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As a defender in soccer, Emily Cronise hasn’t had her name in the newspaper very often, as she’s not usually the one scoring the goals or making the assists.
But that doesn’t seem to bother the Boonsboro senior. What really bothers her is the opposition scoring goals, and that’s why it rarely happens under her watch.
This fall, Cronise led Boonsboro to an 8-4-4 record. While the Warriors only managed to score 19 goals on the year, they only had a mere seven scored against them as they posted 11 shutouts, including a 1-0 upset of Williamsport in the final of the Washington County tournament.
Cronise is The Herald-Mail’s 2012 Washington County Girls Soccer Player of the Year, becoming a three-time all-county first-team selection.
“She was the vocal leader of the defense as well as the physical leader on the field,” Boonsboro coach Chris Lantz said. “She’s got great speed and great instincts, and she understands when she needs to step up defensively.
“She’s taken that leadership role of organizing our back line and done a really good job of it the last three years that she and I have been together on varsity. ... She essentially played every single minute of her high school career.”
Cronise’s presence on the field became even more significant this year after senior forward Abby Duncan, who scored a team-high 14 goals in 2011, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game.
“I knew it was going to be difficult coming in, losing four key seniors from last year, but we still had Abby. We knew we were going to score some goals,” Lantz said. “But once Abby went down, we had to make a commitment to the defensive side of things, and (Cronise) helped that transition.”
“We had a lot of young players and had to adjust, but it didn’t take long to adjust,” said Cronise, who set the pace.
“I’m a big talker on the field,” she said. “I love to communicate with people, give them advice and tips and everything I can do to help them. But I also try to lead by example.”
She said the highlight of the season was winning the county championship game by shutting out heavily favored Williamsport and its high-powered offense.
“We knew going in that it was going to be a hard game. It didn’t take much of a pep talk,” Cronise said. “We were the underdogs. There was no pressure, but everyone knew how important it was.”
Cronise also is a standout runner on the Boonsboro track team, and she said she hopes to play soccer and run track in college.
“I can’t imagine not doing both, losing either sport,” she said. “I’m still looking at colleges. I have my top four down — Mount St. Mary’s, Shippensburg, Millersville and York — but I’m still keeping the door open.”
Shutting the door on soccer opponents likely will remain her passion.
“I think it’s one of the most important positions on the field,” Cronise said.
Now she finally is getting some recognition for it.
Joining Cronise on the all-county first team are:
Lexi Albert, Clear Spring
The sophomore midfielder had three goals and a county-best nine assists for a team-high 15 points.
Leah Cadigan, Boonsboro
The sophomore forward scored 10 of her team’s 19 goals.
Grace Clark, Smithsburg
The senior defender helped lead the Leopards to their first winning season in four years.
Cayla Garner, Clear Spring
The senior midfielder had four goals and six assists, helping to lead the Blazers to their first winning season in four years.
Lauren Johnson, Williamsport
The senior midfielder had five goals, including the dramatic game winner in the 2A West semifinals, and seven assists.
Elyse Koterwas, Smithsburg
The senior midfielder had three goals and five assists for a team-high 11 points.
Ashley Likely, Williamsport
The senior forward led the county in goals (13), points (33) and points per game (2.06).
Lauree Lorensen, St. Maria Goretti
The senior forward scored 11 of her team’s 20 goals and assisted on another three.
Tori Mills, South Hagerstown
The sophomore forward had four goals, two assists and helped keep the Rebels competitive.
Julia Price, Williamsport
The senior goalkeeper had eight shutouts, including two in the 2A West playoffs, and finished with a 0.71 goals-against average.
Bre Springer, Boonsboro
The junior goalkeeper led the county in shutouts (11) and goals-against average (0.44).
Sarah Troxell, North Hagerstown
The sophomore stood out on defense while also leading the Hubs in points with two goals and four assists.
Kate Wade, Williamsport
The freshman midfielder had seven goals and five assists in her first varsity season.
Lizzy Willis, Williamsport
The sophomore defender helped hold opponents to only 12 goals in 17 games. She also scored six goals.
ALL-COUNTY SECOND TEAM
Tori Albert, Sr., Goalkeeper, Clear Spring
Alexis Barone, Sr., Midfielder, St. Maria Goretti
Corinne Burk, So., Goalkeeper, Smithsburg
Katrice Dickson, Jr., Defender, South Hagerstown
Sarah Duckworth, So., Forward, Smithsburg
Emma Gerhold, Jr., Defender, Smithsburg
Michaela Grove, So., Forward, Boonsboro
Rachel Holmes, Jr., Midfielder, Boonsboro
Mary Kinman, Fr., Midfielder, North Hagerstown
Leanne Ludwick, Fr., Midfielder, Saint James
Victoria Lulciuc, So., Forward, Clear Spring
Erin Palmer, Jr., Defender, Williamsport
Sam Staley, Jr., Defender, Clear Spring
Regan Stout, Jr., Midfielder, Williamsport
Morgann Wilcox, Jr., Midfielder, North Hagerstown