By Bobby Narang
West Aurora High School senior Lizzy Kuhn is looking for some company.
The standout soccer player is the leading scorer for the Blackhawks, capable of taking over a game with her scoring and elite skills.
But the Blackhawks’ goal of playing deep into the playoff hinges on player development. Kuhn led the Blackhawks with 13 goals last season.
She’s on track to lead the team again, but she’s starting to get some help this season.
In West Aurora’s sixth game this season, Kuhn cherished getting some much needed scoring help from her teammates.
Senior defender Krystal Diaz shocked herself and her teammates by scoring three goals in a six-minute segment in the second half to power the Blackhawks to a 6-1 victory over Romeoville April 6.
Diaz, who committed to play at Quincy Univeity, had yet to score a goal in her four-year varsity game until getting a hat trick.
“It was really exciting to score my first goals,” Diaz said. “I didn’t know I was going to play forward, so that was very exciting. It was my first time playing forward. I had a bunch of energy, and my adrenaline kept on going. I don’t think I’ve scored since eighth grade.
“All of the goals were good, but I didn’t think that last one was going to go in,” Diaz said. “I was turning around ready for the goal kick, and then saw it go in. It’s a really good start to (Southwest Prairie) Conference. I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
Kuhn said she was thrilled to see Diaz find her name in the scoring column.
“It was great to see Krystal score so many goals,” Kuhn said. “She started (her career) as a sweeper. She’s our core in the middle, and usually feeds us the ball and gets a lot of assists. It was really nice for her to get a lot of goals. She’s been looking for those all season. I’m really happy for her.
“It’s important to play as a possession and learning to play as a team, not just scoring all the goals we can. I love when my teammates score. It’s good for our morale. This was a good way to reset our confidence, and it boosts everyone’s morale when more people score. We’ve been waiting for Krystal to get some goals.”
West Aurora head coach Laura Wagley said her team has potential, but just needs to refine a few things. Vargas added another goal in a 3-2 loss to Lockport April 9. The Blackhawks have won three of their first seven games this season.
“It was a great Conference win,” Wagley said. “I think we needed all those goals to get our confidence up. Krystal Diaz was awesome, and we’re getting goals from a lot of people, helping to take pressure off Lizzy.”