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Prep boys notes: Leas, Wegner named NSCAA All-Americans

12/12/2016, 2:30pm CST
By ERIC ANDERSON
National Soccer Coaches Association of America logo

Milwaukee Marquette's Ben Leas and Hartland Arrowhead's Zak Wegner have been among the state's top prep boys soccer players the past two years - each earned spots on the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association all-state first team in 2015 and '16.

The duo recently were recognized on the national level, too, as the seniors were among 70 players named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America High School Boys All American team for the 2016 season.

Leas, who has verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin, was named the WSCA Player of the Year after helping lead the Hilltoppers to their third straight WIAA Division 1 state championship last month.

He had three goals and three assists this season and anchored a backline that posted 16 clean sheets, and was one of 12 defenders named to the NSCAA All-American team. Leas was a three-year starter for Marquette, which compiled a 62-4-5 record during his varsity career.

Wegner had 15 goals and 17 assists for Arrowhead this fall and has committed to play at Marquette next fall. The midfielder finished with 31 goals and 35 assists in his two-year varsity career – Arrowhead went 40-5-3 during his tenure.

  • Six other state players joined Leas and Wegner on the NSCAA Fall Boys All-Great Lakes Region team. Three of the all-region honorees helped Whitefish Bay win its second consecutive WIAA Division 2 state title: senior Nick Anguil-Andriacchi and juniors Elian Haddock and Shawn Azcueta. Anguil-Andriacchi, who has verbally committed to UW-Milwaukee, had six goals and nine assists; Haddock posted a 0.33 goals-against average and 12 shutouts; and Azceuta had two goals and nine assists and anchored a backline that posted 16 clean sheets on the season. Middleton senior forward Bradan Allen, a UW commit who had 31 goals and 11 assists; Green Bay Preble senior midfielder Antonio De Castro, a UW-Green Bay commit who had 12 goals and 10 assists; and Marquette junior forward Nick Cheung (23 goals, 7 assists) also were all-region selections. All eight players made the WSCA all-state first team.
  • Leas and Wegner were part of the West team in the TeamSnap High School All-American boys game, which ended in a 4-4 draw on Dec. 10 in Raleigh, N.C. A pair of UW women's recruits were on opposing sides in the girls game for the nation's top seniors, with Cammie Murtha's East squad holding off Alexandra Rice and the West team 5-4. Murtha is a forward-midfielder from Maryland's Bethesda Walter Johnson, while Rice is a striker from Indiana's Noblesville Guerin Catholic.
  • Marquette (20-1-3) finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in the Top Drawer Soccer Fab 50 and 13th in the USA Today/NSCAA Super 25. WIAA Division 1 state runner-up Preble (25-2-1) was 23rd in the USA Today/NSCAA poll.
  • The Hilltoppers were second in the season's final TDS Great Lakes Region rankings, which also included No. 11 Brookfield Central (14-1-5). Marquette also was No. 2 in the final USA Today/NSCAA Region VI poll of the season, while Preble was third and Whitefish Bay (22-2-1) checked in at No. 7.

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