Wisconsin Soccer Central

The Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association recently announced its annual award winners, recognizing nine individuals for their contributions to youth soccer across the state.

The state award winners will be recognized at the WYSA Annual General Meeting on March 12 at Discovery World in Milwaukee. They also are eligible for U.S. Youth Soccer Region II honors, and regional winners contend for national awards.

Among this year's recipients is Mark “Buzz” Fecht, who will be honored posthumously as the Volunteer of the Year for his efforts on behalf of Portage County Youth Soccer in Stevens Point. Fecht, who was born in Milwaukee and graduated from Shorewood High School, was 65 when he died in July.

"(He) can best be described as the force behind PCYS," according to the award nomination form submitted. "Buzz was a great mentor and even greater friend. His dedication to the club and to the players is evident through the PCYS Soccer Park and the masterpiece it has become. Buzz will be missed, but never forgotten."

Another honoree of note is Evan Oppermann, who will receive the Male Young Referee of the Year Award. The Hartland teenager is the second member of his family to be so honored – his older sister Emma was the Female Young Referee of the Year in 2013 – is mentoring his younger brother and father as new referees and is involved in his local TOPSoccer program for children with disabilities.

Here are all of this year's WYSA award winners:

Administrator of the Year: Mike Chandler, McFarland SC
Volunteer of the Year: Mark "Buzz" Fecht, Portage County Youth Soccer
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year: Ronn Blaha, Brookfield TOPSoccer
Boys Recreational Coach of the Year: Jeremy Morris, Regent SC
Girls Recreational Coach of the Year: Mark Doles, Kenosha Area Soccer League
Boys Competitive Coach of the Year: Xavier Rico, Strike FC Wisconsin
Girls Competitive Coach of the Year: David Zindler, SC Waukesha
Female Young Referee of the Year: Ciara Frame, Mount Horeb
Male Young Referee of the Year: Evan Oppermann, Hartland

• Midfielder Luka Prpa (Wind Lake/Muskego), who plays with Chicago Magic PSG and the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program, was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Youth Boys All-American team.
• Bavarian SC's Matthew Roou (Germantown) and the 2002 Region II team had the best record at the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Boys Thanksgiving Interregional, which wrapped up Monday in Casa Grande, Ariz. The team went 1-0-2 against the other three regional sides.
• SC Waukesha's Kylie Sprecher (Menomonee Falls) and Katie Koker (Racine) played with Region II teams at the ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional last week in Boca Raton, Fla. Sprecher and the 1998 side finished 0-3-0, and she scored in a 2-1 loss to Region I. Koker and the 2000 squad went 0-1-2 at the round-robin event.
• Goalkeeper Cora Anderson (Burlington) was invited to a U.S. Soccer Training Center on Dec. 21 in Naperville, Ill. Anderson, who plays for Illinois club Eclipse Select, also participated in events in October and November.
• The SC Waukesha Blue Under-14 boys team will play its first U.S. Youth Soccer National League matches next week in Wilson, N.C. Coach Marcio Leite's team, the fourth state side to play in the competition in its nine-year history, will play Texas' Solar Chelsea Red on Thursday, Arizona's Valparaiso United Futbol on Friday, Georgia's Concorde Fire Central Elite on Dec. 12 and California's SLA Nomads on Dec. 13 at the National League Fall Showcase. SC Waukesha's other Red Division matches will be March 11 to 13 in Las Vegas. Schedules/results/standings
• The United Hurricanes Under-16 girls team won the Wisconsin Presidents Cup this fall and earned a spot in the Region II competition, which is June 16 to 20 in Westfield, Ind. The national event is July 14 to 17 in Tulsa, Okla.