Bergen County girls soccer star graduating early to join national champion UCLA

Isabella Winn has a future in gold, a legacy in maroon and a famous goal stained in blood red.

The Ridgewood senior is one of the top midfielders in the state with a knack for a making a difficult game look easy. She sees openings that others can't and swoops in to win ball battles that others won't. She is graduating in January to get a head start in college with the defending national champion UCLA Bruins.

Above all, Winn is known for coming up big when the games get tight and the stakes are raised. Winn has scored 11 times in eight county matches and fired in the deciding goal in back-to-back sectional finals.

Maybe no one in North Jersey has changed the perception of their program over the last three years more than Winn.

"I've said for a while that Isabella is such a high-level player because of her work rate, first and foremost," coach Pete Kay said. "She's got incredible technical skills. She can pass. She can dribble. She can shoot. She can do everything. But when we lose possession of the ball, she's one of the first to press and try to win it back."

Winn is the third of four children in a house full of shin guards. Her mom, Silvana, grew up in a Croatian family on Long Island and played at Division I Harvard. Her little sister, Gabriella, is a midfielder on the Maroons' freshman team.

Winn came up the ranks as a forward in club soccer before switching spots in high school. The move was seamless for Winn, who claimed three county titles in lacrosse as a defensive mid. Forcing turnovers and playing without the ball is her main job each spring.

"I think playing other sports is really important," Winn said. "I know a lot of coaches say they want you to play one so you don't get hurt and focus all your time on one. I feel like playing different sports throughout my life has helped me understand different parts of the game and stay conditioned in the offseason."

Some players dream of scoring a big goal in a tournament setting, but that's a regular occurrence for Winn. She broke out as a sophomore with 17 goals, including the shot that gave Ridgewood its first county title in almost three decades.

Her spot in Ridgewood lore reached another level last year in the face of adversity. She chipped in a goal and an assist in a victorious county final, while dealing with an ankle issue that resurfaced from the spring. She broke her nose on a header in the sectional semifinal, then won the game in overtime.

"The trainer patched her up quick and she went on and actually scored the winner in overtime with a header," Kay said. "It shows how brave and how courageous she is. And it shows how much she wants to be out there to help the team."

BRACKET: Bergen County girls soccer tournament bracket, schedule

Winn laughs when asked how she's able to raise her level in the key moments. She explains that she really, really hates losing. It's something Karen Gessman and Alexandra Winnert have seen first-hand.

"These two have played soccer with me my whole life and they used to make fun of me," Winn said. "I used to cry all the time. We would let in one goal in seven-up and I'd be upset about that one goal."

The goal for Ridgewood is to go all the way this season.

The Maroons went 20-1 last year, but that one came in the state final against Freehold. Talent is all over the lineup with seven senior starters and two other Division I commits: goalie Katie Bisgrove (Elon) and forward Jessica Kaye (Miami).

Winn, who has five goals in the first five games, said she is doubling up on English class now in order to graduate early and head out to California. Trips back east will be pretty common with UCLA set to join the Big Ten Conference.

"My parents obviously are upset that I'm going far away," said Winn, who went down to Cary, N.C. to watch last year's NCAA final.

"Now that I can play over here at Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, schools that are all nearby, it's nice because they'll be able to see my games without flying."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Isabella Winn: Ridgewood NJ star joining UCLA women's soccer