DeWitt’s Danielle Stephan passes against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at Brandon High School in Ortonville, Mich.
DEWITT – Danielle Stephan welcomes the responsibilities that come with being a midfielder for the DeWitt girls soccer team.
Throughout her high school career, the junior has been a cog for one of the state’s elite programs. And this season, Stephan cemented herself as one of the best at her position.
Stephan finished her third varsity season with 19 goals and 21 assists for the Panthers, who finished the regular season as the No. 1-ranked team in Division 2. She’s been named the State Journal girls soccer player of the year.
“I get to be all over the field, be a part of the defense and the attack,” said Stephan, who was recently named first team all-state. “I love being (in the midfield) because I can stay in the game easier by communicating with everyone. …Kind of controlling the game and setting the pace and tone.”
Stephan, who is verbally committed to play at Michigan State, was an integral part of a DeWitt team that went undefeated in the CAAC Red and captured its third CAAC Gold Cup trophy in six seasons.
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With several players returning from last year’s team that reached the state semifinals, Stephan said the Panthers came into the season with state-championship aspirations. DeWitt looked to be penciled into the sport’s final weekend after it had never been ranked lower than No. 2 during the regular season. But the Panthers suffered an unexpected loss in the regional semifinals to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
“We weren’t expecting to lose that soon,” Stephan said. “I think we were jumping the gun a little bit, thinking we were going to go all the way without remembering we have to play these other teams. All these other teams wanted it as much as we did. “
This year was a pivotal one for Stephan after she was named a team captain for the first time in her career.
“I felt like the girls looked up to me,” she said. “It was a good feeling because it felt like they trusted me.”
During the regular season, Stephan strongly believed DeWitt was on its way to the state championship match after victories over No. 9-ranked Detroit Country Day and state runners-up Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, which lost to Notre Dame Prep in the state final. Those wins — over teams she considers as two of the best in the state — was an added boost of confidence.
“I knew we were capable of going all the way,” she added. “I felt good after we played those (games). We were intense. We knew we could compete.”
Stephan and the Panthers still have next season to capture the elusive title that would propel them to an even higher profile in the state. But she said her team is tired of referencing next season after every postseason defeat.
“It’s a possibility, but I don’t think we’re as confident about next year as we were this year,” Stephan said of her team potentially getting over the hump. “The 2017 class has really good girls coming in.
“But we thought it was going to happen this year.”
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Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.