Valparaiso’s Isaac Siewin has arrived.
Not that the senior forward hasn’t been a mainstay throughout his career. But Siewin has emerged as the focal point for the revamped Vikings in his third season as a starter.
“He’s come a long way,” Valparaiso coach Mike Enghofer said. “He was a little bit in the shadows. We’ve had some good players here. He’s always been here, you’ve always seen the quality and he’s flashed here and there. I’m just so happy for him that it came together this year.”
Siewin, who played varsity minutes as a freshman, is one of just two returning starters from last season, along with senior midfielder Manny Liu, after a large senior class that included star forward Jack Isroff graduated.
“As much as he sees it as an opportunity for himself, we need it as a team,” Enghofer said. “After Jack left, everyone was questioning where the goals were going to come from. In-house, we knew there were a couple of different places we could pick up the slack.
“But to watch him rise, he’s wanted it really badly, and it’s crazy what a little bit of confidence can do. He’s just playing at a level that’s just rewarding to see for him.”
Siewin has leveled up for team-highs of 18 goals and seven assists for Valparaiso (9-3, 4-0), which remains one of two teams with perfect Duneland Athletic Conference records, along with Lake Central.
“He’s not the type of kid who’s going to get satisfied,” Enghofer said. “He doesn’t look at his stats and say, ‘That’s it.’ He still wants it. He still keeps going.
“He scores, but he’s picked up his assists lately too. As the attention has been drawn to him, it’s opening up other opportunities for his teammates. It’s been cool to watch the evolution of his game and see he can impact the game in more ways than just scoring. It creates a balance for us, and it keeps everyone engaged.”
Siewin produced in past seasons. He had 12 goals and eight assists as a junior and had 10 goals and nine assists as a sophomore. But he has broken out this season.
“You look at my numbers, they pop out,” he said. “But without my teammates, they wouldn’t be there. I’ve done a very nice job of adjusting. I’ve grown up with these guys, but it was a big change because we lost Jack and we had a huge senior class. So losing the seniors we did and adjusting to these guys, I’ll admit it took me a little bit.
“We played a lot of games over the summer. But once the season hit, I felt the click.”
The Vikings have altered their style of play to highlight Siewin and his talents. He has taken advantage.
“The system suits him, and it’s been cool to watch him grow into the role,” Enghofer said. “It’s very telling of his patience. He’s always been here. It was like he was coming, and now he’s here. He’s finding his groove and adopting the mindset, ‘OK, this is new. I have to think differently and do things differently.’ A system is just there to set you up. But when the moments come, you have to execute, and he’s executing.
“You see what he does on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but he’s putting in the work in training. He’s very cerebral. He asks a lot of good questions. He has a high IQ for the game. He’s been super patient in terms of his development. What else would you want to see for a kid other than getting the best senior year that he wants?”
It hasn’t necessarily been a linear process for Siewin, though. There have been moments of frustration. But he has pushed ahead.
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“He’s had to learn,” Enghofer said. “It’s newfound success for him in terms of being ‘the guy.’ He’s had some pressure, and you have to be mentally tough enough to understand that on certain days, teams are circling you and you might be a marked man.
“It took him a while, but he’s matured with that understanding that if goals don’t come right away, if you don’t score in the first 10 or 20 or 30 minutes, it’s a long game. If he didn’t score early, he would panic and maybe try to force things. But he’s really understanding, especially in the back half of the season, he can just let the game come to him. That’s when he’s at his best, playing more naturally and fluidly. It’s something we’ve talked about, and it’s really clicked.”
Siewin has also managed hamstring issues for the back half of his career. He tore his right hamstring competing as a partner in the Unified track state meet as a sophomore and needed four months to heal. Then as his club soccer season was starting in his junior year, he tore his left hamstring and needed another two and a half months.
“There are some weeks I feel great, and there are some weeks I feel tight back there and I get a little nervous,” Siewin said. “It’s not the best situation, but you just make the best of it.”
Siewin is diligent in his management. He continues to attend physical therapy sessions. He does yoga. He receives ice and heat treatment. He wears compression boots to aid with blood circulation.
“He’s disciplined about his body maintenance,” Enghofer said. “It’s part of the maturity of understanding it’s a strenuous game. If he’s healthy, he is lights-out. He is just so fast and dynamic. Not to say he’s not always, but you can tell when it’s bothering him.
“That’s part of my responsibility, to communicate with him and try to encourage him to be honest. Kids are a little bit prideful and can play themselves into an injury. But it’s been pretty solid so far. We just have to keep looking after it, keep an eye on it, and have that trust between coach and player.”
Of course, the Vikings prefer to have a healthy Siewin on the field. Senior midfielder Lincoln Burns has dealt with hamstring problems, too, having missed almost a year and a half, including all of last season.
“He’s super important for our team,” Burns said of Siewin. “Without him, we wouldn’t have some of these big wins. He’s been a huge player. Without him, who knows where we’d be?”
Given the composition of their roster, the Vikings have embraced an underdog mentality. They’ve used the notion of being overlooked at the beginning of the season as a source of extra motivation.
“We didn’t have many people talking about us because we lost a lot of players,” Siewin said. “But a lot of guys have stepped up. I’m not really surprised because these are my boys and I have confidence in them. I was a little nervous about how it would work out because we hadn’t really played together at the high school level. But as soon as the season started, we clicked. It’s like magic.
“We’re definitely fitting in together very well. There’s a willingness to work hard, to have that grit. We get along well, we play well and we just want to win.”