Metea Valley junior Kyleigh Jannisch is not afraid to take the path less traveled.
Her older sisters, Keira and Zoe, played volleyball in high school, but Jannisch did not follow suit.
“I really just focused on soccer,” Jannisch said. “I’m glad it worked out for me because I’m happy where I am right now.”
Where Jannisch plays can seemingly change in an instant, but it doesn’t seem to matter. The natural defender started on the outside last season for the Mustangs’ state championship team.
Metea coach Chris Whaley switched her to the center to start this season, then moved her to attacking midfielder when leading scorer Jordan Lange suffered a foot injury last month.
“She belongs on the field,” Whaley said. “She’s good enough to play any position. We knew at the beginning of the season the different roles she could play.
“Obviously stepping in when Jordan went down was important for our team. She’s filled those shoes pretty well, and she’s doing awesome.”
That was evident Friday night when Jannisch tallied a goal and an assist as the top-ranked host Mustangs rolled to an 8-1 victory over Neuqua Valley in the Class 3A Metea Valley Regional championship game.
The Mustangs (18-0-3) extended their unbeaten streak to 35 games and will face fifth-seeded Lockport at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the East Aurora Sectional semifinals.
“We’re just a really motivated team and I knew our energy was going to be good from the moment we stepped on the field,” Jannisch said. “I’m really excited we were able to accomplish this.”
After fending off early pressure from ninth-seeded Neuqua (7-8-2), Metea grabbed a 1-0 lead when Northern Michigan recruit Lucy Burk volleyed home a cross from Northern Illinois-bound Tyra King.
King had three goals, increasing her team lead to 17, but it was Jannisch who delivered the most unlikely strike of the game.
Sydney Phillips sent a through ball to Jannisch, who dribbled into the right side of the Neuqua box, where three defenders quickly closed in. Jannisch sent a 12-yard shot through the crowd and past Neuqua goalkeeper Zoe Fabian
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into the far corner of the net for a 2-0 lead midway through the first half.“I just ran with as much energy as I could and I saw the ball my teammate Sydney played,” Jannisch said. “I got onto it, I had a good touch, and I just looked up and I knew I had to shoot it or else it would be too late.
“My coach has been really bugging me to take more shots, so I took the shot and I was happy that it went in.”
So was King, who scored her first goal of the game off Jannisch’s assist nine minutes later.
“Kyleigh has been so great this year,” King said. “She’s very versatile. You put her anywhere, and she’ll work really hard and give us the results we need.
“She’s really good at taking on the defenders and getting a shot off from a distance. It’s something we really need, and she’s really helped. Me and Kyleigh are close outside of soccer, so it feels so good knowing that she is getting this recognition and getting her goals.”
Jannisch has three goals and three assists since replacing Lange. She hadn’t played midfielder until this year in club and was comfortable as a central defender, but was up for the news challenge.
“I was happy to do it because it’s really fun to create opportunities for my teammates,” Jannisch said. “I was able to step up and I feel a lot more confident in the center mid because I feel like it’s just a lot easier to use my creativity.”
The Mustangs have benefited from Jannisch’s versatility. So will she.
“I’m planning on playing in college,” Jannisch said. “So being uncomfortable is definitely something I need to get used to, and learning new positions is definitely important.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.