Burger queen: With Dillow gone, Dixon soph set to take charge

A lot of the time last season, Dixon's Megan Burger played soccer in the shadow of fellow freshman Brittlyn Dillow.

That won't be the case this season.

Burger steps into the limelight this season for the Duchesses because Dillow has decided to play club soccer in a college prep league in Rockford this spring.

Burger said she's ready for the challenge.

"It's going to be an adjustment, but I think we're ready," Burger said. "Last year, I was the assister for Brittlyn. Now somebody is going to be assisting me.

"We have a lot of good players, a lot of hard workers, and I think we'll all fill our roles just fine."

Burger's role won't be all that unfamiliar. The sophomore was Dixon's go-to girl at the end of last season when Dillow broke her right leg and missed the last few matches.

"It's going to be weird not having her there, not on the sidelines or anything," Burger said.

"I'm just going to be pretending it's like the end of last year and that she's just hurt and may not be back.

"I don't know how else to look at it."

A club soccer player in the summer for the Rockford Dactyls the past few years, Dillow was offered a chance to play in a "college elite" prep league. Dillow, whose 17 goals led the Duchesses last season, spent more than one sleepless night torn between her friends and teammates and the chance to join a club program that will help prepare her for her ultimate goal of playing Division I soccer in college.

"It was a hard decision, and I struggled to make it," said Dillow, who didn't finalize the decision until a week before practice started. "I've been playing with the Dixon girls forever, and a lot of my really good friends are on the team. Plus, I love playing for [coach] Mahmoud [Etemadi].

"High school soccer is really different from club soccer, and it's really a lot of fun, but I felt this was the best decision for me and what I want to do in the future."

Dillow said she'll still be there as often as possible to support her friends, cheering them on from the stands. None of the Dixon players or coaches harbor any ill feelings.

"I'm proud of her, and I think we're all happy for her getting such a great opportunity," Burger said. "It's a big step, a hard decision, but we understand and hope she does well."

"We're going to miss her, but we all want her to succeed, for sure," senior co-captain Vivian McConnell added. "She was such an awesome force for us last year. She's an amazing player and we're disappointed we don't get to play with her again, but we wish her the best."

Dillow is among those who think the Duchesses will be just fine without her. She cites Burger as the main reason.

"She's so versatile," Dillow said. "She brings a lot to the table; she has a lot of speed, she's a great passer and she's as good a shooter as anyone, me included. She has the ability to play any position and play it well."

Burger describes herself as a vocal leader – "It matches my personality," she said with a laugh – and she credits her teammates with making her job on offense easier.

Her teammates throw all that credit right back to Burger.

"Megan's very reliable, the type of player who can do whatever we need her to whenever we need it," junior co-capatin Carly Capesius said. "We have a talented group of players around her, and that just makes her that much better."

Etemadi, who coached Burger's older brother Ben for three seasons on the varsity team, sees the same talent and work ethic on display in Megan.

Mix her in with returning players like Hannah Sharkey, Emily Mills, Holly Nicklaus and Cristina Coggins and talented freshmen like Allison DeArvil, Brittany Henegar, Kayla Wilson and twins Skyler and Sierra Wiseman, Etemadi said, and watch the Duchesses take flight.

"We're a young team, but we also have some experience," she said. "We learned a lot from last year's strong senior class and we know what it takes to win at the varsity level. I think we'll just keep getting better."