In her first season on the varsity, junior forward Kylie Murphy is playing in a reserve role for Lincoln-Way West, but she sure has been ready to make an impact when called upon.
“I definitely want to prove myself and show that even though I come off the bench, when I come in, it’s like I’m a starter,” Murphy said. “I come in to give it my all.”
Murphy has scored three goals in six games for the Warriors (5-1), including two in Tuesday’s 8-0 win over Bloom.
Assistant coach Matt Laude, who has been filling in for head coach Joe Stephens as the latter recovers from surgery, said Murphy has played her part to perfection.
“It’s great because before the season, coach Stephens had a talk to all the girls about their roles, Laude said. “He told Kylie her role was going to be our spark plug off the bench who watches the defense, sees the things she can exploit and goes in and exploits them
“She’s doing such good things for us coming off the bench. She’s like our sixth man in basketball. She’s our 12th man.”
After having success last season as one of the top scorers on the junior varsity, Murphy was eager for her first chance at varsity.
“It’s been super fun and it’s a big change from JV,” she said. “The pace is a lot faster. It’s a lot more serious, but it’s awesome because the team is doing really well. It’s a great opportunity.
“I was looking forward to it a lot since last year. I was really excited. I knew it was going to be a good year because we have a lot of good players.”
Laude commended Murphy for approaching the season with the right attitude.
“She’s such a definition of when we give you a shot to prove you belong on the field, take it,” Laude said. “She absolutely takes it and runs with it. There’s never any question. It’s like, ‘You need me to do this? OK.’
“She brings such energy and such a high-paced work rate, and that’s what we need off the bench.”
Murphy has been playing soccer since she was 5.
“I was the first one in the family to play,” she said. “My brothers played football and stuff, but I just naturally went to soccer. I love the physicality of soccer. I’m definitely one to get really physical. I definitely try to use that to my advantage.
“Now, I just want to keep getting better and help my team have a great season.”
Freshmen phenoms: The big question for Lincoln-Way Central entering the season was how would the Knights score without Megan Hutchinson, who has moved on to Purdue after scoring 53 goals between her sophomore and senior seasons.
Some newcomers are helping fill the void as a trio of freshmen sparked the Knights (6-0) in winning the championship of the 32-team Windy City Ram Classic.
Madi Watt has already scored four goals, while fellow freshmen Jaylin Sustr and Ruby Hillegass have added two and one, respectively.
“When you lose a dynamic goal scorer like Meg, there were kind of a lot of questions,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey said. “These freshmen are skilled players, they’re very athletic, and they’ve come in ready to learn, work hard and give 100% every day.”
Meteoric rise: After a surprising 14-1-1 finish last season, De La Salle (4-2) toughened up its nonconference schedule by joining the Windy City Ram Classic and performed well, going 3-2.
The Meteors beat Lockport 2-0 on March 22, which coach Carlos Nunez called a “signature win for the program.”
“We’re trying to build off last year’s success,” he said.
Sophomore Mia Ortega leads De La Salle with six goals.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
