Week 1 standouts from Illinois girls soccer

The first week of the 2022 Illinois girls soccer season is now complete. Here’s a look at some of the top performers from the week. <strong>F Grace Williams, St. Charles East, Jr.</strong> The Neuqua Valley transfer has not skipped a beat at her new school. She scored the opening goal of the season en route to a 5-0 win over Fremd. She scored two more goals Thursday night in a 3-1 win against Rockford Boylan. The Saints have a tough test coming up against Naperville North. <strong>F Molly O’Rear, Naperville Central, Sr.</strong> O’Rear and the Redhawks started their season off with a bang. After taking down Oswego East, O’Rear picked up a hat trick in the first half the following game against Burlington Central. She kept that confidence rolling in their trip to St. Louis, scoring a goal each game against Belleville West and Granite City. <strong>M [player_tooltip player_id="22050" first="Megan" last="Norkett"], Naperville Central, Jr.</strong> Norkett scored the game’s lone goal on a penalty kick in the second half against state power Oswego East. She added two more goals and an assist against Burlington Central. Added an assist against Belleville West and scored against Granite City in their St. Louis trip. Norkett and O’Rear create an extremely dangerous 1-2 punch. <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id="32977" first="Avery" last="Christopher"], O’Fallon, Sr.</strong> The defending 3A champs are starting off hot behind Christopher’s five goals and two assists. The Western Kentucky commit scored and assisted in a 4-0 rout over the defending 1A champs Althoff Catholic. She also had two goals apiece against Columbia and Rochester. The Panthers are outscoring opponents 13-2 so far. <strong>M Leah Crotty, Andrew, Sr.</strong> Crotty has played a massive role in the T-Bolt’s success so far. The senior has done a great job setting up her teammates for scoring opportunities in the first two games of the Windy City Ram Classic. She then scored a hat trick in the third round against a tough Hinsdale South team to reach the tournament semifinal. <strong>M Eleanor Musgrove, Lyons, Sr.</strong> Musgrove has the lions off to a hot start. Scored two goals against CPS power Whitney Young in a 3-2 victory Monday night. She then led her team Saturday to a 6-0 win against Jones. <strong>F Jordan Lange, Metea Valley, Jr.</strong> A sensational start for Lange. After dishing two assists in the season opener, she scored two early goals to defeat state power Benet 2-1. She then got a hat trick en route to a 6-0 win over Sandburg in the Wheaton North Classic. Metea Valley will push Naperville North and Central this season. <strong>D [player_tooltip player_id="22149" first="Lida" last="Dodge"], New Trier, Jr.</strong> The Trevians always reload. And this time, it’s [player_tooltip player_id="22149" first="Lida" last="Dodge"]’s turn. The junior defender can make an impact anywhere on the field. Really nice playmaking skills and vision on the back line. She scored from 30 yards out against Warren to open the season. She then got the eventual game-winning assist Thursday against Prospect and scored Saturday vs. Palatine. Plays both defense and midfield.