Jacob Skupien is described by Stagg teammate Jacob Benke as “a jolly kid.”
Skupien, a senior midfielder, sees that as an apt description. He’s always enjoying his time on the soccer field and trying to lift up his teammates.
“I’m always positive,” Skupien said. “Even if I have a bad day, I still somehow find myself having fun and staying happy. The moment that I get to practice, I’m already excited and happy and bringing the spirit up.
“I’m always having a good time.”
Skupien and the Chargers had good reason to be merry Monday night. Skupien provided a goal and an assist as visiting Stagg rolled to a 6-0 nonconference win over Bremen in Midlothian.
Benke scored two goals for the Chargers (3-0-2), while Bartosz Woznik, Kelvin Kalemba and Yousef Quad added one goal apiece. Victor Czajkowski chalked up two assists.
Christian Komosinski and Elijah Hernandez combined for the shutout, with Komosinski making four saves. Keagan Greer, Evan Ibarra, Yeton Balovski and Sebastian Kornak led the defense.
Genaro Merino made 10 saves for Bremen (1-3).
Skupien, meanwhile, knows the importance of bringing the right mentality as a senior in his third year on the varsity, especially on a team that’s starting four sophomores.
“Since I’m a captain, whatever I do, the youngsters are going to follow,” Skupien said. “If I bring a bad attitude, they’re going to bring a bad attitude. That’s why I’ve got to stay positive and show the youngsters how to act on varsity.”
Stagg coach Mike Kealy appreciates his jolly leader, confirming Benke’s description was spot on.
“I agree with that assessment,” Kealy said. “That’s why he’s one of the captains. From day one with this team, the vibe is good. Not just after a good result like this.
“It’s on the bus coming over here. It’s at practices. They’re having fun and staying positive. It’s kind of a different Stagg team than what I’ve seen in the past.”
Skupien makes sure to push the younger players while always giving encouragement.
“Every time they do something bad, I tell them how to fix it and try to make sure they don’t get down on themselves and lose their confidence,” he said. “I always try to keep their confidence up.”
Skupien assisted on Woznik’s opening goal in the fifth minute and scored for the second time of the season to make it 3-0 in the 24th minute.
In between, Benke came off the bench and delivered the first goal of his varsity career. Benke, a junior forward who came up to varsity late last season, added a second goal in the second half.
“It feels great to get those goals,” Benke said. “I just try to come off the bench hot, play better than the starter and get that starting spot back.”
Benke related how much Skupien has helped him become a better soccer player.
“He’s always playing hard,” Benke said. “I’ve played with him for a few years now and he always keeps me straight and on my toes.”
Skupien also had someone to push him on the soccer field — his older brother, Matthew, who played at Stagg and Moraine Valley.
“When I was younger, I was a kid who liked playing video games and things like that,” Jacob said. “I’d be on my phone and my brother would be like, ‘Let’s go outside.’ I’d play soccer with him every day.
“He inspired me a lot. We’d just go out and play around with the ball. He always motivated me to get off my butt and go play with him and now I’m here, so I owe him a lot.”
