Girls soccer: Van Roekel makes move to Barrington look easy, dominates with her play on the pitch

The welcoming party in which Ryan Stengren formed to greet his newest arrival on the Barrington Fillies scene proved to be the start of a wonderful relationship for Roos Van Roekel.

Van Roekel, who came to the United States just two years ago from the Netherlands — and whose trajectory has continued to point upwards — has developed into one of the best in the business to the point of being named the captain of the 2024 Daily Herald Cook County All-Area girls soccer team.

Arriving stateside from the small town of Ammerzoden located in the western Dutch province of Gelderland, Van Roekel and her family set out to tour a handful of high schools in and around the area, until being overwhelmed from all those involved from Barrington that helped make her decision an easy one.

"Right from the start I was sold on Barrington," recounts Van Roekel.

"The staff, tour persons, school, athletic facilities were all just amazing. (Then) after we made the decision to attend Barrington, I met coach (Ryan) Stengren and my new teammates, and that's when I really knew this is where I belonged."

"I received an email from a counselor that Roos had enrolled, and there was an interest in playing soccer, so right away we made contact with her and her family, and put her in touch with Ellie Sanchez, who helped welcome Roos into the Fillies family,“ Stengren said.

Sanchez was a four-year backline star under Stengren, and has gone on to play at North Dakota State University.

"Ellie made sure to shadow Roos all around school, and it was clear from the start just how impressive a young lady Roos was," continued Stengren.

"We could also tell she could play — but we never imagined just how good she was, and how much better she has become in just two short years."

"There were not any girls teams to play on in Ammerzoden, so I played soccer with the boys, mostly as a center-back, and some at the six (defensive midfield)," said Van Roekel.

Van Roekel joined the Fillies on the heels of yet another magnificent stretch of success with her new backline mates: Sanchez and Meredith McGreevy, plus midfielder and 2023 All-Area captain Brooke Brown, among others who had collected a pair of top four state trophies with a combined 40-6-2 overall records.

"We asked Roos to step in to become one of our center-backs last year in her first year of high school soccer here in the states, and playing in one of the toughest nonconference schedules around," said Stengren.

"Roos worked so hard, and with the help of just a great group of leaders that we had on our roster, she quickly became a top defender and key figure in our success."

Along with McGreevy, Sanchez and Annie Tarpey, the Fillies conceded just 10 goals a year ago before later falling in heartbreaking fashion in the 3A state final against O'Fallon.

As Van Roekel became more comfortable in her role along an air-tight backline, she became more than just a defender providing defensive protection in front of her two-time All-State keeper Megan Holland.

A strong leader and communicator on the pitch, Van Roekel is skilled at switching play with long range accuracy, has exceptional anticipation which allows her to jump out of the back-line to intercept or tackle or press in central areas when necessary.

"At 6-0 Roos is so dominant in the air, and in 1v1 defending, but her technical skill is what sets her apart, as does her incredibly high soccer IQ," said Stengren.

This spring, Van Roekel, with a brand new backline to organize — Hannah Blue, Grace Fuller and Chloe Gierthy — the Fillies were even stingier than the 2023 unit. They allowed just five into the back of the Fillies net en route to a 12th consecutive MSL Soccer Cup title.

Obviously others have noticed the brilliant play from Van Roekel.

In addition to being named the All-Area captain, she also was bestowed MSL West POY, All-State, POY in the state of Illinois by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association (IHSSCA) and most recently, All-American.

Unaware of the process of college recruiting, Van Roekel would depend on Stengren to help her navigate her way through it all.

"I wanted to continue to play after high school, but I didn't really know or understand the whole college soccer thing, so I just wrote to a lot of college coaches," said Van Roekel, who led the Fillies with 18 goals and 5 assists.

"We were able to find her a spot with a great FC74 (Libertyville) club. So that was a good first step in her development and education into the sport (here) but she's just a soccer junkie, so it did not take her very long to get to another level in her play," said Stengren.

"She was ready to sign to play at Indiana State University, but we all felt she should take a little more time before making a decision."

"Just like my first visit to Barrington, Loyola felt like the perfect fit for me," said Van Roekel, who will pursue a degree in exercise science.

"It is so exciting to be named the All-Area captain. I have my teammates and coaching staff to thank for the honor, because without them, it could have never happened."