In a sea of 15 seniors, Munster junior Nikola Dimitrijevic has managed to swim toward the front.
The center midfielder has been integral to the Mustangs’ stellar season.
“He plays a big part, and the seniors know it,” Munster coach Jim Prasopoulos said. “They’re very aware. There are a lot of things we couldn’t do without Niki.
“As a coach, I really appreciate his growth in all areas as a player. Love the kid.”
Dimitrijevic experienced what he called “my breakthrough” last season, when he became a starter.
“Last year was a big step,” he said. “The level was crazy. Now I’ve had a year to develop, training hard, conditioning, personal training. I feel like I’ve improved as a player, and I just want to keep improving.”
Dimitrijevic entered this week with six goals and seven assists for the Mustangs (15-1, 6-0), who are ranked No. 13 in the Class 3A state coaches poll. They added wins against Hanover Central on Wednesday, wrapping up their first Northwest Crossroads Conference title since 2020, and Porter County Conference champion Boone Grove on Thursday.
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Dimitrijevic was quick to credit his teammates for his success, including senior forward Nolan Kinsella. The Indiana commit entered the week with 35 goals and five assists.
“I feel like one thing that’s helped me in the midfield is obviously Nolan,” Dimitrijevic said. “Pretty much when I get the ball, I look for him. He’s gotten me a bunch of assists scoring goals. It’s a team effort.”
But on the flip side, Prasopoulos praised Dimitrijevic’s contributions.
“Niki plays a big role for our team in helping in the middle of the field,” Prasopoulos said. “He really understands the game. He’s a catalyst in the middle, one of our guys who can really move the ball around. He has really incredible vision on the field. He understands space really well. He understands where to go with the ball — when the ball needs to be reversed, when it needs to get vertical.
“He’s a pleasure to have on the team. Every year he matures more and more and becomes more of a leader, and it’s great to see.”
Junior defender Lukis Raymond has seen Dimitrijevic’s development firsthand.
“Niki always pushes everybody to work in practice and in games,” Raymond said. “He doesn’t yell, but he’s always trying to get you to go.”
Munster opens Highland Sectional play Monday against East Chicago Central, with a semifinal looming against Lake Central, a seemingly annual postseason foe.
Munster, which edged the Indians 2-1 on Sept. 11, is undefeated against Region opponents this season. That list includes a victory over Hobart, which had won the previous two NCC titles, in penalty kicks to start the season on Aug. 16, and beating Crown Point 4-1 on Aug. 21 and Chesterton 5-0 on Sept. 2.
The Mustangs suffered their only loss to Penn on Aug. 19.
Dimitrijevic hasn’t been surprised.
“I saw it from day one,” he said. “The first day of summer conditioning, I saw we had great potential in this team — sectionals and regionals and maybe state.
“I just want to win games and grow as a team.”
Munster, one of the state’s most accomplished programs in Prasopoulos’ 26 years, won its most recent of 18 sectional titles in 2021 and won regionals in 2006 and 2008.
Dimitrijevic would like to put together a long postseason run for the coach he described as “the most wise guy here” and for his senior-laden team.
“As well as last year, I was one of the only sophomores on the team,” Dimitrijevic said. “It’s a lot of weight on my shoulders. But I see the seniors are here to lift us up. It’s really good because they have a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge.
“I’ve learned a lot from the seniors and the seniors from last year. I want to bring that next year and try to be a role model for the freshmen, the sophomores and the juniors.”