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Freshman Brings National Prowess to Scouts Girls' Soccer Team

Ginny McGowan earns team's MVP honor.

has a soccer background unlike most high school freshmen.

While grounded in Lake Forest, its reach is national.

Before she event set foot on the field at , McGowan was already a nationally recognized player. She was one of 24 players selected to attend a United States National Soccer Federation camp for girls under 15. She also has earned an invitation to Junior Olympic Development camp.

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She took the lessons from those camps geared for individual skills and turned them into a team benefit for the Scouts this spring. 

“At the camps you are trying to improve yourself,” McGowan said. “Here our goal is to win as a team. Those skills really help me to help my teammates.”

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With seven goals and two assists this season, McGowan is one of Lake Forest’s top scorers. She hopes to add to those totals when the Scouts open Sectional play against Glenbrook North at 7 p.m. today at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview. The winner faces the winner of the Fremd-Palatine contest for the Sectional title at 7 p.m. Friday (May 27).

Lake Forest advanced to the sectional with a 6-2 win over Rolling Meadows last Friday to capture the Carmel Regional crown.

At the camps, McGowan focuses on improving her skills to continue her development as a player. She learns how to put them together to make her a more complete athlete.

 "I learned how to see the field,” said McGowan, who began playing soccer at age 4. “My experience in the camps gives me better vision to make better passes.” 

It's not only about seeing the field but understanding the game's nuances which Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager sees as a major contribution from McGowan. 

“She reads the game well, which only enhances her quickness,” Stuckslager said. 

The Scouts recognized their freshman star’s contribution to their success by choosing her as the team’s most valuable player this season. McGowan has made numerous contributions beyond scoring. 

“It’s not the best player. It is the player who but for them we would not have reached the level of success if they were not on the team,” Stuckslager told the team before they voted. 

“We all voted for Ginny (McGowan), she’s our MVP,” added junior back Katherine Cook. 

In a season , Stuckslager has been able to rely on McGowan’s versatility to help the team. She has played halfback, midfield and forward. 

“She’s done well at all the positions,” Stuckslager said. “The other day I told her to watch an opponent on defense, and she stayed with them every minute.” 

When McGowan arrived at her first day of high school practice, she joined a Lake Forest team heavy with seniors. McGowan blended right in, holding back at first to find her place on the team. 

“I like to be loud,” McGowan said explaining it was difficult to hold back. “After a while they (the upperclassmen) accepted my style of play. I can help the team that way.” 

What Stuckslager sees is the quickest player he has mentored in more than 30 years of coaching, noting her mental speed combined with physical reaction. 

“She’s extremely quick and she anticipates in a way her quickness is noticed in her reaction,” Stuckslager said. “While other players are still thinking, she has already thought and reacted.” 

When she’s not playing for the Scouts or attending development camps, McGowan has been playing for the FC United club team and will soon be joining Eclipse in Libertyville. 

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