Warriors blank Andrew to claim senior night victory

By Matt Le Cren

If you want to know why Wheaton Academy has a good chance to successfully defend its Class 2A state championship next month, look no further than Alexa Sharkey.

The versatile and athletic senior has thrived as the anchor of the Warriors' defense while still supporting an offense that remains potent despite losing all-time leading scorer – and current Brazilian national team member – Leah Fortune to graduation.

Sharkey, her school's all-time leading scorer in basketball who will play that sport at Elmhurst College, averaged 20 goals per season while playing forward her first three years. She switched to defense late last spring and has remained there ever since.

The benefits were on display again Wednesday night. Sharkey scored a goal and an assist while helping the Warriors record their seventh shutout in a 4-0 blanking of visiting Andrew on senior night in West Chicago.

"She's had 11 goals on the season from a center back position," Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry said. "She's really dangerous going forward because she's so fast. That was always her thing up front, but we've found that she's actually a lot better when she gets to see the field in front of her because she's an athlete.

"She takes a lot of zone defending principles from basketball and puts those into play in the center back position, and so she just fills in holes really well and she picks her time to go forward."

The move to the back may cost Sharkey some offensive accolades, but she doesn't mind.

"I like to run," she said. "I like chasing down people and then I can also run back [up front] when I don't have a mark."

Sharkey did plenty of both against the Thunderbolts (7-10-3), who did themselves no favors by scoring an own goal when sophomore Sydney Sharkey's cross from the right end line was knocked into the net by an Andrew defender with 28:10 left in the first half.

The Warriors (13-3-1) made it 2-0 just three minutes later. Crystal Thomas passed into the box to Alexa Sharkey, who flicked the ball ahead to Ally Witt, whose five-yard shot in traffic got through.

Alexa Sharkey increased the lead to 3-0 with 10:30 to play in the opening period when she took a pass from Thomas and cracked a 23-yard blast into the upper right corner of the net.

"I think we played good," Alexa Sharkey said. "I don't think we've ever beaten this team and it was nice to come out and win."

Alexa Sharkey was one of six seniors honored before the match. All of them started and all but forward Kristen Wittmuss will play a sport in college.

Goalie Emily Mulder (Northern Illinois), midfielder Meghan Grant (Wheaton College), defender Christi Dithrich (Taylor University) and midfielder Caley Kopp (Grove City College) are all playing collegiate soccer.

"Those girls are all stars," Sydney Sharkey said. "They stepped it up like crazy because all of them are captains. They are the biggest leaders ever.

"Each and every one of us look up to them so much. They show us what to do and we follow them. It's unified our team. They've definitely been the biggest influence on our team."

Alexa Sharkey said her sister will end up being a better player than she is, and she'll get no argument from Andrew coach Loren Zolk, who told Marksberry his team simply had no answer for Sydney Sharkey.

The midfielder finished the scoring with 12:11 left in the second half when she ran into the right side of the box, turned and lofted a 12-yard shot over the head of Andrew goalie Rachel Matthews and off the inside of the left post.

It was the 70th goal of the season for the Warriors, who have given up only 17 scores in 17 matches. Mulder (2 saves) and sophomore Kristen Morency (5 saves) combined on the shutout.

"I think we've done really well," Alexa Sharkey said. "We've had some struggles, but we've picked it up and our coaches said that we haven't peaked yet, so I think we should in postseason, because we've been playing very well together."

Sydney Sharkey said the Warriors, who end the regular season Thursday at St. Francis, are eager to being the playoffs.

Wheaton Academy, the top seed at the Elmwood Park Sectional, will begin its title defense next Tuesday at home against either Ogden International or Noble Street Charter.

"We want to win so bad and defend our state title," Sydney Sharkey said. "We haven't peaked yet, so we're going to plow through it."

But Marksberry said that doesn't mean the Warriors are looking too far ahead.

"The thing that's so unique about this team is it's very much a one-game-at-a-time approach and we've kept that the whole season," he said. "Yes, we'd love to make it back to the state championship and win another one and we believe that we can, but it's really the process.

"Tonight was a blast. I was really pleased with the girls. We played hard, we played well, connected passes. Hopefully we'll go and do those things again tomorrow (against St. Francis) and then next week we'll start regionals and do the same thing."

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