If talent is considered to be the great equalizer in sports, drive and ambition are the purest forms of separation. Oswego East’s Anya Gulbrandsen can attest to that.
While outcomes matter for the junior midfielder, soccer remains a deeply personal act where every game offers its own litmus test — and the chance to truly to excel.
“I feel like I am naturally very competitive,” she said. “I think this is what has always pushed me forward. As long as I can remember, I wanted to win every individual battle.
“It’s not just about playing until the final whistle. I don’t feel complete if we win, but I don’t feel like I won all of my individual battles.”
As a sophomore last season, Gulbrandsen scored a team-leading 17 goals and added 10 assists the Wolves finished 18-3 and captured their first regional title in program history.
Amid a revamped roster and a position change from the outside to the center, the Wisconsin recruit looks to propel Oswego East to ever greater heights this season.
Gulbrandsen, who has five goals and an assist this spring for the Wolves (2-0), has welcomed the shift from outside midfielder to being the orchestrator of the attack.
“On all of my teams, I have always been a winger or outside midfielder,” she said. “I feel like I got a little bit content playing that role. For instance, I always had that sideline at my back and I never had to worry about what was coming from that angle.
“One of the things I wanted to work on this year was 360-degree spatial awareness.”
The 5-foot-6 Gulbrandsen does not have an overpowering physical presence, but she uses her speed, guile, savvy and versatility to leverage the rest of her game.
“Anya manages to find the ball a lot and do something creative with it,” Oswego East coach Juan Leal said. “She is very crafty and likes to create her own shooting opportunities.
“She is a precise passer and has a great first touch. From her freshman year until now, she has absorbed a lot of information from game play and has a very high soccer IQ.”
Including Gulbrandsen, Oswego East returns eight starters. There are two considerable absences for the Wolves, however.
Junior midfielders Riley Gumm and Morgan Dick, Gulbrandsen’s two closest friends, elected to play club this season to optimize their college recruiting opportunities.
Gulbrandsen confirmed that was her likely path had she not committed last fall.
“The other part is I really enjoy high school soccer,” she said. “I think it’s a unique experience. I’m going to miss the girls who graduated and the girls who didn’t come back.
“High school’s still really fun, and I think we’re going to do some great things.”
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One of Oswego East’s returning starters is senior Sam McPhee, who has toggled between playing defender and goalkeeper. She offered rave reviews on Gulbrandsen.
“Anya is a brilliant player who changes the game at Oswego East in ways she doesn’t even know,” McPhee said. “She makes everyone around her better just from the way she reads the game.
“Her presence just brings competitiveness to the team.”
Gulbrandsen, who is rarely if ever still, continues to strive for more.
“You have always had individual and team goals,” she said. “I felt like last year, I had a better sophomore season than my freshman year. I want to keep that up.
“For the first time, I am really playing with girls who are younger than me and I want to take advantage. I’m a bit older, a little stronger, and I am really excited.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
