Shrine soccer trio earns all-state honors for 2023 season

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak Shrine Catholic was well represented on the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Division 4 all-state list, almost fielding an all-state honoree for each graduation class.

Finishing her final year at Shrine, senior midfielder Norah Tisko earned first team all-state honors after another dominant season on the field with four goals and five assists.

Tisko making the all-state list was a regular occurrence the past three seasons, after she earned a spot as an honorable mention in 2021 and placed on the third team in 2022.

“She’s a player who leads more by example than through her words,” Shrine coach Mark Soma said. “Even though soccer isn’t her first love, she’s worked really hard at improving her ball skills and learning from other good girls we’ve had over the years on how to become that good leader.”

As a libero on the Shrine varsity volleyball team, Tisko surpassed 1,000 digs in her career as a four-year varsity player and two-year team captain. Tisko was an all-state honorable mention in 2021 for volleyball.

Volleyball aside, Tisko was a key contributor to Shrine Catholic’s Division 4 state soccer championship in 2022 — scoring the lone goal in the final — and she said that will always be a core memory for her.

“The Shrine team was always so close, and because we were a competitive team, it made everything so much fun,” Tisko said. “My favorite moment was for sure the 2022 state championship and scoring the goal in the beginning of the second half of the game. After losing the previous year, it was fun redemption.”

Speaking of the state championship game, Shrine junior goalkeeper Elena Gallagher earned first team all-state honors in 2022 after a shutout performance in the 2022 state finals.

The 2023 season was her third time on the all-state list in her three-year career, after also earning first team honors in 2021. Gallagher has solidified herself as one of the top goalies in Michigan year after year, tallying seven shutouts and a 1.1 goals against average in 2023 to earn third team all-state honors this season.

“She’s grown into one of the best goalies in the state, and she’s done that through hard work,” Soma said. “She’s grown a lot as far as communicating from the back to forward. She’s really good at communicating with her teammates.”

Gallagher will be a vital part of Shrine’s leadership group in 2024, and she said she’s excited to take on the challenge after embracing the role this season.

“This season, I think my biggest asset was my communication and general confidence,” Gallagher said. “I learned how to step up and lead the field from the back, progressing more and more every game.”

A newcomer to the all-state list in 2023, earning all-state honorable mention, sophomore midfielder Isobel Malcom emerged onto the scene in the best way possible and will be one to keep an eye on moving forward for Shrine.

“Her biggest jump has been physicality, not being afraid, and having the confidence to know she can battle with anybody,” Soma said.

Malcom’s physical play on the offensive end led to three goals and seven assists this season, and she’ll look to be a scoring threat once more next season.

“I definitely felt more confident this year,” Malcom said. “I felt I was more aggressive and that helped me to become a better central player.”