Kiel High School has produced its first-ever state championship team in any sport.
The Raiders Girls Soccer team closed out a 27-0-and-1 season Saturday night in thrilling fashion by edging top-seeded Cedar Grove-Belgium 6-5 in two overtimes at Uihlein Stadium in Milwaukee.
Steve Walsh is Kiel’s Athletic Director and he reflected on the Division-4 title-winning finish, noting everyone was very anxious.
“One of our parents actually was volunteering to be a ball-getter on the sideline. I looked at her and said I think I’m going to have a stroke,” he said. “It was stressful and a joyful moment, but at the end of the day the kids went out and got it.”
Walsh explained that the Raiders had 11 seniors who put in the time and energy and were the heart and soul of the program.
“I’m so proud of them, the community’s proud of ‘em,” he said. “We came back Saturday night to a welcome back celebration here at the high school where I’d say we probably had 100 to 200 people packed in the gym. The lights were turned on outside the gym and we were out there for another hour taking pictures and soaking in the feeling.”
You can look at the stats and see Taylor Schad with 82 goals last year, 62 or 63 this spring, you have Abby Moore with 20-some goals and ‘48’ assists, which is a state record.
Then, Taavi Saeger with 20 or so goals and Sage August with 15 or 16 goals.
So, Walsh added, “it wasn’t just the Taylor Schad show, it truly was a team effort day in and day out.”
