Outlaws star named 4A Player of the Year

The Outlaws know that Malachy Sundstrom was critical to the soccer team's state championship season. Now the rest of the state has tipped its hat to the Outlaw.

Boys soccer had three players that earned first-team all-state. Sundstrom, Ryan Funk, and Colton Mannhalter all were first-team picks, and Sundstrom got the added honor of being named Player of the Year at the 4A level.

Sundstrom, a junior, played forward for the Outlaws and finished with 23 goals on the season, and recorded 12 assists as well.

Coach Rob Jensen said, "Malachy was the apex of our attack. He was relentless and constantly put pressure on the defense by making big runs, pressuring the ball when it was lost in the attacking third, and overall out-worked his opponents. He is obviously a fast kid, but his change of pace is what gets defenders. Opposing teams know that he can score, and target him defensively, but he still manages to make his way to the goal. Sometimes it seems that he has a ball magnet in his shin pads."

Mannhalter, a senior, played at midfield. Colton scored 14 goals and tallied five assists over the course of the season. He was named Player of the Game in the state championship for the second consecutive year.

"During the regular season Colton confidently led his teammates," said Jensen. "He is an outstanding leader and team captain. Colton trusted everyone around him, knowing that a team would be needed to win the state championship. The thing with Colton is that the better the competition is, the better he plays. He always has another level. His best games were in the state playoffs, where he dominated opponents both offensively and defensively, scoring four goals and two assists in four games. Colton makes everyone around him better."

Funk (junior) played at keeper and recorded nine shutouts during the season. Ryan never allowed more than two goals against the Outlaws in a single game, and only once gave up two goals in a game this season.

"Ryan improved every day this season," said Jensen. "He just keeps getting better. He allowed the fewest goals in the state. He works harder than any goalie I have ever had. He never sits out a play in practice, and has a great attitude towards improvement. Ryan is an intimidating presence at goalie and has continued to stretch his abilities. We played most of the best teams in the state, and I didn't see a keeper that was better. He is much deserving of this award."

The Outlaws had a tremendous season and finished with a 16-0-1 record. They scored 70 goals, had only 10 goals scored against them, and were the only undefeated team left in the state. The Outlaws this year had the most wins in the state, fewest goals scored against them, and had the third-most goals offensively. They boasted the best defense in the state, and the third-best offense based on stats.

Girls soccer player Michaela Miller was a second-team all-state selection. Miller (center-midfield) scored nine goals, had five assists, was a first-team all-league pick, runner-up league MVP, and was voted the team MVP and Most Inspirational.

"Michaela controlled the flow of our games from center-midfield," said Coach Thomas Draxler. "She had high game intelligence from years of experience, and she combined that with powerful heading, accurate passing, dangerous shooting, and lightning speed. She could play anywhere on the field, and sometimes she did."