Kane County Chronicle girls soccer Player of the Year: St. Charles East freshman Mya Leon

It’s very rare to see a defense focus all its efforts on stopping a singular player.

Let alone a freshman.

Yet that’s a feeling that St. Charles East freshman Mya Leon was accustomed to seeing by the end of her first high school season. And for good reason.

Leon ended her freshman campaign with 34 goals and 12 assists, won the DuKane Conference Golden Boot award and was named to the All-State team in her first high school season.

And while she knew it would happen at some point in her career, Leon, who is the 2025 Kane County Chronicle Girls Soccer Player of the Year, never expected it would happen this early.

“I really wouldn’t have realized that people would catch up that fast,” Leon said. “I didn’t know there would so much coverage of my ability off the bat. So I definitely had to work around being man marked, and that was something I had to learn and work around.”

Leon’s impact on the pitch was almost instant. After a scoreless opening to the season against Fremd, she went on a tear over the next 10 games, netting 20 goals in that span and capturing the program’s freshman scoring record, which had stood untouched for 42 years.

“We were just waiting for her to get her feet under her, get settled in and get comfortable,” Saints coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “It seemed like it took a couple of weeks. But when she did, she just went on a scoring rampage. And beyond the goals, she just changed the way our team was viewed by others.

“And I think that when she broke that freshman scoring record, she recognized that she’s capable of playing at that high level and being one of the best players on the field at any given day.”

Whenever she scored, it was in bunches.

Leon finished the season with nine multi-goal performances, which included five hat tricks.

There even was a six-goal performance in her first DuKane Conference contest against Glenbard North.

“I think it just felt natural,” Leon said. “I felt like when I would score I was in the right place at the right time. But if I didn’t have the right position, I could easily pass it off to someone else that could have that vision.”

When she didn’t have the ball, she still was making an impact. Leon had 12 assists on the season and DiNuzzo said she provided a distraction for defenses to open up scoring opportunities for teammates such as sophomore Sophia Wollenberg and freshman Qori Strotkamp.

“Even in games she wasn’t scoring, which wasn’t often, she was dragging team’s centerbacks off of position and that allowed her team to be a little bit more successful,” DiNuzzo said. “Her pace, her ability to be in the right place at the right time, that’s just her instincts and her feel for the game, which is just natural to her. And she’s only going to get better.”

Leon was one of only two freshmen in the state to earn All-State honors. Dixon’s Jenna Harrison was the other first-year player named to the list.

Leon said a goal is to help the Saints, who are set to return all but one starter, go on a state title run next season.

“I think we all know that this season didn’t end how we wanted it to, but it just gives us more motivation for next season,” Leon said. “I think everyone’s expecting us to have a strong season since everyone was so young this year. And I think we’re going to play better together now that we know what to improve on and what to look out for.”

DiNuzzo couldn’t be more excited to see what Leon’s and the team’s future holds.

“She’s on pace to break the all-time scoring record at East, which has been held since the ’90s,” DiNuzzo said. “I don’t think anybody ever thought it would be broken. And I think she was happy about her individual performance, and we wish the season would’ve ended differently. But there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about this team next year.”