Addison Van Zee

By: Elizabeth Schmidt

Addison Van Zee is a sophomore forward from Ham Lake, Minnesota on the University of Sioux Falls women’s soccer team. Van Zee was a key player for the Cougars this fall, scoring a career high eight goals and receiving All-NSIC Second Team Honors. She started in all 18 contests, where she played in 1197 minutes of action. She was a key part in the Cougars’ historic fall campaign, as they set records in their most wins, most goals, and most points for a season. Van Zee racked up multiple team records, including most goals in a single season, most points in a single season, most goals in a single game, most points in a single game, and most game-winning goals in a season. She received three Dave & Buster’s USF Athlete of the Week honors, the USF September Athlete of the Month, was the USF women’s soccer Player of the Year, the USF women’s soccer Offensive Player of the Year, was named to the NSIC All-Academic team, and earned All-NSIC Second Team Honors. To prepare for the fall season, Van Zee played on a summer Women’s Premiere Soccer League (WPSL) team, ran, and lifted every day. “Playing WPSL helped me play games consistently and stay fit over the summer,” Van Zee said. Her freshman year, she was recovering from an ankle injury. The biggest difference for Van Zee in her sophomore season was that she was finally healthy and trusted her body. Soccer is all about mindset, and she was more confident in her skills and abilities on the pitch this fall season. “I approach practice like it’s a game. I practice how I want to play. This makes games easier, because I have been preparing in every practice like it is a game,” Van Zee said. Van Zee’s favorite game this season was the Cougars senior day comeback win against the Wayne State Wildcats. The team came back from a one-goal deficit at halftime to win two to one. Van Zee scored both goals, scoring the tying goal just one minute into the second half and the second one 20 minutes later. Her favorite memory from the season was traveling to Concordia St. Paul. Van Zee saw her family, went to the Mall of America with her team, and ate lunch at one of the seniors’ houses. She is looking forward to competing in the spring soccer season, which recently started on January 19, 2026. “I am excited to get better and have the team grow closer so we can keep improving for next fall.”