Metea Valley senior defender Kaylee Bannack plays a position that doesn’t get a lot of publicity.
That isn’t going to stop her from making a name for herself, although it might be on — or in — a different field.
Bannack earned all-conference honors as an outside back last season, which ended with the Mustangs winning their first state championship. She has been a lockdown performer for a simple reason.
“I don’t like to lose,” Bannack said. “I like to work my hardest possible, and I just don’t want to give up goals.
“I have that mindset where I want to do everything I can to get better, everything I can to help my teammates, and that involves me giving my 100%.”
Bannack does that in everything she does. Her tough-as-nails play was vital in helping Metea Valley beat Glenbard West 1-0 on the road in Glen Ellyn on Wednesday.
Junior goalkeeper Alyssa Gluting had to make only one save in recording her seventh shutout for the Mustangs (12-0-3), who allowed just two shots in extending their unbeaten streak to 29 games.
“She obviously is a leader on the back line,” Gluting said of Bannack. “She really helps organize and brings so much positivity back there.
“She’s really good at directing our defense and helping support me and some of our newer players too.”
Due to injuries elsewhere in the lineup, Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley recently switched Bannack to center back, where she continues to play at a high level.
“She’s doing an amazing job,” Whaley said. “She’s smart. She’s been playing soccer a long time, reads the game very well, and that’s what you need back there. A good team needs a good center back that plays at that level.”
But Bannack buoys the Mustangs in other ways too.
“This is my second year playing with her, and it’s been so much fun,” Gluting said. “She brings so much energy. She’s always leading the singing and organizes everything off the field. I think you can tell she’s just such a leader on the field.”
Bannack eventually wants to be a leader in the science field. She will continue her soccer career at Case Western Reserve, where she intends to major in biomedical engineering with a focus on human cell research.
“I want to work with biomaterials, working with cells that maybe can grow into human hearts or other organs,” Bannack said. “Math is my favorite subject, but I really like science too.
“I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor or do anything with cutting open actual people. So this seemed like the next step of what I can do to make an impact on the world.”
Those are lofty goals, but Bannack should not be underestimated. A National Honor Society member, she has a 4.6 GPA and has received recognition for her artistic skills. She won a Gold Key for painting in the suburban Chicago region of the Scholastic Art Awards last year.
“I’m always working to push myself,” Bannack said. “So biomedical engineering seemed like a career path where I could really be successful and really make an impact on the world and see an actual physical difference. I thought it would be so cool to be a part of that.”
Bannack also thinks it’s cool to play for the top-ranked Mustangs, who appear primed for a run at another state championship.
“It’s great that I get to play with my best friends every single day,” she said. “I love putting on the jersey and practicing every single day. I love my teammates to death, and I love representing my school.”
That’s one reason Bannack is a popular co-captain this season.
“She’s just a great kid to be around,” Whaley said. “Everybody enjoys captains that are fun to be around, that obviously are mature enough to take responsibility for the team. She just has a great attitude, and obviously she’s a great kid and great student.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.