Hinsdale South sophomore midfielder Brynn Diedrich is rarely seen without a smile on her face, even when she’s sitting on the sidelines during a soccer practice on a cold, windy day in early spring.
Diedrich, who burst onto the high school sports scene by earning starting roles in basketball and soccer as a freshman, said the latter is her best sport.
It’s also her favorite. The reason is as simple as it is esoteric.
“My favorite thing about soccer is it is a time away from reality,” Diedrich said. “You get to try new things each game, and you have teammates, and it is celebration after celebration.
“It’s always fun — the energy and happiness that it brings.”
Diedrich generates plenty of energy, happiness and celebrations for the Hornets. She had 34 goals and a team-high 26 assists last season as Hinsdale South won a Class 2A regional title.
“Last year, from our first game, our team was so much fun,” Diedrich said. “It was so much fun after the cold practices. Coming back from basketball, there was this feeling of love and fun when we went out there.”
Hinsdale South girls soccer coach Jen Belmonte first got a glimpse of Diedrich during the 2023-24 basketball season. Diedrich was a starting guard and helped the Hornets qualify for the state semifinals for the first time since 1977. They finished fourth in Class 3A.
Belmonte, who played basketball and soccer at Hinsdale South and later played basketball at St. Xavier, was in attendance for the girls basketball team’s 46-33 loss to Chatham Glenwood in the state semifinals. Diedrich contributed four points and a team-high five assists.
“I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’” Belmonte said. “Great defender, great handles.
“It was a tough game for everyone, but she’s not afraid. That’s the thing. She went right to the hoop against some big kids. She has some confidence in her, man.”
That confidence is present in Diedrich regardless of the sport or the opponent. In her high school soccer debut last year, the Hornets played Lockport, a team that went unbeaten until the 3A sectional semifinals.
“We got a free kick, and she stepped up and just laser-beamed a goal,” Belmonte said. “The goalie didn’t stand a chance.
“Three minutes later, she had another one, and she did it again. So we lost 4-2, but she put up two great goals.”
Of course, Belmonte has Diedrich take all of the free kicks this season, which remain dangerous for opponents.
Diedrich had two goals and two assists during Hinsdale South’s season-opening 5-3 win over Elmwood Park. Both assists came on free kicks, with senior forward Audrey Atkinson and junior midfielder Kennedy Ruff scoring the goals for the Hornets (3-2).
“Brynn puts it right where you need,” Belmonte said. “They’re right on the money, so we designed a couple of plays for that.”
Whether Diedrich is running a play or running around defenders, she has an uncanny knack for turning designs into reality. Hinsdale South junior midfielder Anna Wilcox, who plays both sports with Diedrich, said that comes from work ethic as much as talent.
“I think that is just the effort that she puts in,” Wilcox said. “She has the skills to be a great soccer player, but beyond that it’s how much she tries during games and how much she makes a difference to the team and not just individually.
“She’s someone I can trust in both sports. I know that if I get her the ball in soccer or in basketball that she’s going to do the right thing. I just have faith in her abilities and her knowledge of both games.”
Diedrich, who averaged 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 steals during this past basketball season, comes from an athletic family. Her father played football at Millikin, where her mother played volleyball and basketball.
Diedrich’s older brother Grant is a senior at Hinsdale South who played football and basketball. A linebacker, he plans to play football at Navy or the Merchant Marine Academy. Younger brothers Yebby and Mesfin, who were adopted as infants from Ethiopia, are in middle school.
Diedrich’s favorite athletes are Chicago Stars forward Mallory Swanson and gymnastics great Simone Biles, and she hopes to get paid to play one day too.
“I want to play Division I soccer hopefully and maybe one day go pro,” Diedrich said. “That’s my dream.”
Fortunately for the Hornets, Diedrich has a long way to go before she graduates and has plenty of opportunities to score more goals.
That’s assuming she stays healthy. Diedrich has a rare injury called slipping rib syndrome. A rib on her left side sometimes pops out of place.
“I got it a year ago,” she said. “I was in the car laughing, and it just popped out. You can pop it back in sometimes. There’s exercises I can do to strengthen it. It’s really painful at first, but it goes away.”
Diedrich has played through the injury, although Belmonte sometimes rests her at practice.
“She’s tough,” Belmonte said. “What makes her good is she’s not afraid to get hit, which is probably why she’s injured now. She gets hit hard because she’s going so fast.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
