Sarah Griffith has continued the legacy of soccer talent originating from Waubonsie. Learn more in this Where Are They Now, presented by Molly Maid of Aurora Naperville Area.
The Waubonsie Valley girls soccer program under head coach Julie Bergstrom has produced a winning product on the field and high caliber players for nearly two decades.
Three state championships, dozens of collegiate stars and some who have even gone on to play professionally.
Another All-State Warrior
A recent green and gold standout who may have been small in stature, but huge in heart and talent is Sarah Griffith.
A 2017 Waubonise graduate, it did not take long for the high scoring forward to work her way into the starting lineup. As a freshman starter, Griffith helped the Warriors to a 3rd place finish at the 2014 state tournament.
While the Waubonsie teams fell in the regional championship games in each of her final three seasons, Griffith certainly pulled her weight and then some. In her senior season alone, she scored 24 goals and tallied 11 assists in only 21 games. The two-time All State selection scored 52 goals in her four year varsity career.
Big Stage in the Big Ten
Sarah Griffith then went on to play collegiately at Purdue University, taking her goal-scoring prowess to the Big Ten.
After a productive freshman season in which she started 18 games, Griffith suffered a major setback in 2018 that threatened her ability to ever play soccer again. A spinal fusion surgery kept the Boilermaker on the sidelines for the entire season as she worked her way back to health.
After a lengthy rehab, she was able to return to the starting lineup in 2019. The hard work paid off as Griffith’s return made an immediate impact. She started all 20 matches and was second on the team with three goals and three assists.
After missing the 2020 season due to COVID, Griffith continued her climb back to full strength with a dynamic redshirt junior season in 2021. Sarah led the team with 5 goals in the condensed 10 game season to go with one assist.
A player who never backs down and attacks challenges head on, there is little surprise to see Sarah Griffith thriving at the next level despite the obstacles that came her way.
For Naperville Sports Weekly, I’m Justin Cornwell
