In the aftermath of Munster’s loss at Highland, Mustangs senior Kiriako Tsoukalas approached coach Jim Prasopoulos to request a change.
He wanted to move to his natural position of defensive midfielder from attacking midfielder. He would receive less glory, and his numbers would slow, but he thought the adjustment would benefit the team.
“I talked to coach about it a lot,” Tsoukalas said. “I don’t care about stats. I just want to see our guys do well and be happy. If they’re scoring goals and getting assists and we’re winning, I’m happy.
“I could see the field, be the general and control things.”
The conversations were part of the Mustangs’ teamwide talks to refocus, reassess strengths and weaknesses, and reiterate their considerable potential.
After the tweaks, Munster played well in splitting two games at a tournament in Zionsville. The Mustangs then routed Andrean to gain a share of the Northwest Crossroads Conference title.
Prasopoulos praised Tsoukalas.
“Kiriako’s role was a little different,” Prasopoulos said. “He’s not on the stat board because he chose to put himself in a situation to really direct traffic.
“He doesn’t care who gets the credit, he just wants his team to do well. He still made runs, still did the overlapping. But he really tried to set up his teammates, and that’s great to see from a player with his talent.”
Tsoukalas was a part-time starter as a freshman, splitting between attacking and defensive midfielder. As a sophomore, he started at attacking midfielder, with the return from academy soccer of defensive midfielder Nate Sakevicius.
Last season, Tsoukalas moved to forward, with the Mustangs wanting a partner for Brett Kaufmann, who was a senior. Tsoukalas responded with 13 goals and 10 assists.
More Top Picks Monitors
He entered Saturday’s regular-season finale against Valparaiso with 12 goals and six assists.
“Depending on what the team needs, I’ll do it,” Tsoukalas said. “This year has been more of a leadership role.
“I’ve learned a lot more this year than any year I’ve played. You have to have a positive word for everyone and everything. You have to take into account the little things. You have to do the dirty work, win headers, win possession. You have to put your body on the line to get the outcomes we want.”
This season, Tsoukalas has been a mainstay among rotating captains.
“He’s matured a lot since his freshman year,” Prasopoulos said. “He’s exhibiting exceptional leadership.”
Tsoukalas hopes to lead the Mustangs for another successful postseason. They have won a state-record 14 straight sectional championships.
“I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity from a young age to see how a lot of seniors handled it,” Tsoukalas said. “The common conception is that no one wants to be the class that loses the streak. We take great pride in it.
“There’s absolutely a certain amount of pressure, but you use it to fuel the fire.”
Tsoukalas said he would like to continue playing in college and has been in contact with MIT and the University of Chicago. He has a 4.3 GPA and scored a 34 on the ACT, and academics come first.
His mother, Kathy, and late father, Dimitrios, would have it no other way. His father, more commonly known as “Jim,” was a popular and respected business economics professor at Purdue Calumet for 20 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in his native Greece and his master’s degree and doctorate at Illinois-Chicago.
He died July 4, 2015, but his legacy is powerful.
“He introduced me to soccer, but the biggest thing was always school,” Kiriako said of his father. “He said I could play soccer, have as much fun as I wanted. But school was always the biggest thing. That’s never changed.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff
Top 10
With last week’s rankings in parentheses
1. Lake Central (1)
2. Chesterton (2)
3. Munster (3)
4. Andrean (4)
5. Crown Point (5)
6. Highland (6)
7. Valparaiso (7)
8. LaPorte (8)
9. Morton (9)
More Top Picks Best Kitchen Island Carts
10. Portage (10)
Player of the Week: Owen Hallas scored in the waning seconds of the second half of overtime Wednesday as Chesterton edged LaPorte 2-1. He also had the assist on the Trojans’ first goal.