BRYNLEY THEIS
Waconia • soccer
She has played soccer since she was 10 years old, but the sophomore forward's career really began to take off after a stint on the track team two years ago.
That's where Theis discovered that she was blessed with exceptional speed. "I realized that opposing back lines couldn't keep up and I could use it to my advantage," she said.
Theis has parlayed that speed and a knack for controlling the ball at her feet into a team-leading 15 goals, helping the Wildcats post six consecutive victories and an 8-0-1 record.
Last week Theis had two goals and an assist in a 4-0 victory over Delano. She also had a hat trick — her third in the team's past six games — in a 7-0 rout of Holy Family.
While speed has defined her play, Theis credited two more common factors for her high-scoring ways: hard work and her teammates.
"I've worked really hard on my shooting," she said. "My footwork is a lot better."
And she admitted that she wouldn't have had the success she's had without her teammates.
"I couldn't score without my team. [Midfielder] Grace Seim and I, we work so well together. She knows just where to place the ball on through-balls to me and what pace to put on them," Theis said. "And [defender] Sydney Stellick, there's nobody I trust on the back line more than her. She's saved our butts a lot this season. It's just so much fun to play with this whole team, especially in this weird year."
![Analee Weaver of Stillwater High School is the Star Tribune's girls' cross-country runner of the year. ] JEFF WHEELER • Jeff.Wheeler@startribune.com The Star Tribune's fall Athletes of the Year were photographed in the studio Sunday afternoon, December 1, 2019 in Minneapolis. ORG XMIT: MIN1912131524017412](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/WNRLW6A2SSIOSCUWGZQSAWDEFE.jpg?&w=1080)
