2023 Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Crystal Lake Central’s Olivia Anderson

Olivia Anderson’s energy not only improved her own game, but it also provided a boost to her Crystal Lake Central teammates.

Anderson, a junior, used her intensity to attack the ball throughout the season, creating scoring chances for herself and her teammates. Once her teammates saw how dedicated she was to Central winning, it motivated the rest of the team to keep pushing through, eventually leading to a historic season for the Tigers.

“She demands a lot of herself, and her intensity raises the level of play of those around her,” Central coach Sarah Fack said. “Despite her size, she is one of our best players in the air and our most fearless overall. She is a key piece of our possession, attack and defensive pressure. Olivia is a great kid who gives 100% day in and day out at every game and practice.”

Central won the Fox Valley Conference for a fourth straight season with a 9-0 conference record and went on to win its third regional title in the past four postseasons, the program’s second sectional title and first state appearance. Central lost to Benet in the Class 2A semifinals but defeated De La Salle to take third place.

Anderson was involved everywhere on the field, pairing her crafty approach with her technical skill. Despite being double- and triple-teamed, she made quick decisions to either keep possession, find an open teammate or shoot the ball herself.

She scored 13 goals and added five assists, earning her All-State honors from the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association, the program’s first, as well as All-FVC honors. She’ll play college soccer at Loyola-Chicago.

For her efforts, Anderson has been named the Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Player of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Richmond-Burton’s Reese Frericks and Huntley’s Chloe Pfaff also were considered for the honor.

Sports reporter Michal Dwojak had some questions for Anderson, including what it was like to make program history this season, her favorite player and her hidden talent.

What will you remember the most about your junior season?

Anderson: The Boylan game in the sectional final, that was my favorite game of my life. We’ve wanted that game the entire season, and it was of course the outcome we wanted. It was a moment when the team came together. We have this saying where if you get tired, don’t work for yourself, work for the person next to you. That really came into play during that game.

What was it like to make school history this season and win the program’s first state trophy?

Anderson: It was exciting. When we got there, it was kind of surreal. We were just super excited because we worked for that all season. My older sister played on this team for a while. Her junior year was the COVID-19 year, and I remember her saying that it was the team, they were going to make it to state, and she was so bummed because they had a really good season the year before. They had a similar situation where they were all coming back. It’s not the same team, but it was kind of like, hey, we can still do it.

What has it been like growing up with this junior class over the past three seasons?

Anderson: We really haven’t been developing just in the last three years. These girls, we’ve played together since age 12. We’ve been constantly growing with each other and competing against each other, making each other better. We finally all got into varsity soccer, and it only got better since our freshman year.

What would your dream job be?

Anderson: It would be to play professional soccer. It’s not so specific, but just playing for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL or somewhere overseas. Just going pro somewhere.

Who is your favorite professional soccer player?

Anderson: Tobin Heath because she’s very creative on the ball, and you never know what she’s going to do with the ball next. She was very ambitious growing up, so that’s what I like. Her playing style is based off another soccer player that I like who’s retired, Ronaldinho Gaucho.

Who was your favorite Disney character as a kid?

Anderson: Definitely the Little Mermaid. I don’t know why I was so fascinated with mermaids.

What would you change about soccer if you could change one thing?

Anderson: I would make us not wear cleats and make us all play barefoot. No more cleat marks, and if you could have a good touch without the cleat, it’s pretty fun.

What do you like most about soccer?

Anderson: I have two reasons. One is because I feel closest to God when I’m on the soccer field. Two is I’ve met the soccer community, I’ve met a majority of my friends and people who I love through soccer.

What sport are you not really good at?

Anderson: Basketball for sure. It kind of makes sense that I’m not the best with my hands. That’s something that I’d love to get better at, but, yeah, I’m not very good.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Anderson: I can hold a handstand for pretty long. I want to say my record is about a minute and a half to two minutes.

If you celebrated a goal like NFL players celebrate touchdowns, what would you and your teammates do?

Anderson: Definitely the bow and arrow one. Whoever scores shoots the bow, and they all fall.

How excited are you for your senior season?

Anderson: I just know a lot of the girls are going to be working hard, even just before the high school season. We all want a state championship, and we’re determined to make it back to state next year and do even better. Just the fact that almost the entire team is coming back if we’re all healthy. Plus we have another player coming back who was hurt last year and who was a major factor on our team, Sadie Quinn. If she’s healthy, she might come back, and that would be cool.