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Perrysburg’s Adelle Francis, right, kicks the ball away from Anthony Wayne’s Jenna Rybicki during a Northern Lakes League high school girls soccer game between Anthony Wayne and Perrysburg at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse on Sept. 15.
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Perrysburg girls soccer standout Francis ready to be part of Michigan State rebuild

THE BLADE/KURT STEISS

Perrysburg girls soccer standout Francis ready to be part of Michigan State rebuild

Perrysburg High School girls soccer player Adelle Francis narrowed down her NCAA Division I offers, but after visiting Michigan State, she felt the Spartans’ women’s soccer program was the best fit for her. 

Michigan State recently brought in a new coach, Jeff Hosler, whose approach was one Francis appreciated. 

“I love his philosophy, and I got to meet a lot of the girls and they were super nice,” Francis said.  “And, honestly, I just love that idea of him rebuilding the program. I just love to be a part of that.

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She also received attention from programs in the Big East and Mid-American Conference.

“It was a super hard decision to make, because they're also great schools,” Francis said. “It just came down to the little things and, overall, where I thought I was going to be the happiest.”

Francis becomes Perrysburg’s first Big Ten women’s soccer recruit since 2013 graduate Maddy Williams, an All-American at Purdue.

Michigan State women’s soccer has made four appearances in the NCAA tournament, advancing as far as the second round. Both second round eliminations were at the hands of Notre Dame in 2005 and 2008. The Spartans also appeared in the tournament in 2002 and 2009.

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Francis has led Perrysburg in goals the last three seasons.

This season, Francis has 19 goals and 10 assists for Perrysburg. Her goals rank third in Division I statewide.

Last season, she scored 23 goals and added four assists. She scored 11 goals as a freshman.

Francis comes from a family of track and field athletes, but always had a passion for soccer.

In her sophomore season with the track and field team, she broke the program record in the long jump on three occasions. Francis’ best long jump distance was 18 feet, 11 inches, and she won a Division I regional title last year.

Francis considered competing in track and field and soccer in college. Ultimately, she made the decision to only pursue soccer. 

“I realized that playing both at a Big Ten school isn't super realistic,” Francis said, “because if I want to excel and really focus in on one, then I probably won't be able to do both.”

Perrysburg girls soccer coach Jorge Diaz coached Francis since she was 9. It was clear from an early age that she had a potential future in scorer. 

“Anytime an athlete achieves that college level, and at a high level Division I, as a coach, you're proud even if you just were a small contributor in the whole success thing,” Diaz said. “Just to be a part of this is always awesome.”

As a freshman, Francis was named to the All-Northern Lakes League second team and honorable mention for All-District. In her sophomore season, she was on the All-NLL first team and All-Ohio second team.

Francis’ ability to play multiple positions — she has played forward and midfield this season — has been an asset for the Yellow Jackets. 

“We move her around the field the entire game so we find out whether somebody is going to be marking her one-on-one,” Diaz said. “We try to kind of unbalance the other team by wherever we want to put Adelle.

“She's a super strong athlete, a great teammate, and she's definitely a player that is Division I material.”

First Published October 12, 2021, 11:59 p.m.

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Perrysburg’s Adelle Francis, right, kicks the ball away from Anthony Wayne’s Jenna Rybicki during a Northern Lakes League high school girls soccer game between Anthony Wayne and Perrysburg at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse on Sept. 15.  (THE BLADE/KURT STEISS)  Buy Image
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