BIG RED . FEMALE
FRESHMAN of the YEAR ANNABELLE HEISEL
SOCCER
CARINA MARX/BIG RED
BY CARINA MARX It’s Dec. 2, and the varsity girls’ soccer team is playing their first game of the season against Newbury Park. At halftime, no one has scored a goal yet. They needed someone who could pull them out of their slow start and put them on the path to success for that year. The second half started, and Annabelle Heisel ’19 took the field nervously. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous to do anything in my life,” Heisel said. “I had butterflies from the moment I woke up that morning till the second the game started, then they completely disappeared.” Once she got comfortable with the atmosphere, she dominated. She flew past defenders, using her ultra-refined footwork to shoot the ball. The first goal of the 2015-2016 season was scored by a freshman. Heisel was an integral part of
the hugely successful varsity girls’ soccer team this past season, helping carry them to the CIF playoffs with her impressive offensive skill. “I didn’t expect to play much my freshman year, so everything came as a surprise,” Heisel said. “It was exciting to be an important part of the offense, feeding players and attacking when there was an opening. Everyone out there worked really hard, and I was proud to be apart of it.” The team had a league record of 7-0-1 and an overall record of 16-4-3. They were ranked 46 in the nation and 18 in the state. Much of this was thanks to Heisel, who was the second leading scorer on the team with 8 goals and 11 assists all season. “[Heisel] did a great job for us on offense this year,” Head Coach Richard Simms said. “She was a consistent threat and scored a lot of key goals. As a freshman, we were
still able to count on her to contribute every game.” One of Simms’ favorite memories of Heisel was a free kick in the first half against Chaminade Feb. 3. The ball sailed into the top right corner. They won 4-2. Heisel started playing soccer young, entering AYSO Region 69 at age five and playing for AYSO AllStars until she was nine. She moved on to Breakers until she was twelve, and she now plays for Real So Cal in the Elite Club National League. This is the highest level a girl can be in for club youth soccer. Her extended time on club soccer teams has helped enhance her dexterity with the ball, making her a powerful player for the high-achieving soccer team. Over the course of the season, Heisel has become very close with her Wolverine teammates, saying they have special bonds that they are lucky to have.
“I feel my role on the team will change in the years going forward, because I will need to be a role model and a leader to the newer and younger players on the team,” Heisel said. “All of the older girls this year were great leaders and role models to me, and I want to make sure I have the same impact as they did to the incoming players next year.” In the years to come, Heisel will be very important to the team’s success. Next year, the team loses top players Courtney Corrin ’16, Courtney Gazmarian ’16, Montana Reilly ’16 and Quinn Frankel ’16. The year after that, they lose leading scorer Paige Howard ’17 and superstar goalie Lindsay Avant ’17. “We’ll need [Heisel] to continue to be one of our top scorers with goals and assists,” Simms said. “She can play anywhere in the front row, so we’ll expect her to keep doing that.”
BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 • 17