Leyden senior goalkeeper Ruth Merlos is 5-foot-2, and the backdrop of a soccer goal can make her seem even shorter.
Her lack of height hasn’t prevented her from making an impact for the Eagles.
“She’s special,” Leyden coach Rob Fowler said. “She doesn’t necessarily look like she’d be as good as she is. She’s not tall. But she’s smart, she’s confident in the box and gets herself in the right spot to make the saves she needs to make.”
The Eagles’ away game at West Suburban Gold champion Hinsdale South on May 9 illuminated the reasons that Merlos was named team MVP this season.
Merlos took an AP test that forced her to be late to the game, so she didn’t enter until roughly the midpoint of the first half. While she sat on the bench during the opening minutes, she tried her best to rally her teammates against a tough opponent.
More Top Picks Blue Light Glasses
“There are times when you can feel that the energy is missing, and I try to take on that role, to pick that energy up,” Merlos said. “This is my senior year, so it’s my turn to help the team wherever I can and push my teammates to be better in whatever way I can.”
Hinsdale South had scored four goals against the Eagles before Fowler sent Merlos into the game. The Hornets’ offensive assault continued, but they only managed one more goal with Merlos in net, on a shot that she initially saved before a Hornet finished on a deflection.
For 60 minutes, Merlos showed the quickness, aggression, good hands and solid positioning that has helped her post a goals-against average of less than one goal per game this season.
Merlos was quick to credit her back line that features junior Julia Kornatowska and senior Nohely Suarez, along with seniors Tania Corona and Mayra Salinas.
Suarez said she appreciates Merlos most for reasons that go beyond the saves she makes during a game.
“She really has a voice on the field, and she’s like a coach to all of us,” Suarez said. “She always guides us, motivates us to push harder, and at halftime she always has a speech to make to make sure we’re pushing ourselves.”
Merlos never played in goal prior to her freshman year, and she split varsity time in net her sophomore and junior seasons before taking over full-time duties this year.
As the youngest of four siblings, Merlos credits her three older brothers — Elias, Moises and Ezequiel — for helping her develop a toughness and a competitive edge.
“When I’d play with my brothers, they didn’t always take it easy on me,” Merlos said. “They’d shoot on me, and sometimes I’d be like, ‘Wow, you guys are really mean about this,’ but it prepared me. Some of the hard shots I save in games are nothing compared to the shots they’d take on me.”
Merlos plans to attend Triton College next year before transferring to a four-year college, in pursuit of a degree in accounting and finance. With her senior year in high school winding down, she’s thrilled that her soccer career at Leyden was capped off with the honor of being named team MVP.
“Without my teammates, it never would have happened,” she said. “One of my friends told me I deserved it, but I was like, ‘Ah, I don’t know,’ because MVPs usually go to field players who deserve them.
“So when (Fowler) said it was me, I definitely felt an inner joy because I never thought I could be an MVP for my team. It really feels great.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press