Not surprisingly, Geneva dominated the All-Western Sun Conference soccer team - landing seven players on the squad - after capturing the inaugural league title with a 6-0 conference record. But local teams also were well-represented. Sycamore, which placed third in the conference, had four players named First-Team All-WSC, fourth-place DeKalb had three players selected and Kaneland placed a pair of players on the team. Each school also had several honorable mention selections to the team that is voted upon by the league's coaches. Nici Newquist, Brittany Belrichard, Sara Cervenka and Mackenzie Mueller represented Sycamore on the first team and Mary Kohler and Sarah Fisher earned honorable mention. “Anytime you can get recognized by the conference it is a tremendous accomplishment," Sycamore coach Dave Lichamer said. “We have some prestigious programs in the conference so it says a lot that we can get some players on the team and show very well." Becca Ford, Kari Johnsen and Tara Rossdeutcher earned First-Team honors for DeKalb and Alyssa Hall, Alexis Simmons, Taylor Hallgren, Christy Pelikan and Kay Smith were given honorable mention status. “To have eight girls represented on the All-Conference team I think really says a lot about the work the girls put into this season," DHS coach Brent McIntosh said. “It was one of the hardest working teams I've had. I had a lot of girls really put effort into their individual progress because they wanted to make the team better." Kaneland's Diane Barry and Ashley Bringle were named to the first team and Megan Gil, Julia Tockstein, Ericka Rogers and Paige Rogers earned honorable mention accolades. The Spartans landed the most First-Team selections among local teams after advancing to the sectional semifinals for the second straight year. Newquist was Sycamore's leading scorer while tying for the team lead in assists after stepping into the main scoring role this season to replace Karissa Miller. Belrichard, who served as a team captain, will play at Millikin University next year. “Nici had a little bit of a change of role, she had to take a leadership role up front and she stepped up her game to be not just an assist person but a goal scorer too," Lichamer said. “Brittany was not just a leader on the field but off the field as well. She did the little things to keep the team together." Cervenka was key to Sycamore's defense, playing the role of marking back against top offensive players, and Mueller was integral to the midfield. “Sara is a shutdown type defender, she is a tremendous asset and she really helped solidify our defense," Lichamer said. “Mackenzie is great at moving off the ball, she is aggressive through the middle and she controls and distributes well." Johnsen, who moved to the middle after playing outside last year, distributed well for the Barbs, leading the team with 13 assists. She earned the team's Leadership Award as voted on by the players and earned Illinois High School Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-Sectional honors. “Kari was the team leader in assists and that's what we challenged her to do at the beginning of the season," McIntosh said. “She took over all our set pieces and worked hard on that. She did a great job transitioning to the middle." Rossdeutcher, who scored five goals this year from her stopper position, was named the team's player-voted Defensive MVP. She also earned the Coach's Award given by McIntosh and Honorable Mention All-Sectional status. “Tara has really blossomed into a real solid defender, she has done a really good job as far as stepping up her mental approach to the game," McIntosh said. “She recognizes when to jump up into the offense and when to be her primary role as a defender. She is one of the toughest kids on the team." Ford was named the team's Offensive MVP along with earning the Coach's Award. The Northern Illinois recruit was named to the IHSSCA All-State team. Hall was voted as DeKalb's Most Improved Player in her final season. Freshmen Jassmine Marquez and Rachel Krmenec tied for the 12th Man Award, Erin Finucane was given the Western Sun Conference Sportsmanship Award, and Heather Havlicek and Jacky Flores also were given Coach's Awards. Six Barbs - Hall, Finucane, Hallgren, Havlicek, Simmons and Kristin Jorgenson - earned the Academic All-Western Sun Conference honors for maintaining a 3.5 GPA. “We demand a lot of our players effort-wise and focus-wise," McIntosh said. “We put a lot of time into our season. For these young ladies to not only show they are very capable on the field, but also talented enough in the classroom shows their character. It's not easy to do with the time commitment of a varsity team." Kevin Chlum can be reached at kchlum@daily-chronicle.com.