Waubonsie's DiBernardo is Player of the Year
On team loaded with talent, DiBernardo's scoring touch stood out
It can be hard to get attention when one of your teammates is a national player of the year, as Waubonsie Valley soccer player Bri Rodriguez was named by Gatorade in 2008.
But when you're as talented as junior Vanessa DiBernardo, garnering the same level of attention is no problem.
Heather Eidson / Staff photographer
• Bergstrom credits award to whole program
This is the fourth in a series of stories honoring the outstanding athletes of the spring prep season. Earlier, The Beacon News named West Aurora's Karina Diaz and Alexis Fox its Badminton Players of the Year, and Oswego's Collin McWethy and Jake Wollenberg were recognized in boys tennis and boys volleyball, respectively. Still on the way: awards in softball and baseball. For stories on the awards already handed out, visit beaconnewsonline.com/sports . Inside
See who made The Beacon News' All-Area Girls Soccer Team, Page B5
For the third straight season, DiBernardo led the loaded Warriors in scoring with 16 goals and now has 56 in her career. Both players have been named all-Upstate Eight Conference, All-State and All-American at some point while with the Warriors.
DiBernardo kept things going for Waubonsie early in the season as Rodriguez missed time while recovering from knee surgery, and the junior is The Beacon News' Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
"If anybody gets injured, it puts more pressure on the other girls," Waubonsie coach Julie Bergstrom said. "But she brought her game up. It's part of sports, pressure and the ability to handle pressure. You can look at pressure in different ways. You can look at it as a compliment, that everybody wants to beat you."
That's something the Warriors haven't experienced much in DiBernardo's time in the program. After winning state titles her first two years and going 59 straight matches without a loss at one point, Waubonsie fell in a sectional title game to Naperville North, 2-1, to end its chances of a three-peat this season.
The combination of DiBernardo and Rodriguez had a lot to do with the Warriors' strong run this season. Of DiBernardo's 16 goals, six were assisted by Rodriguez. Rodriguez had six goals and 16 assists despite missing four games, and DiBernardo added 13 assists to her totals.
"We connect really easily," said DiBernardo, who committed to the University of Illinois during the offseason. "We know what each other wants to do. She can play the through ball, so we connect together really well."
Bergstrom couldn't have asked for a better combination up top. With players as talented as DiBernardo and Rodriguez, there could be a fight for scoring chances. There is only one ball, after all. But that was never a problem with this duo.
"Bri is one of the best final passers I've seen," Bergstrom said. "She puts that thing where you want it, how you want it. She can play a ball. Vanessa is more of a scorer. She likes to run at you, take people on."
It's only natural that DiBernardo would become a soccer player, considering her lineage. Her father, Angelo, is Waubonsie's boys coach, Vanessa's club coach at the America Soccer Club in Naperville and had a distinguished playing career.
"I started playing when I was 4 years old," DiBernardo said. "It's a big family thing. He's been coaching me for a long time. He'll sometimes help me out and sometimes I'll go to him, but not very often. But he'll put in his two cents every once in a while. He helps me more in club (soccer), since he's my coach."
Next year, DiBernardo will not have to fight for national attention, with Rodriguez and five other teammates moving on to Division I college careers.
"It's going to be a lot different because we're losing a big amount of players and they're talented," DiBernardo said. "I don't really know how it's going to be. It will be good and we'll do well and do our best, but it will be different." Girls Soccer Player of the Year
