Peotone’s Allie Werner named Daily Journal Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Long before she was a driving force behind the Peotone girls soccer team’s back-to-back appearances in sectional title games over the past two seasons, and even prior to her start in club soccer at age 7, Blue Devils junior Allie Werner had a flair for the game.

“When I was like 5, I started playing, and I always loved running around kicking a ball anywhere,” Werner said. “It didn’t even have to be a soccer ball. I would just run around with any ball outside. I would beg my family to come out and play with me and they were always like, ‘Allie, you never stop.’”

All of that hard work has paid off for Werner. A dozen years and countless hours of soccer later, she put up 35 goals and 20 assists in her junior season to lead Peotone to its fourth regional title in a row and second straight appearance in the sectional championship round.

She was an All-Illinois Central Eight Conference player for the second consecutive season, was selected to the IHSSCA All-State team for the first time and has now been named the 2025 Daily Journal Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Although receiving accolades is not a new experience for Werner, she said it is always validating to get that recognition while doing something she loves.

“It makes me really happy knowing that people see how much effort I put in and how I always try to do my best,” she said. “It’s definitely a really good experience knowing that I get to play alongside all my best friends.”

Werner hit the ground running at the varsity level in her freshman season in 2023, tallying 17 goals and seven assists to emerge as a standout player on a team that featured 10 juniors and a senior. They went 10-7-1 on the year.

She was named the team’s offensive MVP for the first time as a freshman, something she received in the past two season, as well. The Blue Devils went 16-5 in Werner’s sophomore season as she upped her total to 32 goals.

The 2025 team, missing 10 seniors from the year before, took a little time to find its footing. But after a 2-5-1 start, the Blue Devils went 10-2 down the stretch to reach the Sweet 16 once again.

“I’m very happy with how it turned out,” she said. “Knowing it was going to be a rough season going in, and it turned out as great as it did, it makes me even more excited for next season to see what it will bring.”

Head coach Ryan Murray, who just finished his second season in the role, also coached Werner for a season in junior high. He said he has seen her improve year after year, including taking big steps as a player and leader this past season with so many experienced players no longer with the team.

“Going into this year, she had to take a lot more responsibility on her back,” he said. “She didn’t have as many of those players feeding her perfect through balls, things of that nature. This year was the time where she got to prove herself, not just be one in that group of high-level players.”

Werner will head into the 2025-26 school year as one of six seniors on a Blue Devils team that has racked up plenty of postseason experience over the past few years. Without the early obstacles they had last season with so many new players mixing in, she said the team is ready to pick up where it left off heading into next season.

“Knowing that the end of the season ended how it did, it will be great because it’s only up from here,” she said. “We’re just going to keep experiencing more games together and playing together.”

With more postseason success being the primary goal for Werner and her teammates next season, there is also a major individual milestone that may be on the horizon.

Now with 84 career goals, Werner will enter her senior season needing just 15 to break the school record.

“I put in a lot of work the last four years,” she said. “This is my home town, and I’ve been here my whole life, and to be able to put my name into the soccer program would be really special.”