Andrey's serious approach
suits St. Charles North program
By Gary Larsen
Before they were freshmen playing varsity soccer at St. Charles North, seniors Sarah Andrey and Sami Rydberg competed against each other as they grew up in St. Charles.
Rydberg remembers it well.
“I used to get a little scared playing against her, because she’s such a fierce competitor,” Rydberg said of Andrey. “As a forward she’s always putting pressure on you. She goes for every 50-50 ball, and she doesn’t ever stop. Her determination is one of her best attributes.”
Athletic and physically tough, the 5-foot-9 Andrey doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t try to bring a little ferocity to the field.
“That’s been a part of me since I started out,” Andrey said. “I have an aggressive edge. It’s not something I had to pick up; it’s always been a part of my game on the field, and I try to use it to my advantage.”
Aggressive. Determined. Serious. Andrey pleads guilty as charged to all three descriptors because when it comes to soccer, she’s never been anything but a prime example for the right way to approach the sport.
The summer before her freshman year, Andrey attended a four-day camp at St. Charles North, where the North Stars coaching staff ran incoming freshmen through the paces as part of an introduction to the program.
Head coach Brian Harks made it clear to the campers that they shouldn’t feel any pressure to perform or that they were being assessed in any meaningful way.
But Andrey immediately drew the attention of the coaching staff.
"It was clear that she had a knack for finding the back of the goal,” Harks said. “She turned the heads of every coach there. Every coach knew her name by the end of the camp.
“She has a very powerful leg, but she also has this great ability to create scoring chances. She puts herself in the right spots, and she can generate something out of nothing.”
Andrey wasn’t a starter her freshman year but saw quality varsity minutes that year. She netted six goals to go with four assists in her introductory season to high school soccer.
She became a starter her sophomore year and for both of her first two varsity seasons, she played alongside fellow forward Gia Wahlberg, who now plays for Michigan State.
Andrey was a sponge in absorbing what Wahlberg had to show her, particularly when it came to bringing the right work ethic to every practice and every game.
A serious approach to the sport was a natural fit for Andrey, who has never been one to joke around too much in practice.
“I’m there to play soccer, I’m not there to mess around,” Andrey said. “I’m more quiet and reserved, focusing on my work and trying to get better.
“I try to be more of an example. I’m still vocal, and I’ll give people advice but I lead by being the best example I can be for the underclassmen. I’ll give a hundred percent and do everything to the best of my ability, so they can watch and see how things should be done.”
Rydberg confirmed that Andrey has shown the way for the program’s young players.
“People looked to her to see what the right thing to do is,” Rydberg said, “because she’s usually doing it.”
Andrey had five goals and two assists her sophomore year, but was on the cusp of tripling that goal output. She earned an off-the-charts 11 penalty kicks for the team that season, beating defenders and being taken down from behind with regularity.
She wasn’t asked to take penalty kicks as a sophomore but earning them was an invaluable part of the North Stars’ success that season.
Before her junior season began, with Wahlberg gone to college, it was Andrey’s time to shine.
And her coach let her know as much.
“We had a conversation early in the season, and I told her now is the time to take over a game and when the situation demands it, to make the play,” Harks said. With the weight of scoring responsibility fixed firmly on her shoulders, Andrey embraced the challenge.
She had 14 goals and 8 assists for a team that went 19-2-1 and won a Class 3A sectional title.
The powerful leg and the ability to create something out of nothing rose the forefront in Andrey’s junior season. Her scoring ability was built on years of hard work.
“When I was younger I really focused on getting my shot off, and on the accuracy and power of my shot. Power and accuracy are the two things I focused on most,” Andrey said. “I always loved doing those drills — the dribble, doing a move, and then shooting, following through — and I just always practiced until I got good at it.”
One of Andrey’s favorite goals last year came in a 4-1 win over perennial state power New Trier, which had beaten the North Stars 1-0 in a supersectional game in 2017.
Andrey also had two goals in the North Stars’ 3-1 win over rival St. Charles East in a sectional title game.
“She was one of our go-to players last year. That was the role she played,” Harks said. “And she was very comfortable with pressure and with taking over that spot. It’s obviously unfortunate that her senior season has been taken away (by COVID-19), because I have no doubt she could have doubled her offensive numbers from last season.
As it is, Andrey departs St. Charles North with 25 goals and 11 assist for teams that went 59-4-6 in her three varsity seasons. Harks had Division I college programs inquiring about Andrey last year, and he has no doubt that she could play at that level if she was so inclined.
She’s not. Andrey has a 4.6 GPA at St. Charles North, and she wants more of a balance between soccer and academics next year in college. She’ll play at North Central College in Naperville in the fall.
“I really want to focus on school and having a life outside of soccer,” Andrey. “I decided that I didn’t want to play Division I soccer. I found North Central, and I’m so excited to go there.
“It’s close to home, I love the location in Naperville, and I love the campus. They have great facilities, the coach was really interested and when I had my visit all the girls were super-welcoming.”
On her way out the door at St. Charles North, Andrey appreciates the lessons she’s learned playing for the North Stars.
“I love the program coach Harks has had here,” Andrey said. “I learned a lot, and one of the things he’s always said is that you can’t control what your opponent is doing, you can only control the things you can do and how you play the game.
“It was never about the opponent we were playing. It was always only about playing North Stars soccer.”
suits St. Charles North program
By Gary Larsen
Before they were freshmen playing varsity soccer at St. Charles North, seniors Sarah Andrey and Sami Rydberg competed against each other as they grew up in St. Charles.
Rydberg remembers it well.
“I used to get a little scared playing against her, because she’s such a fierce competitor,” Rydberg said of Andrey. “As a forward she’s always putting pressure on you. She goes for every 50-50 ball, and she doesn’t ever stop. Her determination is one of her best attributes.”
Athletic and physically tough, the 5-foot-9 Andrey doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t try to bring a little ferocity to the field.
“That’s been a part of me since I started out,” Andrey said. “I have an aggressive edge. It’s not something I had to pick up; it’s always been a part of my game on the field, and I try to use it to my advantage.”
Aggressive. Determined. Serious. Andrey pleads guilty as charged to all three descriptors because when it comes to soccer, she’s never been anything but a prime example for the right way to approach the sport.
The summer before her freshman year, Andrey attended a four-day camp at St. Charles North, where the North Stars coaching staff ran incoming freshmen through the paces as part of an introduction to the program.
Head coach Brian Harks made it clear to the campers that they shouldn’t feel any pressure to perform or that they were being assessed in any meaningful way.
But Andrey immediately drew the attention of the coaching staff.
"It was clear that she had a knack for finding the back of the goal,” Harks said. “She turned the heads of every coach there. Every coach knew her name by the end of the camp.
“She has a very powerful leg, but she also has this great ability to create scoring chances. She puts herself in the right spots, and she can generate something out of nothing.”
Andrey wasn’t a starter her freshman year but saw quality varsity minutes that year. She netted six goals to go with four assists in her introductory season to high school soccer.
She became a starter her sophomore year and for both of her first two varsity seasons, she played alongside fellow forward Gia Wahlberg, who now plays for Michigan State.
Andrey was a sponge in absorbing what Wahlberg had to show her, particularly when it came to bringing the right work ethic to every practice and every game.
A serious approach to the sport was a natural fit for Andrey, who has never been one to joke around too much in practice.
“I’m there to play soccer, I’m not there to mess around,” Andrey said. “I’m more quiet and reserved, focusing on my work and trying to get better.
“I try to be more of an example. I’m still vocal, and I’ll give people advice but I lead by being the best example I can be for the underclassmen. I’ll give a hundred percent and do everything to the best of my ability, so they can watch and see how things should be done.”
Rydberg confirmed that Andrey has shown the way for the program’s young players.
“People looked to her to see what the right thing to do is,” Rydberg said, “because she’s usually doing it.”
Andrey had five goals and two assists her sophomore year, but was on the cusp of tripling that goal output. She earned an off-the-charts 11 penalty kicks for the team that season, beating defenders and being taken down from behind with regularity.
She wasn’t asked to take penalty kicks as a sophomore but earning them was an invaluable part of the North Stars’ success that season.
Before her junior season began, with Wahlberg gone to college, it was Andrey’s time to shine.
And her coach let her know as much.
“We had a conversation early in the season, and I told her now is the time to take over a game and when the situation demands it, to make the play,” Harks said. With the weight of scoring responsibility fixed firmly on her shoulders, Andrey embraced the challenge.
She had 14 goals and 8 assists for a team that went 19-2-1 and won a Class 3A sectional title.
The powerful leg and the ability to create something out of nothing rose the forefront in Andrey’s junior season. Her scoring ability was built on years of hard work.
“When I was younger I really focused on getting my shot off, and on the accuracy and power of my shot. Power and accuracy are the two things I focused on most,” Andrey said. “I always loved doing those drills — the dribble, doing a move, and then shooting, following through — and I just always practiced until I got good at it.”
One of Andrey’s favorite goals last year came in a 4-1 win over perennial state power New Trier, which had beaten the North Stars 1-0 in a supersectional game in 2017.
Andrey also had two goals in the North Stars’ 3-1 win over rival St. Charles East in a sectional title game.
“She was one of our go-to players last year. That was the role she played,” Harks said. “And she was very comfortable with pressure and with taking over that spot. It’s obviously unfortunate that her senior season has been taken away (by COVID-19), because I have no doubt she could have doubled her offensive numbers from last season.
As it is, Andrey departs St. Charles North with 25 goals and 11 assist for teams that went 59-4-6 in her three varsity seasons. Harks had Division I college programs inquiring about Andrey last year, and he has no doubt that she could play at that level if she was so inclined.
She’s not. Andrey has a 4.6 GPA at St. Charles North, and she wants more of a balance between soccer and academics next year in college. She’ll play at North Central College in Naperville in the fall.
“I really want to focus on school and having a life outside of soccer,” Andrey. “I decided that I didn’t want to play Division I soccer. I found North Central, and I’m so excited to go there.
“It’s close to home, I love the location in Naperville, and I love the campus. They have great facilities, the coach was really interested and when I had my visit all the girls were super-welcoming.”
On her way out the door at St. Charles North, Andrey appreciates the lessons she’s learned playing for the North Stars.
“I love the program coach Harks has had here,” Andrey said. “I learned a lot, and one of the things he’s always said is that you can’t control what your opponent is doing, you can only control the things you can do and how you play the game.
“It was never about the opponent we were playing. It was always only about playing North Stars soccer.”