 assists and Chicagoland Soccer all-state honors.
Her team-first mentality has always endeared her to teammates and made her an invaluable performer for the Mustangs.
“I think everyone knows she is an incredible player with unique talents, but only her coaches, teammates and family know how truly humble she is,” midfielder Riley Strcic said.
“Jord always puts others first and wants to be her best for the benefit of the team. I know every single teammate roots for her because of how good of a person she is.”
Her growth has also long been rooted in patience and self-realization.
“Jordan is one of the best players I've ever played with,” defender Kaylee Bannack said. “Playing with her for over 10 years now, for and outside of high school, has been so fun.
“She is so hardworking and talented, and I couldn't ask for a better teammate. Yes, she's fast and has amazing foot skills and can get through anyone, but she has so much grit and passion for soccer; and she is one of the most humble people I know.
“She never backs down from a challenge, and that makes her so great. She definitely deserves the Player of the Year, and I am so proud of her.”
Lange was at her best in the games that truly mattered. She scored seven goals and had four assists as Metea Valley won its first DuPage Valley Conference championship.
Growing up, she played in the shadow of her older sister, Halle, who earned a varsity letter in her freshman season last spring at Illinois Wesleyan
The kid sister started to strut her stuff playing for club program Team Chicago
“I really loved it. Right when I started playing club, I saw this was something I could be really good at,” she said. “I think the more and more I played, the more I fell in love with the game.”
Lange is now pondering what her college academic and athletic life will look like. In addition to playing club ball this summer, she is setting up college visits.
“I’m still not sure what I want to do in my future,” Lange said. “I’m going to take the summer to look at schools and figure out what I want to do.”
With Lange, King, Burk, Strcic and Bannack forming a strong returning nucleus, Metea Valley soccer will remain a force in the state soccer scene.
Jordan Lange helped create the breakthrough.
“Jordan is a lot of fun to watch but not a lot of fun to game plan against,” Goletz said.
Chicagoland Soccer Players of the Year
2022: Jordan Lange, jr., MF, Metea Valley
2021: Aubrey Mister, sr., F, O'Fallon
2020: None selected; coronavirus pandemic
2019: Emma Weaver, jr., MF, New Trier
2018: Sam Schmitz, sr., GK, Barrington
2017: Sophia Spinell, sr., MF, Barrington