West Girls' Soccer Has its Eye on Ultimate Prize

The ability to play multiple roles or positions is a very valued skill in high school athletics.

But doing so at an elite level is a very unique skill, and it’s one that separates Waukesha West senior Leah Seib from just about every other soccer player in the Classic 8 Conference.

“It is the number one asset that she brings,” said Waukesha West coach Dave Zindler, whose squad will rely heavily on Seib, the 2010 Classic 8 Player of the Year, to return to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament for the fifth consecutive year in 2011.

Seib’s versatility is evident when one considers that she has shifted roles and positions on almost a continual basis during her three-plus years with the Wolverines (7-0-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play in 2011).

“Some freshmen have asked me, ‘What position do you play?'" said Seib, who will attend college and play soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay this fall. “I never know what to say. I pretty much play everything but goalie.”

According to Seib, she plays the centerback position on defense during club season. So when she was asked to shift from midfield to that position at the beginning of her junior campaign of 2010, it didn’t faze her. In fact, she excelled.

Zindler pointed to her strong desire to improve her game and her competitive desire as two major reasons she has been able to perform well in whatever role he asks her to play. Her versatility has allowed Waukesha West to compete with fellow state title contender and Classic 8 frontrunner Waukesha Catholic Memorial on a yearly basis.

And when those two squads meet on the soccer field, a memorable game is almost always the result.

“It’s two teams with basically no weaknesses anywhere,” said Seib, whose squad will take on the host Crusaders on May 3 at Waukesha South. “It’s just an amazing soccer match, kind of like an English Premier League game where the two teams are so good that it’s just a battle all the time.”

Memorial is the reigning WIAA Division 2 state champions. The Crusaders also clinched a conference title a year ago with a 23-2-2 overall record and a nearly spotless 6-0-1 mark in Classic 8 play. But behind 15 seniors and 10 players who have at least five games of experience at the state tournament, Zindler and his Wolverines feel prepared enough to challenge the Crusaders and build upon last season’s 17-6-5 overall record and 5-0-2 mark in Classic 8 play.

Not that competing at a high level is a foreign concept for the West girls’ soccer program. After all, the varsity has earned a trip to state every spring since 2007.

According to Seib, it’s the high expectations that provide all the motivation for the team to remain focused and driven this season.

 “I think with having that on our backs just makes us play harder every game and want that win more and more,” said Seib. “It drives us, and if we have that, winning will just come easier.”

Seib’s coach echoed his star player’s sentiments, adding that squad’s ultimate goal is to secure Division 1 state title.

“We’ve set some pretty lofty goals for ourselves,” said Zindler. “We’re not trying to hide anything. We’d like to see if we can win a state championship. It’s not going to be a failure if we don’t, but we’ve been to the state tournament four years in a row, we went to the state title game two years ago, so there really isn’t any other step.”