A bounty of all-league honors

palatino;> width=201 height=241 />Trio of Grafton standouts named to All-NSC first team; Port has two on second team</span></span></h3>
<p>North Shore Conference coaches tapped into a youth movement when they cast their votes for all-league honors in girls’ soccer this spring.</p>
<p>And the Grafton Black Hawks were right there with the top award recipients.</p>
<p>Coach Don Arnold’s squads had three players — goalkeeper Alissa Viste, defender Hannah Knauer and midfielder Emma Fatla — named to the All-NSC first team and another, forward Hannah Eichler, chosen for the second team.</p>
<p>Among other local squads, Port Washington had two players — midfielder Bre McDonald and defender Mallory Mueller — chosen for the second team. </p>
<p>All of Grafton’s standouts are sophomores and Port Washington’s are juniors, underscoring a voting trend in which 19 of the 22 top honorees are underclassmen.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of young, talented players in the North Shore Conference, and the coaches recognized that,” said Arnold, who guided the Hawks to a fourth-place, 4-2-1 league record, a 20-6-2 overall mark and runner-up honors in the WIAA Division 2 state tournament.</p>
<p>A major key to Grafton’s success was its staunch defense, which produced a streak of seven shutouts entering the state quarterfinals.</p>
<p>Viste anchored the Hawks’ back line with quick feet and sure hands, posted 16 shutouts overall and allowed less than one goal per game.</p>
<p>“Alissa worked extremely hard in the off-season and built off what she accomplished last year,” Arnold said. “For her to make the first team in the North Shore as a sophomore goalkeeper speaks for itself.”</p>
<p>Knauer, Grafton steadiest defender, was usually called on to mark the opposing team’s top scoring threat and responded with an unrelenting approach.</p>
<p>“Hannah was the workhorse in the defensive midfield for us,” Arnold said. “She was phenomenal in her approach to the game.”</p>
<p>Knauer also showed her offensive skills by contributing two goals and four assists.</p>
<p>Fatla, another player known for her nonstop motor, sparked the Hawks’ transition game with 10 goals and nine assists.</p>
<p>“Emma was the one of the players everyone focused on for us,” Arnold said. “She was the anchor of our midfield.”</p>
<p>Eichler, who earned all-league second-team honors for the second straight year, led Grafton with 25 goals and had nine assists. </p>
<p>She teamed with sophomore Carley Pfannerstill, who received honorable mention in the coaches’ voting, to give the Hawks one of the area’s most dangerous offensive tandems.</p>
<p>“We were very lucky to have two young forwards who play so well together,” Arnold said. “Both of them can score but also create a lot of opportunities for their teammates.”</p>
<p>Pfannerstill had 13 goals and was the Hawks’ top playmaker with 13 assists.</p>
<p>“Carley has really improved since last year,” Arnold said. “Her assist numbers show how valuable she is to our team.”</p>
<p>Grafton’s Audrey Dickmann, a freshman defender, also received honorable mention. A versatile player, she used speed and tenacity to help steady the Hawks’ back line.</p>
<p>“As a freshman sweeper, she faced a lot of pressure and handled it very well,” Arnold said. “Audrey reads the game well and was a huge asset back there.”</p>
<p>Port Washington was winless in conference play (0-7) and just 2-11-1 overall but received solid leadership from McDonald and Mueller. The pair were key contributors on an offensively challenged squad that continued to improve.</p>
<p>McDonald, one of the Pirates’ co-captains, “was really a playmaker and a tremendous worker,” Port coach Sean O’Brien said.</p>
<p>Mueller earned a reputation as “one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the conference,” O’Brien said.</p>
<p>“There was no give-up in Mal. Even when she was hurt, she never wanted to come out of the game.”</p>
<p>McDonald and Mueller are among nine juniors on a Port team that will lose only four players, including one starter, to graduation.</p>
<h3><span style=color: #5469ab;><span style=font-family: georgia</p>
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