2023 Times Boys Soccer Player of the Year: Somonauk co-op’s Lance Grandgeorge

Somonauk senior soccer player Lance Grandgeorge was asked when he and his teammates get together years from now to reminisce about their playing days what would be the first memory he would bring up.

Now, keep in mind the Bobcats finished with 18 wins, only four losses and a tie, went undefeated in Little Ten Conference regular-season action, captured the league’s tournament title and earned a Class 1A regional title.

With all that success, Grandgeorge said it’s actually a game Somonauk-Leland-Newark co-op eventually lost that would be the match he mentions first.

“The match against Yorkville early in the season,” Grandgeorge said of the 5-4 loss to the Class 3A Foxes. “They had a bunch of club players on their team that I play with and against, and they’d always be telling me, ‘Oh, you go to tiny Somonauk. You guys play in a farm league. You guys aren’t good.’

S-L-N was down 4-0 early in the second half and was “dead in the water,” Bobcats coach Jonathan Liechty said.

“It was unbelievable. Lance scored four times to tie the game on a 35-yard blast in transition, another on a free kick from 30 yards away and two more after slicing through defenders,” Liechty said. “He just refused to let us lose like that.”

Yorkville eventually scored in the final seconds to grab the win, but Grandgeorge felt that even in the loss, it showed the team the kind of soccer they were capable of playing.

“It was eye-opening for all of us, and I think [the club guys] had a different perspective on how good we were after the match,” Grandgeorge said with a smile.

“I played baseball too until like eighth grade, but I just really fell in love with the game of soccer and just wanted to be as good as it as I could be. I feel like I’ve put a lot of hard work in being the best soccer player I can be and hopefully that shows when I play.”

—  Lance Grandgeorge, Somonauk soccer co-op senior forward

Grandgeorge scored a program-record 58 goals this season while also passing off for 15 assists. He led the state in points with 131 and finished his amazing prep career with a program-best 144 goals (ninth all-time according to IHSA.org) and 51 assists.

For his accomplishments, Grandgeorge is the 2023 Times Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

He scored five goals in a match three times, including an LTC Tournament championship record in a 7-0 in over rival Earlville, while also finding the net four times in four matches and recording a hat trick in another handful of contests this season.

“I started playing when I was 5 years old and joined a club team as a fourth or fifth grader,” Grandgeorge said. “My dad, Aaron, played soccer here at Somonauk and watched a lot on television. I played baseball, too, until like eighth grade, but I just really fell in love with the game of soccer and just wanted to be as good as it as I could be. I feel like I’ve put a lot of hard work in being the best soccer player I can be and hopefully that shows when I play.”

Grandgeorge, a three-time team captain, was named to the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State team and unanimously to the LTC-All Conference team for the fourth consecutive season.

“I’m proud and happy with all the accolades I’ve received, but I’m super proud of being named to the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State team, mainly because that includes all classes ... little schools all the way up to the big schools,” Grandgeorge said. “There are some very, very talented guys playing at the [Class] 3A schools, so to be mentioned with those guys is pretty rewarding. All that said, I’ve also had so many really great and talented teammates around me throughout my four years. They are a big part of why I’ve gotten the awards and stuff I have.

“To be honest – and no lie, because I’ve followed over the years who received it – getting the Times Player of the Year was one of the last check marks I wanted to check off for my career here. I’m very honored to have been selected for it.”

Liechty said that while Grandgeorge was blessed with talents that help him excel on the soccer pitch, he knows why he has become one of the area’s, if not the state’s, best players.

“Lance has a ton of God-given talent, but he also has an impressive work ethic,” Liechty said. “I unapologetically say this: I’ve been the head coach here at Somonauk since 2016. He is the very best player I’ve ever coached. The reason for that is because he’s worked far harder to improve in every aspect of his game than any player I’ve ever coached. He has the hunger, heart and desire to always be the best player on the field.

“I would see him and his dad at the park all the time working on skills and kicking the ball around. Like I said, he was blessed with natural talent for the game of soccer, but he’s also put the time in to become a very good, well-rounded player. It goes without saying we’ll miss him next season.

“As far as we know, no one here at Somonauk had ever been named all-state in soccer. It was just an impressive season and career for someone who may well end up the greatest player to ever play here.”