The Herald’s 2022 Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Sara Rodgers

At her core, Sara Rodgers is a defender.

For most of her club soccer career, she’s excelled as a center back and defensive midfielder. During her freshman season at Snohomish High School, she was a key part of the Panthers’ back line. And at the college level, her future is likely on the defensive side.

But heading into her junior year at Snohomish, Rodgers moved into an attacking role for the Panthers.

It sure worked out well.

Rodgers unleashed a barrage of 31 goals and five assists last season, propelling Snohomish to the Class 3A state quarterfinals.

The University of Idaho-bound senior then followed with another spectacular campaign this fall, totaling 32 goals and 10 assists while lifting the Panthers back to the 3A state tournament.

After a dominant two-season run as Snohomish County’s leading goal scorer, Rodgers is The Herald’s 2022 All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

“What’s crazy is that naturally she’s probably even a better defender than she is a forward,” Snohomish coach Brielle Dodge said. “(But she was) super dynamic offensively.

“It was get the ball to Sara and see what she can do with it. … Put the ball at her feet and just let her move mountains.”

Rodgers scored or assisted a whopping 61% of the Panthers’ goals this season, leading them to a Wesco-best 3.5 goals per match.

The Snohomish star forward scored in 16 of her team’s 20 contests, while posting 10 multi-goal performances and six hat tricks.

And she came through big in the postseason, powering the Panthers to state with five goals in four 3A District 1 Tournament matches.

“Every single game, Sara put on a performance,” Dodge said. “… She brought it every single time — every game, every practice.”

Some goal scorers create opportunities with elegant footwork. Others lean on their blazing speed.

For Rodgers, it was her ability to attack forcefully and decisively without slowing down.

“When she got the ball, she knew what she wanted to do and just attacked,” Dodge said. “It’s really amazing to watch, because she doesn’t over-complicate the game of soccer. She just grabs the ball and goes full force.

“It catches (defenders) off-guard, because normally you start running at a player and then you slow down to make your move. And with Sara, she just drove at you so forcefully that you didn’t know what to do. Oftentimes, people were kind of stumbling backward.

“She just would slightly touch off to one side or the other and just keep running.”

Dodge said Rodgers had a knack for finding “beautiful angles” — both with the ball at her feet and while making runs.

And when she had a scoring chance, Rodgers knew how to convert.

“She could shoot from wherever inside the 30-yard line,” Dodge said. “(She has) an incredibly strong shot. She just knew where she wanted the ball to go and got it there.

“She also had a great ability to use her head. The girls would just find her head and she would put the ball away.”

Rodgers deflected credit to her teammates.

Senior midfielder and longtime teammate SJ Hammer complemented Rodgers with 16 goals and six assists. Junior forward Hannah Trochmann provided 13 assists. And a handful of other Panthers chipped in several assists apiece.

“Honestly, my teammates had a big thing to do with it,” Rodgers said. “They were always just looking to get me the ball.”

One of Rodgers’ most impressive goals came in a midseason clash against Wesco 3A/2A champion Shorecrest.

Immediately after the Scots scored a go-ahead goal, Rodgers answered with a display of individual brilliance. She passed the ensuing kickoff to Trochmann, got the ball right back and then singlehandedly dribbled through Shorecrest’s defense and found the back of the net to even the match.

“We were flabbergasted,” Dodge said. “She just was like a gazelle galloping down the field. Nobody could touch her. She just had this click in her head — this determination that ‘I’m going to go score.’ And she was able to do that.

“For me, that was just a speechless moment. That’s nothing you can coach. (It was) just watching this player do what she’s naturally built to do.”

One of Rodgers’ favorite moments was scoring the deciding goal in the Panthers’ state-clinching 1-0 district tournament victory over Monroe.

With her team tangled in a scoreless tie, Rodgers received a chip from Trochmann and slotted home the go-ahead score to lift Snohomish to its fourth consecutive state berth.

“I was so, so excited,” Rodgers said. “That was one of the more special moments of my high school career.”

Dodge raved about Rodgers’ talent, but was equally effusive about the steady leadership she provided.

“No matter how hard the game was, she was just the most level-headed soccer player,” Dodge said. “… She was always the person that everybody else turned to. She was just calm, cool and collected. And I think her teammates really responded well to that.”

Dodge said that leadership was evident on a daily basis, as Rodgers used her inclusive approach to foster a team mentality.

“When we’re doing drills, she didn’t just go play with her best friend,” Dodge said. “She sought out different girls to just do the mundane drills with. … She always went the extra mile to include her teammates in other things. And I think that really showed in our team dynamic.

“It wasn’t just the Sara show. Sara made sure that everybody felt included.”

And when the Panthers found themselves in firm control against a weaker opponent, it was Rodgers who insisted on spreading the wealth.

“She’d get a hat trick (and be) like, ‘Put me somewhere else, coach,’” Dodge said. “And so I’d put her at center back and let her distribute to her teammates from there. … She was always the first one to make sure that her teammates had those (scoring) opportunities. She was really selfless.”

After a staggering 63 goals over the past two high school seasons, Rodgers is now focused on preparing to play Division I soccer at Idaho.

“It’s always been a dream of mine ever since I was little,” she said of playing in college.

Dodge said she and the rest of the Snohomish program can’t wait to see what Rodgers does at the next level.

“To be able to immerse her amongst other players of her caliber, I think she’s the kind of player that will just continue to rise,” Dodge said. “I’m super excited. Our whole program, we’re so excited to … see all the things that Sara gets to do there.”

And as for Rodgers’ legacy at Snohomish?

“She’s a player that we’re gonna continue to talk about for years to come,” Dodge said.