Daily Chronicle 2025 Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Kaneland’s Erin Doucette

Erin Doucette was already having a solid season heading into the week of April 21.

Her Kaneland girls soccer team played three games in a row that week against Chesterton Academy, Ottawa and La Salle-Peru.

The junior scored 14 goals in those three games alone. At that point, the season leapt to special.

“I was definitely not expecting that much,” Doucette said. “There’s this one week where we had a few games and I scored multiple goals in each of them. I was like, ‘Wow, this is kind of crazy.’ My coach told me I was on track to beat the record. I was like, ‘Wow.’”

Doucette is the 2025 Daily Chronicle Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Doucette finished with 40 goals, the school’s single-season record. She’s up to 54 career goals, 44 shy of the school record (boys and girls) and 43 short of the girls’ record.

This was after scoring just 11 goals as a sophomore.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” Doucette said. “I wasn’t really expecting anything like that.”

Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said he was expecting Doucette to control the midfield entering the season.

“She did that, but also scored 40 goals. It was like, ‘Where did that come from?’” Parillo said of Doucette’s 15 assists. “We’re happy she did it, but it was a surprise.”

Parillo said Doucette has a tremendous work ethic, helping her earn the season she had. Not only the individual success, but team-wise, as well. The Knights won their second regional in the past three years and shared the Interstate 8 Conference title with Sycamore.

Parillo said as spring practices started, mostly inside because of weather, Doucette already was showing massive improvement.

“Holy cow, she’s on another level here,” Parillo said. “Then the weather got better, we got to see what she could do on a field and in a gymnasium, and it was like, ‘Oh, man.’ Some of the girls were like, ‘Holy crap, we don’t want to go up against her.’”

The offense clicked throughout the year for the Knights. Three other players scored at least 10 goals, including 23 for freshman Taylor Mills.

“Everybody was focused on her, so these other girls could flourish, as well,” Parillo said. “I mean, we’ve got a freshman with 23 goals.”

Parillo said Doucette isn’t exactly going to be a secret next year. But given the jump between her sophomore season and junior year, he still expects big things for her.

He called her an unselfish player, a characteristic that may have cost her a couple of goals.

“She’ll pass the ball off when maybe she should have kept the ball and gone one-on-one for another goal,” Parillo said. “That’s just not her personality. We may have to work on that a little bit, her being more selfish.”

Kaneland hasn’t won back-to-back regionals since 2015-16. Doucette said she’s optimistic the Knights will be able to run it back next year.

“Hopefully next year we can have a great season again,” Doucette said. “We’re losing a lot of seniors, but I still think we’re going to be good. I’m excited for next year.”