Herald-News girls soccer preview: 5 to watch in 2025

There’s no shortage of girls soccer talent in the Herald-News area this season. Here’s five in particular to keep an eye on.

Ava Kozak, Lockport sr., F

Ava Kozak of Lockport (Courtesy of Todd Elkei)

Kozak is the best returning player for the team that finished with the best record in the area. It was her first year with the team after being a force on the club circuit for years and she led the Porters to 24 wins to start the year. Speaking of 24, that’s how many goals she scored to go along with nine assists. She was an all-conference selection and is committed to play at Marquette. The Porters produced the Herald-News Player of the Year last year in Emma Czech. They may do so again with Kozak this year.

Elizabeth Burfeind, Lincoln-Way East, jr., M

Elizabeth Burfiend of Lincoln-Way East. (Courtesy of Mark Vander Kooi )

It was a solid year for the Griffins as they went 14-6-2 and advanced to the sectional semifinals before losing to Lincoln-Way Central in overtime 1-0. They’re poised for another strong season thanks in large part to Burfeind. Despite playing in the middle, she put up 10 goals and 12 assists. While some players may have gaudier numbers than that, she’s committed to play at Purdue, a Big Ten program. She still has another year to play after this one and should only grow better. That’s good news for the Griffins.

Camden Cosich, Lincoln-Way East, jr., D,

Camden Cosich of Lincoln-Way East (Courtesy of Mark Vander Kooi )

With so many talented players in the area, it was hard to take two players on the same team. Hard, but not impossible when you look at Cosich’s profile. She, too, is just a junior, and while she only had one goal and one assist last year, that’s because she was too busy stopping opponents on the other side of the pitch. She did well enough there to earn a scholarship from a TCU team that went 17-4-2 last year. With Cosich in the back, the Griffins are in good position for this season.

Allie Werner, Peotone, jr., F

Allie Werner of Peotone (Courtesy of Ryan Murray )

The area isn’t just abundant in talent at the large schools. Werner was an All-Area, all-conference and all-sectional player last year for the Blue Devils, and the team Offensive MVP. Not hard to believe considering she had 32 goals and seven assists for a 16-win team. Still just a junior, she’s one of the top players in the area regardless of classification.

Alaina Clark, Wilmington, sr., M

Another small-school player, there’s likely never been a better player in program history for the Wolves. She holds the school record for goals in a season with 30 as well as career goals with 69. This will be her last hurrah, so look for her to extend those numbers even more this season.