MONROE - If Maddie Kallgren could play soccer all day she wouldn't complain.
She's a soccer-aholic. Whether it's club soccer, open-gym soccer or the spring season with her Monroe High School teammates - Kallgren has excelled at scoring goals.
The senior has set a blistering pace through the first seven games with 10 goals and 10 assists. She's tied for sixth in the state in goals scored and fourth in the state in points (30), helping the Cheesemakers get off to a 6-1 start.
"I find soccer very relaxing," Kallgren said. "I like being outside, and it's almost like meditating. I can go outside and play soccer by myself for hours."
As the Cheesemakers scoring leader, Kallgren is on pace to crush her team-best 18 goals from last year. With a talented core of players on the field around her, she isn't shocked by the success this season.
"I don't know if I would say surprised," Kallgren said. "When you work hard you expect to score. I have high expectations of myself. I love to score. I think soccer is absolutely a team sport. Everything I do on the field is a product of my teammates and what we do together. You really can't just look at one player. It really is one single unit working together to be able to have success."
Kallgren lives between Monroe and Albany. She has a Monroe address but lives in the Albany School District. She open enrolled from Albany to Monroe as a freshman to play soccer.
"I'm glad I did," said Kallgren, who also plays basketball and ran cross country in the fall. "It's the best choice I have ever made."
She has spent many days running sprints in her backyard working on her speed.
"I wouldn't say speed has ever been my strong point," she said. "Running sprints in my yard over time has made a difference."
Kallgren takes on a leadership role as one of the Cheesemakers' captains. However, she leads by example as much as vocally on the field.
"Even though we have a lot of young players we are a real close team," she said. "The age doesn't matter as long as everyone is doing their roles and offering leadership. The leadership doesn't always have to come from the four to six seniors. If everyone is stepping up we will make things happen."
Monroe coach Miriam O'Neill lauds Kallgren for her work ethic.
"She's extremely competitive and works hard on the sport," O'Neill said. "She just gets better all the time."
Monroe plays in a competitive Badger South Conference highlighted by Oregon, the defending WIAA Division 2 state champion.
"The Badger South is super competitive," Kallgren said. "We are playing some of the top teams in the state for Division 2. I like the competition. We like to see where we stack up against the top-notch teams. I always want to play the top-notch teams in the conference. My team goal is to always compete. I never want to go out there and have it be a wipeout."
When she's not playing soccer, Kallgren's hobbies include reading and long-distance running.
"I'm a book worm," she said.
Kallgren will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall. She will join her brother, Johnny Kallgren in Madison. She plans to major in nutrition, but she won't give up soccer.
She will try out for the Badgers top women's club soccer team, which is a traveling team that plays many other colleges across the Midwest.
Before packing and moving into a dorm at Wisconsin, Kallgren expects the Cheese-makers to make a run in the postseason. Two years ago, Monroe won the program's first regional title and advanced to the sectional championship game where it lost to Mount Horeb. Kallgren is confident the Cheesemakers could make a sectional run again this year even with a team full of talented sophomores.
"I have always thought our conference gets us prepared for the regional tournament," Kallgren said. "There is a big difference between the Badger South competition and our Division 3 sectional pool. I think we have great things in store."
She's a soccer-aholic. Whether it's club soccer, open-gym soccer or the spring season with her Monroe High School teammates - Kallgren has excelled at scoring goals.
The senior has set a blistering pace through the first seven games with 10 goals and 10 assists. She's tied for sixth in the state in goals scored and fourth in the state in points (30), helping the Cheesemakers get off to a 6-1 start.
"I find soccer very relaxing," Kallgren said. "I like being outside, and it's almost like meditating. I can go outside and play soccer by myself for hours."
As the Cheesemakers scoring leader, Kallgren is on pace to crush her team-best 18 goals from last year. With a talented core of players on the field around her, she isn't shocked by the success this season.
"I don't know if I would say surprised," Kallgren said. "When you work hard you expect to score. I have high expectations of myself. I love to score. I think soccer is absolutely a team sport. Everything I do on the field is a product of my teammates and what we do together. You really can't just look at one player. It really is one single unit working together to be able to have success."
Kallgren lives between Monroe and Albany. She has a Monroe address but lives in the Albany School District. She open enrolled from Albany to Monroe as a freshman to play soccer.
"I'm glad I did," said Kallgren, who also plays basketball and ran cross country in the fall. "It's the best choice I have ever made."
She has spent many days running sprints in her backyard working on her speed.
"I wouldn't say speed has ever been my strong point," she said. "Running sprints in my yard over time has made a difference."
Kallgren takes on a leadership role as one of the Cheesemakers' captains. However, she leads by example as much as vocally on the field.
"Even though we have a lot of young players we are a real close team," she said. "The age doesn't matter as long as everyone is doing their roles and offering leadership. The leadership doesn't always have to come from the four to six seniors. If everyone is stepping up we will make things happen."
Monroe coach Miriam O'Neill lauds Kallgren for her work ethic.
"She's extremely competitive and works hard on the sport," O'Neill said. "She just gets better all the time."
Monroe plays in a competitive Badger South Conference highlighted by Oregon, the defending WIAA Division 2 state champion.
"The Badger South is super competitive," Kallgren said. "We are playing some of the top teams in the state for Division 2. I like the competition. We like to see where we stack up against the top-notch teams. I always want to play the top-notch teams in the conference. My team goal is to always compete. I never want to go out there and have it be a wipeout."
When she's not playing soccer, Kallgren's hobbies include reading and long-distance running.
"I'm a book worm," she said.
Kallgren will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall. She will join her brother, Johnny Kallgren in Madison. She plans to major in nutrition, but she won't give up soccer.
She will try out for the Badgers top women's club soccer team, which is a traveling team that plays many other colleges across the Midwest.
Before packing and moving into a dorm at Wisconsin, Kallgren expects the Cheese-makers to make a run in the postseason. Two years ago, Monroe won the program's first regional title and advanced to the sectional championship game where it lost to Mount Horeb. Kallgren is confident the Cheesemakers could make a sectional run again this year even with a team full of talented sophomores.
"I have always thought our conference gets us prepared for the regional tournament," Kallgren said. "There is a big difference between the Badger South competition and our Division 3 sectional pool. I think we have great things in store."
