Lake Forest’s Riley Hoskins can be an intimidating presence on the field.
The 5-foot-9 senior defender is strong, athletic and aggressive.
“I think of myself as a very physical player,” Hoskins said. “I do think a lot of people on the field, when they see my height, are honestly scared of that and become intimidated by me. I can see it messes with people’s heads. When I was shorter, I was scared of taller girls.
“I’ve taken advantage of my height, speed and physicality in games. I go at it hard and play to my fullest ability, even if I’m too physical. I do my best to be as physical as I can be in games.”
But Hoskins is also Lake Forest’s North Suburban Conference Sportsmanship Award winner and reflects the spirit of that honor, according to coach Ty Stuckslager. He pointed to a game against Mundelein on May 8.
“Riley knocked down one of their girls, but she was the first one to pick her up and apologize,” Stuckslager said. “She understands what it is to be a sportsman and to also compete. She has that competitive spirit.”
Hoskins, a team captain, said her mindset changes after the whistle blows.
“I’m two different people,” she said. “There’s the person who does sports, and then there’s the person with the team part and family part of my life.”
On the field, Hoskins has been an instrumental player in the back line for the fourth-seeded Scouts (9-7-3), who defeated sixth-seeded Grayslake Central 2-1 in the Class 2A Lake Forest Regional championship game on Friday and will play top-seeded Carmel in the Deerfield Sectional semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Hoskins provided examples of her ability to affect a game against the Rams.
“She stepped up like it was her last game,” Stuckslager said. “She won a lot of balls and denied them anything dangerous, and she also started our attack a few times.”
Grayslake Central coach Keith Andersson said Hoskins caused problems for his team.
“Hoskins is a strong defender who tracks and marks well,” Andersson said. “She gave all of our forwards that we put in a difficult time. She’s a strong force in the back.”
Hoskins became a starter for the Scouts last season.
“She stepped into a bigger role last year because of an injury,” Stuckslager said. “She had to step in from that moment and be someone we counted on. Even though we’re a small school, we play against a lot of big schools. She has provided leadership with Sophia (Benjakul) in the back. Those two are truly ones we can’t replace.”
Benjakul, a senior, said she and Riley Hoskins have clicked.
“There’s always been a strong sense of understanding between us on the field,” Benjakul said. “When we started playing together as center backs our junior year for club and then for high school, it was clear we would be a dynamic duo. It’s super easy to play with her.”
Hoskins said her older brother Richie has been a positive influence in her life. Richie Hoskins, who graduated from Lake Forest in 2021, is a wide receiver for Vanderbilt.
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“Richie is a huge inspiration for me,” she said. “Seeing his motivation and his desire to play sports has inspired me to want to play my sport even more.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.