Do-it-all Stephenson named Examiner’s Player of the Year

Allie Stephenson stood out in a lot of ways every time she stepped on the soccer field.

But the thing about the Lee’s Summit North senior was that it was almost impossible to pinpoint her greatest strength. She scored 32 goals her senior season, which is probably her most jarring statistic, but Broncos coach Tim Richardson said what was most impressive was that she didn’t seem to have a noticeable weakness.

“Allie in a lot of ways was a complete player,” said Richardson, who recently stepped down as coach of the girls squad. “We’ve had specialists around here like Morgan Marlborough, who was a fantastic scorer. We’ve had some really good defenders and some really high-level goalies and all that. But in a lot of ways, Allie was a complete player.”

Stephenson was utilized more as a defensive midfielder early in her career, and Richardson said he was always most impressed by her vision in setting up teammates for scoring chances – she tallied nine assists as a senior. Then there were the dozens of times she blew by a defense and took scoring matters into her own hands. He also saw her score in every conceivable way over the last four years – off headers, breakaways, direct kicks and more.

“Definitely in the course of the Lee’s Summit North girls program, she stands out as one of the most skilled players that we’ve had,” Richardson said.

And after leading the Broncos to a 24-4 record, a Suburban Big Six Conference title and a Class 3 state runner-up finish, Stephenson was named The Examiner’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

By now, Stephenson is used to taking home postseason hardware. She’s a four-time first team all-state selection and was named this season’s Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year.

But Stephenson said those don’t mean nearly as much as the team success she helped the Broncos reach throughout her career. North captured four district and conference titles in Stephenson’s four years and reached the state title match in her freshman and senior seasons.

“We had really successful seasons every year,” Stephenson said. “We went to state twice, and those are probably the two seasons that stand out the most. ... It was just an experience I won’t forget.”

And while the Broncos came up short in both of those championship meetings – losing 2-1 to Incarnate Word in penalty kicks in 2009 and 3-0 to Cor Jesu Academy this season – Stephenson’s presence was apparent in both contests.

Richardson said he could remember pulling Stephenson aside at halftime against Incarnate Word with the Broncos trailing and telling the freshman that the team needed someone to step up – regardless of their class standing.

Stephenson nodded and proceeded to come up with the game-tying goal.

Against Cor Jesu, Stephenson failed to generate any scores, but she was blanketed by a swarm of Cor Jesu defenders throughout the match.

Not that that was much different from most of the games she played throughout her career.

“Teams have had to deal with Allie Stephenson,” Richardson said. “When you played against Lee’s Summit North, it was, ‘How are we going to address Allie?’ And a lot of different schemes and approaches were used, and frequently those were ineffective.”

Stephenson took on the attention from opponents like she did everything else: without hoopla. As a freshman and sophomore, Stephenson played more of a distributor’s role alongside Marlborough, who set the state record for career goals with 232.

Her final two years, she took on more offensive responsibilities and responded by scoring 65 total goals.

“I felt like I had more pressure on me to kind of help the team along,” Stephenson said. “But I think that I enjoyed being the leader and we just had a lot of players that stepped up.”

Now, Stephenson will head to Stillwater, Okla., where she’ll play for Oklahoma State. Unlike most high school athletes, Stephenson decided to commit to the Cowgirls as a sophomore.

“I really liked the small town atmosphere and I like the coaches,” Stephenson said. “They have a really strong program and they’re just building right now. It will be a really good fit.”

Regardless of what happens in her college career, Stephenson leaves North with a legacy that will last.

“Just look at the success we’ve had over the time she’s been at North,” Richardson said. “... Allie leaves a strong footprint on our program and certainly contributed to some of the best years that we’ve had here.”