Sports

Mary Duffy was thrilled.

And more often than not, that’s a rare feeling when coaches leave all-conference meetings.

But Duffy, Middleton’s girls soccer coach, was awfully happy with this year’s Big Eight Conference results.

The Cardinals had nine players named all-Big Eight, including four first-team all-conference selections. Middleton had one second-team pick and four honorable-mention all-conference choices.

“I am really pleased with the all conference picks,” Duffy said. “We finished third in the conference, but were able to get four players on first (team), one on second and four on honorable mention.”

Senior keeper Meghan Ledin, a University of Wisconsin recruit, led Middleton’s first-team selections. Junior forward Ellen Jesse, junior midfielder Leia Peterman and senior defender Carly Kirkpatrick were also named first-team.

Middleton’s baseball team had another terrific season.

The Cardinals compiled an 18-7 overall record. Middleton finished in second place in the Big Eight Conference with a 12-6 record. And the Cardinals came within one game of reaching the state tournament.

So it was no surprise that Middleton landed seven players on the all-Big Eight Conference team.

Senior pitcher Brian Lochner, junior second baseman Luke Schafer and junior third baseman Kasey Miller were all named first-team all-conference. Senior pitcher Reese Felton was named second-team all-league, while senior first baseman Tanner Meinholz, senior center fielder Kenji Passini and junior catcher Jackson Keeler were all named honorable-mention all-conference.

Lochner compiled a 5-1 record, threw five complete games and had a stellar 1.91 ERA. Opponents batted just .230 off of Lochner and had an on-base percentage of .297.

MILWAUKEE — Perhaps 2013 will prove to be the appetizer.

Maybe the main dish will be served in 2014.

Middleton’s girls soccer team was a surprise qualifier for this year’s WIAA Division 1 state tournament. But the Cardinals were a relatively young team, and could be even more dangerous next year.

“We should be really good again,” Middleton coach Mary Duffy said. “We’ll have a lot of talent back.”

The Cardinals say goodbye to a gifted seven-person senior class.

Keeper Meghan Ledin, a University of Wisconsin recruit, led that group. Ledin posted eight shutouts this year and had a goals against average of just 0.83.

The rest of the senior class included forward Shannon McCauley, midfielders Ryleigh Wolff, Jocelyn Tiedt and Cassidi Goll, and defenders Carly Kirkpatrick and Bridget Arnold.

“We had a really good group of seniors,” Middleton junior midfielder Caroline Keenan said. “But we should have a great group coming back.”

Middleton’s girls softball team landed four players on the all-Big Eight Conference team.

Senior center fielder Emily Pomykalski and senior second baseman Leah Wolff were both named first-team all-conference. Freshman first baseman Shelby Ballweg was named second-team all-league, while junior shortstop Ashley Brooks was named honorable-mention all-conference.

Pomykalski, a four-year varsity player, had another terrific season.

Pomykalski batted .296 and led Middleton with 19 RBI. Pomykalski also had a .378 on base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage.

Pomykalski, a co-captain, will play collegiately at UW-La Crosse beginning next year.

“She’s very natural in the outfield,” Middleton coach Arin Oppermann said. “She plays with confidence and makes tough catches look easy.

“She has an extremely strong arm and has no problem throwing girls out at home from center field, which she made a habit of doing this year.”

MILWAUKEE — It was early Thursday evening and Middleton’s girls soccer team gathered on a hill overlooking Uihlein Soccer Park.

Some cried. Some sat and stared quietly.

And others were quick to appreciate the magical year they just experienced.

“I guess just making it here was great,” said Middleton junior forward Caroline Keenan, after the Cardinals dropped a 2-1 decision to Waukesha West in the WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinals.

“Making state was a goal. It’s a shame we couldn't advance, but making state is something we talked about all season. We all were hoping we could make it further, but it was a great run.”

Indeed it was.

Middleton, a No. 5 seed in its sectional, stunned most of the state by simply making it this far. But the Cardinals’ surprise journey ended at the hands of the experienced and powerful Wolverines.

VERONA — Middleton girls soccer coach Mary Duffy would have gladly taken one save.

Cardinals keeper Meghan Ledin scoffed at that concept.

“The goal is always one save,” said Ledin, a University of Wisconsin recruit. “But I always want to do better than that.”

She did. And now the Cardinals are headed to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament for the first time since 2007.

Middleton and Oregon played 100 minutes of scoreless soccer in last Saturday’s sectional final. The game then went to a shootout, where Ledin put on her Wonder Woman cape.

Ledin stopped a remarkable four-of-four penalty shots as the Cardinals toppled Oregon, 2-0, in penalty kicks. Middleton (14-4-4) will now face Waukesha West (17-4) in a state quarterfinal Thursday at 5 p.m. at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.

“Whenever Meghan is in goal, we have so much confidence,” said senior defender Bridget Arnold. “She’s just amazing. We’re thankful she’s on our team.”

SAUK CITY – Senior shortstop Brian Lochner walked off the field Friday evening for the last time representing the Middleton Cardinals baseball team with the look of frustration and disappointment on his face.

Lochner was proud of what he and his teammates had accomplished during the season, but unhappy it didn’t end with another trip to Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute like it did a year ago.

Waunakee used a four-run outburst in the fifth inning and pitchers Jacob Nellis and Mark Siehoff combined to hold Middleton to just two hits en route to a 6-0 victory over the Cardinals in a WIAA Division 1 sectional championship game held at Sauk City Athletic Field.

Waunakee (21-3) advanced to play defending state champion Sun Prairie (22-2) in a Division 1 state quarterfinal game in Grand Chute on Tuesday. Middleton ended its year 18-7.

It happens every postseason.

A keeper gets white hot, their teammates come up big, and a surprise team emerges from nowhere.

In the 2013 WIAA Division 1 girls soccer playoffs, that keeper has been Middleton’s Meghan Ledin. And that team has been the upstart Cardinals.

Middleton, the No. 5 seed in its sectional, used a sensational performance from Ledin Thursday night to stun top-seeded Waunakee, 1-0, in a sectional semifinal.

Ledin notched 10 saves and came up huge every time Middleton’s defense slipped.

The Cardinals, meanwhile put just one shot on goal. But that was enough as Ellen Jesse scored in the 66^th minute to propel Middleton to a memorable win.

The Cardinals improved to 13-4-4, while the Warriors ended the year 17-2-1. Middleton now faces second-seeded Oregon in a sectional final Saturday at 3 p.m. in Verona.

The WIAA Division 1 girls state track and field meet was approaching. And Cardinals standout Darcy Dean was wrapping her head around the event’s unique history.

Each year when Middleton’s athletes go to state, they stay at a bed and breakfast at a farmhouse in Onalaska. And as Dean got ready to leave her fingerprints on this year’s meet, she first reflected on past Cardinal greats.

“Knowing that remarkable Middleton track athletes, such as Liz Reusser and Casey Cramer once stayed in the same bed and breakfast makes you realize you're part of something big,” Dean said. “It's all about tradition, and being a part of it is so special.”

Dean — and several of her teammates — added their chapter to that long and proud history last weekend.