Meet the SJ-R's Small School Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Plains' Bailey Leach

PLEASANT PLAINS — Pleasant Plains/New Berlin coach Greg Bryan could tell on the first day of practice that Bailey Leach was the real deal.

The freshman midfielder quickly turned into one of the fiercest competitors he has ever come across in his 26-year tenure. What ultimately set her apart, though, was her unselfish play.

The State Journal-Register’s Small School Girls Soccer Player of the Year doled out 28 goals and 29 assists to help spur the Cardinals to third place in the Class 1A state finals. It was the program’s first state appearance since 2009 and second overall.

Leach furnished the lone goal in the 1-0 Columbia Supersectional victory over Freeburg but also excelled in a variety of other ways such as moving off the ball and getting her teammates involved, Bryan said.

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“She's got it and she's willing to learn,” Bryan said. “That's the thing about most of our girls. Nobody's saying, 'OK, I'm as good as I'm going to get.' Nobody has that mentality in practice anytime we do something. They're excited about trying something new, so that's what I think helped us have success this year.”

It’s a family affair

Leach certainly takes after her dad, Ryan.

He starred as a player himself at Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield College in Illinois and University of Illinois Springfield and fills in as an assistant coach at Plains.

That unbridled passion for soccer also extends to her younger sisters. That includes Jada, who will join the team next school year, and twins Paige and Paisley.

“We all have fun and it's just always been a big part of my life,” Leach said.

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Leach said she started to pick up the particulars of soccer as early as four years old from Ryan. Her club soccer experience also prepared her for the rigors of high school, she said.

Leach, in fact, advanced to the United States Youth Soccer National Championships final for second place in Orlando, Florida with Eclipse Select Central Illinois 15U over the preceding summer.

That helped her overcome any initial fears early in the season, and she quickly found her comfort zone on the field.

She led a promising young team that graduated just one senior, but she deferred the credit to her fellow teammates and coaches.

Seven different players registered at least 10 goals, including Leach. That also included sophomore Ella Wilcockson (22), freshman Raelyn Brammer (21) and junior Sophia Smith (19) to name a few.

“It's all a team effort, to be honest,” said Leach, who led the team in scoring and assists. “If it wasn't for my team, I wouldn't have all of the goals and assists that I ended up with. They helped us out a lot and they were just great teammates.”

Contact Bill Welt: 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: SJ-R 2023 Small School Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Bailey Leach