Glenbrook North boys soccer coach Paul Vignocchi said there did not seem to be a wrong spot to play senior Sahil Modi.
“We try to put him where we need him the most,” Vignocchi said.
After playing as an attacking center midfielder for much of his varsity career, and at different points this season, Modi started as a left winger/outside midfielder late in the year for Glenbrook North.
The Spartans (18-3-1) earned the top seed in the Class 3A New Trier Sectional, but lost 3-2 to Evanston in the sectional final on Saturday.
The 5-foot-9 Modi scored a team-high 20 goals, one ahead of teammate and fellow senior Deng Deng. Both contributed to the Spartans’ 2-0 win over Leyden in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 25. Modi assisted on Deng’s goal, which put the Spartans up 2-0 with 22 minutes remaining.
By the end of the game, Modi found himself shielding the backline.
“We went up and were in more of a defensive mindset, so coach put me as a center defensive mid, which I play in club (for FC United), so I know the position and can win balls,” said Modi, a Northbrook resident who recorded four goals and two assists in four postseason games in 2017. “Wherever they need me, I can play. In club, I was moved around a lot. I’m pretty versatile.”
It was in Glenbrook North’s 1-0 win over New Trier on Sept. 9 that Modi was first used on the left side as a winger/outside midfielder, a position Modi said was to his liking.
“I like playing outside because there is a lot of space to do my thing — make runs off the ball or beat defenders,” said Modi, who is hoping to play college soccer and lists Loyola of Chicago, Columbia University and University of Chicago among the schools he’s considering. “I’m right-footed and l like cutting in (from the left) with my right foot to get a shot off. I can even go down the line and cross with my left foot. Whatever works.”
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Many of Modi’s crosses this season were to Deng. The pair formed a particularly dangerous partnership, which developed over two varsity seasons together at Glenbrook North and as teammates with FC United.
“Our chemistry is pretty good because we’re also on the same club team,” Modi said. “I just always know where he’s going to be.”
Deng also seemed to know where Modi was going to be, even if Modi wasn’t always in the same place.
“(Modi) can play anywhere on the field: outside back, outside mid, center mid, defensive mid,” said Deng, who lives in Northbrook. “(Modi) is versatile, dynamic, smart on the ball. He’s small, but he plays big. He plays really big.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press
Twitter @Pioneer_Press