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Girls' Soccer Metro Player of the Year: Lakeville North's Hannah Cade

By DAVID La VAQUE, Star Tribune, 10/26/15, 9:50PM CDT

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Cade runs the Panthers' show on the pitch, and she really hates to lose.


Lakeville North's Hannah Cade (4), the Star Tribune Girls' Soccer Metro Player of the Year.

The runners, silhouetted by a heavy snowfall, caught Jeremiah Johnson’s eye.

Putting in miles without being asked was standout soccer midfielder Hannah Cade and younger sister Maggie. Johnson, Lakeville North girls’ soccer coach, drove on that day last winter, feeling “warm and fuzzy” about his team’s potential under such a leader.

This fall Cade resumed her role as the quarterback in the Panthers’ patient, possession-based system. She pushed them to a No. 1 ranking through intelligent, intense play.

“Our game is all about space, and she is brilliant at moving the ball from small spaces to big spaces,” Johnson said. “And she will run you into the ground physically. She is 5-foot-nothing, 100-and-nothing but you’re not going to work her off the ball.”

An infectious determination has built up through near-misses in the playoffs. In Cade’s two previous seasons of high school soccer (she played club soccer as a sophomore), the Panthers were state tournament participants but couldn’t finish the job.

“I absolutely hate to lose,” Cade said. “I hate it more than I love to win.”

That mentality, Johnson said, helps make Cade an ideal choice as the Panthers’ holding defensive midfielder. From her position, which Johnson considers “the most difficult on the field,” Cade establishes a game’s tempo and rhythm. She has scored six goals and leads the Panthers with 13 assists.

“It’s a lot of quick ball movement and knowing where you’re going before you get the ball,” Cade said. “You’ve got to think two steps ahead every time. It takes a lot of trust of your teammates and their trust in you to do your job.”

Lakeville North’s roster brims with talent. Beyond Cade, the Panthers boast second-team all-state selections Temi Carda, Taylor Lock and Haley Steel. In addition, Alexis Tousignant leads the team with 11 goals.

“Going up against the talented players we have at North every day can only help and it has immensely,” said Cade, who landed a scholarship to Iowa State.

She laughed about last winter’s run that Johnson happened upon, clarifying that she started running before the storm. But, getting kudos from Johnson via text message meant a great deal.

“I showed it to my dad and he said, ‘You never know who’s watching,’ ” Cade said.