Big things ahead for
Grayslake Central's Mussay
By Matt Misiek
Consistency is the goal of any soccer program.
When it comes to the Grayslake Central over the past four years, Madeline Mussay was the model of consistency in a program of constant change over those campaigns.
“Madeline is easily the most valuable player on the team,” said co-captain and senior Hannah Kolb. “You give her the ball and you already know she’s going to score. She is always looking to get the ball and is always looking to goal.”
Playing for three different coaches over her first three seasons in the program, Mussay, a member of the 2019 Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List, tallied 44 goals and 21 assists, including 19 goals and 14 assists over 18 games in 2019.
Even before gearing up for her final Rams soccer campaign, which was cancelled due to the virus that causes COVID-19, Mussay played a key role on the Rams’ girls basketball team’s run to the IHSA Class 3A supersectionals earlier in the year.
In the two weeks of training that took place in 2020, Mussay still made a huge impression on first-year Rams coach Keith Andersson.
“We were in practice, and she was coming at me on a breakaway,” Andersson explained. “I am not a small guy, but the sheer look on Madeline’s face made me cringe. I felt I was getting ready to be run over by a locomotive! Luckily, she pulled back and placed the shot into the corner.”
Andersson, like many in the state, were extremely disappointed about not having a 2020 season, especially not being able to see what Mussay could have achieved.
“I feel this season would have been one they would have remembered for the rest of their lives, especially Madeline,” he said. “In my opinion, I fell she would have been selected All-State, and she would have crushed the single-season scoring record. She is an impressive athlete but an even more impressive young woman, and I am lucky to have had the chance to be a part of her life.”
Before discussing her next phase of her soccer and academic career at the University of St. Thomas, Mussay gave her fondest memories of her four years at Grayslake Central.
“The girls' varsity soccer team participated in Ram Jam which is a lip-sync dance competition during Gold Week,” Mussay shared. “Gold Week is a week designated to raise awareness and donation for childhood cancer. We spent a week practicing by goofing off and making up our dance. As a team, we took 3rd which surprised me! I loved practicing with them and having fun!
“My second favorite memory was when I was a part of the girls' basketball team, and we won the sectional championship in 2020. “A lot of the town and students came out even though it was far away. After we won, they rushed the court and celebrated with us. We jumped up and down and took photos, then I celebrated more with the team on the bus ride home.”
Just as important, Mussay also shared the emotions she felt from the start of 2020 training to the notification of the spring season cancellation.
“There was a lot of excitement at the beginning of the season with a new coach, and we were also getting new uniforms which I was very happy about,” she said. “There were a lot of new players on the team that I had never played with before. I was nervous for the beginning, because I did not know what to expect. The team clicked and connected
more each week, and I was happy to be able to get to know the girls better.
“The day that the school decided to take a three-week break, I was upset because that was the day we were going to wear our uniforms for the first time and scrimmage,” Mussay continued. “I still had a lot of hope to be able to play my last high school season. It wasn’t until the school was closed (and replaced by e-learning) for the rest of the year that I was devastated, because I knew it was a season that would only be remembered by the mere fact that it didn’t happen.”
The University of St. Thomas is located in St. Paul, Minn. Currently a Division III school that plays in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the school has big future plans that may occur soon, per Tommies head coach Sheila McGill.
“The University of St. Thomas is on the agenda for the June, NCAA meeting, regarding the decision to transition to Division 1,” noted McGill, whose team made it to the national quarterfinals and finished ranked 10th in final season poll. “We are hopeful that the NCAA will give approval and that the University of St. Thomas will join DI and the Summit League in the Fall of 2021.”
McGill also issued a statement to Chicagoland Soccer on Mussay joining the Tommies.
“We are excited to add Madeline Mussay to the University of St. Thomas women’s soccer family. We look to use Madeline as an attacking central midfielder for the upcoming season. She is strong, fast, physical, has great vision on the field and a strong attacking shot. Her personality will fit in with our great team chemistry quickly, and she will be joining a strong 2020 incoming class. We look forward to Madeline’s future at St. Thomas and in our transition to DI.”
Mussay shared how continuing her career in the north became the perfect fit after attending an ID camp last summer.
“St. Thomas was always in the back of my mind as one of my favorite schools, because it is liberal arts, and I liked the size of the school (approximately 10,000 per Wikipedia),“ Mussay added. “When I visited for the second time, I could picture myself going there and being a part of the community. That is when I knew it was the right fit.
“The campus impressed me as well as the involvement of the students in the activities of the school. I liked how respected the soccer program was and how there was a strong emphasis on the team chemistry and being close with the girls on the team.”
Mussay also described the relationship that has already started with coach McGill.
“Coach McGill came to see me at a showcase last July ... and was very friendly and easy to communicate with,” she said.
Andersson further reiterated that the sky is the limit for Mussay in regards to the continuation of her career.
“Madeline is a coach's dream. Her work ethic is second to none and her competitiveness is something you can't teach,” he explained. “I have been fortunate to see Madeline play last year and a few weeks this year. Just in that short time, I can tell she possesses what it takes to play at a higher level. Her speed, technical ability and ability to finish are three key elements that will make her successful when she heads to college. Madeline will only get better in the coming years, and she will be a dominate player at St. Thomas.”
When asked about if her professional sports fan affiliation will change with spending more time in Minnesota, Mussay wasted no time in rejecting that sentiment.
“I could never see myself rooting for a non-Chicago team, especially not for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Cubs,” she explained. “My family are big hockey and baseball fans. I have way too much Chicago apparel to ever stop rooting for the Chicago sports teams.”
Mussay had some final words for her Rams teammates, both her teammates from the recently graduated class of 2020 and her teammates that will continue at Grayslake Central next Spring.
“To my teammates from the Class of 2020, you have experienced the months you were most looking forward to being taken away, but from the experience you will now be forever grateful for the moments that you do have now.
“To my teammates that will carry on at Grayslake Central, enjoy next season and cherish the moments that you have with your friends and teammates. For the incoming seniors, your final year of high school is filled with many lasts but will be filled with memories of what high school is all about.”
Grayslake Central's Mussay
By Matt Misiek
Consistency is the goal of any soccer program.
When it comes to the Grayslake Central over the past four years, Madeline Mussay was the model of consistency in a program of constant change over those campaigns.
“Madeline is easily the most valuable player on the team,” said co-captain and senior Hannah Kolb. “You give her the ball and you already know she’s going to score. She is always looking to get the ball and is always looking to goal.”
Playing for three different coaches over her first three seasons in the program, Mussay, a member of the 2019 Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List, tallied 44 goals and 21 assists, including 19 goals and 14 assists over 18 games in 2019.
Even before gearing up for her final Rams soccer campaign, which was cancelled due to the virus that causes COVID-19, Mussay played a key role on the Rams’ girls basketball team’s run to the IHSA Class 3A supersectionals earlier in the year.
In the two weeks of training that took place in 2020, Mussay still made a huge impression on first-year Rams coach Keith Andersson.
“We were in practice, and she was coming at me on a breakaway,” Andersson explained. “I am not a small guy, but the sheer look on Madeline’s face made me cringe. I felt I was getting ready to be run over by a locomotive! Luckily, she pulled back and placed the shot into the corner.”
Andersson, like many in the state, were extremely disappointed about not having a 2020 season, especially not being able to see what Mussay could have achieved.
“I feel this season would have been one they would have remembered for the rest of their lives, especially Madeline,” he said. “In my opinion, I fell she would have been selected All-State, and she would have crushed the single-season scoring record. She is an impressive athlete but an even more impressive young woman, and I am lucky to have had the chance to be a part of her life.”
Before discussing her next phase of her soccer and academic career at the University of St. Thomas, Mussay gave her fondest memories of her four years at Grayslake Central.
“The girls' varsity soccer team participated in Ram Jam which is a lip-sync dance competition during Gold Week,” Mussay shared. “Gold Week is a week designated to raise awareness and donation for childhood cancer. We spent a week practicing by goofing off and making up our dance. As a team, we took 3rd which surprised me! I loved practicing with them and having fun!
“My second favorite memory was when I was a part of the girls' basketball team, and we won the sectional championship in 2020. “A lot of the town and students came out even though it was far away. After we won, they rushed the court and celebrated with us. We jumped up and down and took photos, then I celebrated more with the team on the bus ride home.”
Just as important, Mussay also shared the emotions she felt from the start of 2020 training to the notification of the spring season cancellation.
“There was a lot of excitement at the beginning of the season with a new coach, and we were also getting new uniforms which I was very happy about,” she said. “There were a lot of new players on the team that I had never played with before. I was nervous for the beginning, because I did not know what to expect. The team clicked and connected
more each week, and I was happy to be able to get to know the girls better.
“The day that the school decided to take a three-week break, I was upset because that was the day we were going to wear our uniforms for the first time and scrimmage,” Mussay continued. “I still had a lot of hope to be able to play my last high school season. It wasn’t until the school was closed (and replaced by e-learning) for the rest of the year that I was devastated, because I knew it was a season that would only be remembered by the mere fact that it didn’t happen.”
The University of St. Thomas is located in St. Paul, Minn. Currently a Division III school that plays in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the school has big future plans that may occur soon, per Tommies head coach Sheila McGill.
“The University of St. Thomas is on the agenda for the June, NCAA meeting, regarding the decision to transition to Division 1,” noted McGill, whose team made it to the national quarterfinals and finished ranked 10th in final season poll. “We are hopeful that the NCAA will give approval and that the University of St. Thomas will join DI and the Summit League in the Fall of 2021.”
McGill also issued a statement to Chicagoland Soccer on Mussay joining the Tommies.
“We are excited to add Madeline Mussay to the University of St. Thomas women’s soccer family. We look to use Madeline as an attacking central midfielder for the upcoming season. She is strong, fast, physical, has great vision on the field and a strong attacking shot. Her personality will fit in with our great team chemistry quickly, and she will be joining a strong 2020 incoming class. We look forward to Madeline’s future at St. Thomas and in our transition to DI.”
Mussay shared how continuing her career in the north became the perfect fit after attending an ID camp last summer.
“St. Thomas was always in the back of my mind as one of my favorite schools, because it is liberal arts, and I liked the size of the school (approximately 10,000 per Wikipedia),“ Mussay added. “When I visited for the second time, I could picture myself going there and being a part of the community. That is when I knew it was the right fit.
“The campus impressed me as well as the involvement of the students in the activities of the school. I liked how respected the soccer program was and how there was a strong emphasis on the team chemistry and being close with the girls on the team.”
Mussay also described the relationship that has already started with coach McGill.
“Coach McGill came to see me at a showcase last July ... and was very friendly and easy to communicate with,” she said.
Andersson further reiterated that the sky is the limit for Mussay in regards to the continuation of her career.
“Madeline is a coach's dream. Her work ethic is second to none and her competitiveness is something you can't teach,” he explained. “I have been fortunate to see Madeline play last year and a few weeks this year. Just in that short time, I can tell she possesses what it takes to play at a higher level. Her speed, technical ability and ability to finish are three key elements that will make her successful when she heads to college. Madeline will only get better in the coming years, and she will be a dominate player at St. Thomas.”
When asked about if her professional sports fan affiliation will change with spending more time in Minnesota, Mussay wasted no time in rejecting that sentiment.
“I could never see myself rooting for a non-Chicago team, especially not for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Cubs,” she explained. “My family are big hockey and baseball fans. I have way too much Chicago apparel to ever stop rooting for the Chicago sports teams.”
Mussay had some final words for her Rams teammates, both her teammates from the recently graduated class of 2020 and her teammates that will continue at Grayslake Central next Spring.
“To my teammates from the Class of 2020, you have experienced the months you were most looking forward to being taken away, but from the experience you will now be forever grateful for the moments that you do have now.
“To my teammates that will carry on at Grayslake Central, enjoy next season and cherish the moments that you have with your friends and teammates. For the incoming seniors, your final year of high school is filled with many lasts but will be filled with memories of what high school is all about.”