Algonquin Native DeLuga Part of WIAC Women's Soccer Title at UW-Whitewater

2016 Oct 31

Payton DeLuga, a native of Algonquin, IL, and graduate of Dundee Crown High School, is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's soccer team, which earned its sixth Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship in the last seven years.

The Warhawks enter postseason play on a 17-match win streak with an 18-1 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark in WIAC play. UW-Whitewater, the top seed in this week's WIAC Tournament, hosts a tournament semifinal against the lowest remaining seed this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Fiskum Field.

DeLuga, a sophomore at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in communicative sciences and disorders.

See below for a tournament preview.

This season the Warhawks completed their fourth perfect WIAC regular season in the past seven seasons, thus capturing the WIAC regular season title and a number one seed in the upcoming tournament. The top-seeded team earns a first round bye and the right to host a semifinal match, and should they advance, the championship match.

UW-W has won the WIAC regular season title in six of the last seven seasons, and the WIAC Tournament crown in three of the last four.

On offense the Warhawks are led by seniors Brianna Reid (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) and Carly Pottle(St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) and junior Marie Lesperance (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South).

Reid is the school's all-time leading goal scorer (58) and is tied with Emily Gerber (2008-11) as the school's all-time point scorer (133). She ranks first in the league-only statistics for shots (40), and is seeking to become a four-time all-league player.

Senior forward, and captain, Pottle, is tied for second on the team in goals (9) and is third in assists (4). She has tallied 36 career goals to go along with 14 assists.

Lesperance has stepped up against conference opponents tallying four goals, including two game-winners. The junior midfielder has racked up nine goals and two assists this season.

Defensively the Warhawks have been solid all year. The backline, which features sophomores Adria Schueler (Wales, Wis./Mukwonago), Lauren Otto (Richmond, Ill./Richmond Burton Community) and Payton DeLuga (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown), along with senior Carina Krausert (Delafield, Wis./Catholic Memorial), has aided freshman goalkeeper Sara Klimisch (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Indian Trail High School and Academy) en route to 11 shutouts this season. The Warhawks concluded the regular season with four straight shutouts over conferences foes, and prior had only given up three goals to opposing WIAC schools.

When UW-W begins tournament play on Thursday, they will face off against the lowest remaining seed in the tournament at 6 pm at Fiskum Field. Ultimately that rules out only one school, meaning the Warhawks could face either sixth-seeded UW-River Falls, fifth-seeded UW-Oshkosh or fourth-seeded UW-Stout. Earlier this season the Warhawks shutout both River Falls and Stout, but it took until overtime to defeat Oshkosh.

Head coach Ryan Quamme's squad has had the mantra of #FINISH all season, encompassing everything from sprints to goals. The conference tournament is no different. UW-W has their sights set on the WIAC Tournament and to #FINISH with a tournament title and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.