Sports - High Schools

POSTED: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008

PREP GIRLS' SOCCER: Burlington defender selected NWC's player of the year

In a year when no one offensive player stood out above the crowd for a team that went deep into the playoffs, the Northwest Conference coaches went defense when choosing the NWC's girls' soccer player of the year.

Burlington-Edison defender Mette Rousseau, who helped lead the Tigers to the Class 2A state quarterfinals was selected All-NWC Most Valuable Player when the postseason awards were released on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Rousseau's coach, Jay Powers, joined her as Coach of the Year a year after sharing the honor.

Rousseau, a junior who helped the Tigers limit opponents to 0.76 goals per game, was the only Burlington-Edison player to make the first team.

Lynden Christian's Kenzie De Boer, who led the conference in scoring with 27 goals and five assists but played for a team that finished 3-10 in NWC play, was a first-team selection at forward.

She was joined on the first-team front line by Mount Vernon's Tia Brogna (seven goals, four assists), Blaine's Bailey Richardson (11 goals, eight assists), and Sehome's Tanya Haggen (15 goals, six assists). Haggen, a junior, earned her second consecutive first-team selection.

The first-team midfield was filled by Squalicum's Stevi Day (four goals, one assist), Mount Vernon's Keane Loera (16 goals), Bellingham's Sierra Rivers (14 goals, two assists), Ferndale's Kaytlyn Steele (nine goals, four assists) and Lynden's Mackie Watt (seven goals, nine assists).

The first-team defense included Bellingham's Linden Figgie, Mount Baker's Emily Hart, Sehome's Kaya Jones, Meridian's Terri Tigert and Mount Vernon's Kate Toepher.

Bellingham's Hanna Wade was selected the first-team goaltender, after being a second-team selection last year as a sophomore.

A pair of freshmen midfielders made the second team with the selections of Sehome's Jessica Bertucci and Anacortes' Jasper Sortun.

Sehome placed three on the second team with Bertucci and defenders Tori Catey and Stephanie Reed.

Bellingham also had three on the second team with defender Emma Anderson and midfielders Kim Cooper and Shannon Gowan.

Other Whatcom County second-team selections were Meridian defender Anna Fast, Blaine goalie Janelle Gobbato, Ferndale forward Haley Locker and Squalicum forward Emily Sytsma.