Shumate ready to lead young Naperville N.
By Matt Le Cren
After several years of fielding teams stacked with Division I talent, Naperville North’s roster is greener than it has ever been in Steve Goletz’s nine-year tenure as head coach.
Only two players have currently committed to Division I schools – senior striker Hannah Martin and senior midfielder Leah Shumate.
Yet Shumate thinks the defending Class 3A state champion Huskies are going to be better than many people think.
“I’m super excited,” said the Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater. “I don’t know what to expect yet, but I know we’re going to do all we can to be the best we can be.
“The group of players we have are a bunch of girls who are definitely willing to work, so I’m super excited to see where we go.”
Everybody is waiting to see some soccer, which has been put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.
If the season does get started, Goletz is excited to see what Shumate can do. The four-year varsity player and three-year starter is taking on an expanded role as co-captain.
“I think all of our seniors this year, Leah especially, I talk to them of the ups and downs of the high school soccer season and how grueling it is,” Goletz said. “(We’re) not focusing so much on the results as, ‘Are we getting better?’
“I think Leah bought into that big-time her junior year just in regards to the grind every day and the hard work and being a true two-way midfielder. She might not have gotten a ton of touches on the ball or shots on goal but was such a huge piece of holding down the middle of the field for us.”
Indeed, Shumate played a vital role in the state championship run. She became North’s primary free kick specialist and was second on the team in scoring, behind Martin, with eight goals and six assists while playing solid defense.
“We’re going to need that even more now after losing a kid like Maddie Schlecht (now at Wisconsin),” Goletz said. “I think we’ve got some young kids who can step in and eventually get to the point where they’re making the contributions of kids that we’ve lost in the past.
“But Leah is going to have to step up and take more on her shoulders both within the game and also just in terms of the camaraderie piece, keeping everybody together and referring back to all the great kids that she’s gotten a chance to learn from. (For example), she was around when (current Illinois State star) Ashley Santos was here.”
Things have come full circle for Shumate, who began her career as the youngest player on a veteran team loaded with seven Division I players and now is a key leader on a team full of young players.
But she has always been up for any challenge. She played 22 games as a top reserve as a freshman on a team that went 20-3-3 and reached the supersectional. Counting the IUPUI-bound Shumate, that team had eight Division I players.
“My first year on varsity it was kind of tough to understand everything that was happening, so I feel for all the younger people (this year),” Shumate said. “It’s a lot to handle, but if you have people pushing you, it will be fine.
“We have a lot of talented individual players. We just have to learn how to work as a team.”
Goletz is confident the Huskies will do just that thanks to leaders like Shumate.
“I’ve seen that development in her in regards to not just her play but the way she interacts with the girls,” Goletz said. “It’s been very cool to see the maturation process throughout the four-year period.
“I always knew Leah had the talent to be an impact kid; it was just putting all the pieces together and, I think for her, believing that she could be as good as she has turned out to be. I think she’s finally done that in the last two years.”
Shumate only had two weeks of preseason practice to teach the new players before the season was put on hold but she was able to impart one important lesson.
“I think a lot of it is being able to take constructive criticism because, obviously, you’re not going to be perfect every time,” Shumate said. “As long as you can work through your imperfections, you will learn.”
Shumate’s experience in the middle of the field was vital to North’s state title team last year and will be even more important for this group. She is the only returning starter in the midfield.
“She runs the midfield for us,” Martin said. “I think it’s really helpful to have her in the midfield considering she’s older than the other three girls that will probably be in there with her this year.
“She can help them figure out positionally where they need to be. Leah can also track back really well. So, if one of them gets caught out of position it’s not the end of the world, because she’ll be there.”
Of all the Huskies, Shumate has the best connection with Martin, who has led the Huskies in scoring in each of her two previous varsity seasons. The Purdue-bound Martin was the recipient of many great passes from Shumate.
“I wasn’t really surprised (at Leah’s 2019 season),” Martin said. “I’ve grown up playing with Leah so I know how she plays.
“She’s kind of like my second hand. I know where she’s going to go and I kind of know what she’s going to do, so it’s helpful for us. Playing together for so long, (the game) is easier.”
By Matt Le Cren
After several years of fielding teams stacked with Division I talent, Naperville North’s roster is greener than it has ever been in Steve Goletz’s nine-year tenure as head coach.
Only two players have currently committed to Division I schools – senior striker Hannah Martin and senior midfielder Leah Shumate.
Yet Shumate thinks the defending Class 3A state champion Huskies are going to be better than many people think.
“I’m super excited,” said the Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater. “I don’t know what to expect yet, but I know we’re going to do all we can to be the best we can be.
“The group of players we have are a bunch of girls who are definitely willing to work, so I’m super excited to see where we go.”
Everybody is waiting to see some soccer, which has been put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.
If the season does get started, Goletz is excited to see what Shumate can do. The four-year varsity player and three-year starter is taking on an expanded role as co-captain.
“I think all of our seniors this year, Leah especially, I talk to them of the ups and downs of the high school soccer season and how grueling it is,” Goletz said. “(We’re) not focusing so much on the results as, ‘Are we getting better?’
“I think Leah bought into that big-time her junior year just in regards to the grind every day and the hard work and being a true two-way midfielder. She might not have gotten a ton of touches on the ball or shots on goal but was such a huge piece of holding down the middle of the field for us.”
Indeed, Shumate played a vital role in the state championship run. She became North’s primary free kick specialist and was second on the team in scoring, behind Martin, with eight goals and six assists while playing solid defense.
“We’re going to need that even more now after losing a kid like Maddie Schlecht (now at Wisconsin),” Goletz said. “I think we’ve got some young kids who can step in and eventually get to the point where they’re making the contributions of kids that we’ve lost in the past.
“But Leah is going to have to step up and take more on her shoulders both within the game and also just in terms of the camaraderie piece, keeping everybody together and referring back to all the great kids that she’s gotten a chance to learn from. (For example), she was around when (current Illinois State star) Ashley Santos was here.”
Things have come full circle for Shumate, who began her career as the youngest player on a veteran team loaded with seven Division I players and now is a key leader on a team full of young players.
But she has always been up for any challenge. She played 22 games as a top reserve as a freshman on a team that went 20-3-3 and reached the supersectional. Counting the IUPUI-bound Shumate, that team had eight Division I players.
“My first year on varsity it was kind of tough to understand everything that was happening, so I feel for all the younger people (this year),” Shumate said. “It’s a lot to handle, but if you have people pushing you, it will be fine.
“We have a lot of talented individual players. We just have to learn how to work as a team.”
Goletz is confident the Huskies will do just that thanks to leaders like Shumate.
“I’ve seen that development in her in regards to not just her play but the way she interacts with the girls,” Goletz said. “It’s been very cool to see the maturation process throughout the four-year period.
“I always knew Leah had the talent to be an impact kid; it was just putting all the pieces together and, I think for her, believing that she could be as good as she has turned out to be. I think she’s finally done that in the last two years.”
Shumate only had two weeks of preseason practice to teach the new players before the season was put on hold but she was able to impart one important lesson.
“I think a lot of it is being able to take constructive criticism because, obviously, you’re not going to be perfect every time,” Shumate said. “As long as you can work through your imperfections, you will learn.”
Shumate’s experience in the middle of the field was vital to North’s state title team last year and will be even more important for this group. She is the only returning starter in the midfield.
“She runs the midfield for us,” Martin said. “I think it’s really helpful to have her in the midfield considering she’s older than the other three girls that will probably be in there with her this year.
“She can help them figure out positionally where they need to be. Leah can also track back really well. So, if one of them gets caught out of position it’s not the end of the world, because she’ll be there.”
Of all the Huskies, Shumate has the best connection with Martin, who has led the Huskies in scoring in each of her two previous varsity seasons. The Purdue-bound Martin was the recipient of many great passes from Shumate.
“I wasn’t really surprised (at Leah’s 2019 season),” Martin said. “I’ve grown up playing with Leah so I know how she plays.
“She’s kind of like my second hand. I know where she’s going to go and I kind of know what she’s going to do, so it’s helpful for us. Playing together for so long, (the game) is easier.”