With the graduation of first-team All-State players Janci Courtaney and Olivia Shaw, Valparaiso needed someone to provide some firepower.
Enter Annelise Rubin.
The junior midfielder/forward has enjoyed a breakout season. She has a team-high 18 goals and is second with nine assists.
Having played soccer year-round for 12 years, Rubin said she’s always been an all-around player, but she has developed an attacking role.
“It allows me to both score and assist,” Rubin said. “One of the favorite parts of my game is when I’m double-teamed, I remain aware of where my teammates are or should be moving to and try to slot them the ball.
“It’s very satisfying to score goals, but making a good pass to set up a teammate for a goal has become just as satisfying as I have gotten older.”
Rubin is no stranger to the varsity stage. She had eight goals and four assists as a freshman, and she had four goals and four assists as she dealt with an injury last year.
She said being able to better control pregame nerves has allowed her to focus even more.
“I think she has matured more in her game,” Valparaiso coach Rob Cespedes said. “She has always been cool and calm under pressure, but her experiences at playing at a U-18 level has made her even more impacting.”
Rubin has scored in 10 of 14 games and at least twice on five occasions for the Vikings (10-3-1), who beat Lake Central 7-1 on Tuesday. She also has two hat tricks.
“I always try to be in the right position and anticipate where the ball is going and will go, often calling for it when I’m in the right position,” she said. “I have been able to score in a variety of ways, like in the box after beating a defender, a one-touch shot off a good slotted pass and a few headers on corners.”
Cespedes said Rubin always has been an impact player who has shown a goal-scoring ability.
“She has had a nose for (scoring goals), and she does it in such a determining manner,” Cespedes said. “She has very high technical ability and has wonderful bursts of speed on the ball. She sees the field well and is lethal on attacks.
“She has a great chemistry with the team and seems to get along well with the girls. I think aside from her abilities, that combination with the team chemistry makes her feel confident that the players are ready to receive her distributions and respect her decision when to take it to the goal.”
Down the stretch: With postseason play approaching, conference races are about decided.
If Chesterton, Valparaiso and Crown Point all win their next game, it will be a three-way tie for the Duneland Athletic Conference title.
Munster can win the Northwest Crossroads Conference outright by beating Kankakee Valley on Tuesday. With a win, the Mustangs also would extend their unbeaten streak in the NCC to three years. The Kougars would earn a share of the conference title with a win.
Boone Grove is in the driver’s seat in the Porter County Conference.
Sectional Sunday: Sectional pairings will be announced at 7 p.m. Sunday. Of the five area teams ranked in the state coaches polls, four are split into two sectionals.
Valparaiso and Chesterton are ranked No. 13 and No. 16, respectively, in Class 3A. The Vikings are surely itching for a rematch, having lost 4-0 in the regular season.
Andrean and Boone Grove are No. 11 and No. 12, respectively, in Class 1A. With the 59ers moving down a class, the teams are in the same sectional.
No. 7 Wheeler will host a sectional in its first crack at Class 2A.
CJ Peters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
