For a new player joining a team with nine senior starters, one might think it would make for a daunting transition.
As a junior who transferred to Lake Central from Texas last season, Sienna Pinskey found the exact opposite to be the case.
“I was fortunate to have the soccer team be very welcoming and so nice to me,” Pinskey said. “It was like a second family. A lot of good, talented seniors took me under their wing.”
Pinskey’s attitude and personality allowed her to seamlessly fit in with the Indians, even with many of the players having grown up together.
“Her work rate is second to none, and they accepted her right away,” Indians coach Shawn Thomas said. “People see that hard work, and they respect it. There was never any question what she was about.”
A forward, Pinskey helped Lake Central win its first regional title since 2008. She contributed six goals and four assists, playing behind Brianna Dougherty and Tarah Hamby, a tandem that combined for more than 30 goals.
As a senior, Pinskey already has produced nine goals and two assists. And with Lake Central having graduated such a large class, she has embraced the central leadership role that Thomas hoped she would.
“Now it’s a situation where the younger girls want to match how hard she’s working and want to impress her,” he said.
“She’s always really encouraging, upbeat and positive, a great influence on the younger kids. If I’m being hard on them, she’s the first one to say, ‘It’s OK, you’ll get it right next time.'”
Although it didn’t take long for Pinskey to adjust, her comfort level has increased in her second year in the Region.
“I thought of Indiana as cornfields,” she said with a laugh. “But it’s exceeded any expectations. I’ve made friends, and I like the area. It was definitely scary for me at first, and I was nervous. But I like change.”
Pinskey’s family moved from the Houston area, where she lived for four years from seventh-through-10th grades. Her father is the retail director for the White Sox, running their team stores. He actually commuted from Texas for a year before the family sold their house.
Pinskey was born in Texas, where she spent less than the first year of her life. She grew up in Michigan as her family moved back after her maternal grandmother fell ill. She lived in the Detroit area for 10 years, with her father working as director of merchandising for the Lions.
Then it was back to Texas, and now Northwest Indiana.
“I don’t see us moving any time soon,” Pinskey said with another laugh.
Pinskey plans to pursue a career as a nurse, having so far looked at colleges such as Grand Valley State, Purdue and Indiana. Playing soccer doesn’t figure into her future after high school — “I’m definitely going to miss it,” she said — putting even more of a premium on having another successful season at Lake Central.
“I’m just trying to take control of the team with the other seniors,” Pinskey said. “I know how it feels to be an underclassman, and I’m just trying to help my teammates as much as I can.
“It’s definitely a different team from last year, but we have the talent and we’re putting it together. We have the trust, and we play for each other.”
Twitter: @MichaelOsipoff
GIRLS SOCCER RANKINGS
(Results through Friday)
1. Munster
2. Valparaiso
3. Lake Central
4. Crown Point
5. Chesterton
Player of the Week
Alejandra Santacruz, Clark: Scored two goals as the Pioneers edged Covenant Christian 3-2 on Tuesday.
