Former C-G star to lead Kentucky school

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When Kentucky’s high school soccer season starts this month, Lindsey Passaglia will see plenty of familiar faces.

Passaglia, a Cary-Grove graduate, is the new varsity girls soccer coach of Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky., where she was a standout defender at Western Kentucky University for four seasons.

“I’ve coached all of them before in Western soccer camps,” the 23-year-old said.

Passaglia also coached three of her varsity players in Bowling Green’s Sky Soccer Club. More than 10 other players whom Passaglia coached in club soccer eventually will play at Greenwood as well.

“I know all the players, and I know their parents,” said Passaglia, who will teach 11th grade English. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was in their position. I think I can give a lot back. Ever since I started working soccer camps, I knew coaching was something I could really get into.”

Greenwood appealed to Passaglia, who coached Macon County (Tenn.) High School’s varsity team to a winning record last season, on many levels.

“It reminds me a lot of Cary-Grove [athletically and academically],” she said. “The athletic department is highly respected.”

Greenwood’s girls soccer team went 19-4-2 last season and advanced to the final four in the Kentucky state tournament while winning section, region and district titles. The team opens its season July 25-26 in the Bluegrass State Games.

After spending last season driving an hour each way to Macon County, Passaglia will be working much closer to the college community that has become home.

“It’s somewhere that I could definitely live for a long time,” she said of Bowling Green. “The closeness of the community is hard to match anywhere.”

Passaglia’s appreciation for Cary-Grove will make coaching Greenwood a slight adjustment.
Like C-G’s Fox Valley Conference rival Crystal Lake South, the Greenwood school colors are green and gold, the school’s nickname is Gators and its athletic field is nicknamed “The Swamp.”

“My dad [Paul] was the first one who noticed that,” Passaglia said. “It’s a funny coincidence since South was our big rival.”

Super Streak: Woodstock grad Kevin Zalnis earned first-team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors this spring for the second year in a row.

Zalnis, a senior at Wisconsin-Whitewater, ranked second in the WIAC this season with 45 RBIs, the top total this season for the Warhawks (30-19).

While starting 48 games at third base, first base and in the outfield, Zalnis hit .269 while leading the team with eight homers and 11 doubles.

Volleyball honors: Crystal Lake South graduate Lindsey Loescher was named Eastern Kentucky’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year in volleyball at the team’s awards banquet in May.

Loescher, who also played at McHenry County College, will be a senior for the D-I Colonels this fall.

Sophomore defensive specialist Jill Henneman, a Crystal Lake Central grad, won the team’s Coach’s Award.

During the team’s spring schedule, Loescher had a team-high 52 kills as EKU went 3-3. Marian Central grad Autumn Harms, a senior middle blocker, added 40. Fellow Marian grad Kate Hendle, a junior setter, compiled a team-best 33 digs in the spring.
 

• Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus blog at www.McHenryCountySports.com/blogs/oncampus.