Naperville North junior Sydni Fink is traveling on a path that is familiar to local soccer fans.
Fink, who also plays basketball, recently committed to play soccer at Kentucky. The 5-foot-9 forward picked the Wildcats over Xavier, Illinois State and Valparaiso.
“I just chose Kentucky because when you visit the campus, you can’t not say it’s beautiful,” Fink said. “The facilities are amazing.
“It shows how they care for all the athletes, and when walking the campus and talking to the players and coaches, I decided that it could be my second home. It just felt right.”
Fink will be the second Naperville North player in the past decade to play for Kentucky. Zoe Swift, a forward who led the Huskies to state championships in 2012 and 2013, starred for the Wildcats and plays pro soccer for the Puerto Rico Sol.
The similarities between Fink and Swift don’t end there. Like Fink, Swift was a guard on Naperville North’s girls basketball team, and the two used to be next-door neighbors.
“She would do some private coaching with me when COVID was happening,” Fink said. “She kind of helped me stay with soccer, and I knew she went to Kentucky, so I guess it did spark a little interest.”
Swift, 27, said Fink had a stellar reputation even before she started coaching her. Swift reached out to Fink on Instagram after Fink committed.
“I heard a lot of great things about her before I even knew her,” Swift said. “I’m really happy for her. I was like, ‘Hey, look at you, going to Kentucky too.'”
Fink started playing soccer as a toddler and fell in love with the sport.
“When I went to club around first grade, I developed the thought of wanting to play soccer for a very long time, not wanting to stop when I get to high school,” Fink said. “Once I got to middle school, it really kicked off that this was a goal for me. I just kept working until I got there.”
Swift quickly knew that Fink’s passion and athleticism would take her far.
“Her technical ability is great, and the main thing was that she was coachable, with the way she took in information and the way she could apply it,” Swift said. “I gave her homework to do — little skills that I actually did at the national team camps, like juggling a tennis ball and then moving up to a real ball.”
Fink, who is equally proficient with both feet, can play all three forward positions. She played junior varsity soccer as a freshman at Naperville North but opted to play club as a sophomore.
Fink has three cousins who play for Naperville North’s boys soccer team. Ryne and Owen Gaccione play on the varsity, while their brother Kalan plays for the freshman team.
Naperville North girls soccer coach Steve Goletz hopes Fink will play again for the Huskies before she graduates.
“You could see that potential in Sydni as a freshman, how talented she was soccer-wise, but also what a fierce competitor she was on the field,” Goletz said. “She definitely made an impact in the program.
“We were obviously bummed that she chose to play club as a sophomore, but the big thing with her is she’s a great kid in school. Everybody raves about her.”
That includes Naperville North girls basketball coach Erin Colletti. Fink was a reserve guard last season and will play a bigger role in the upcoming season.
“She texted me, ‘Just wanted to let you know I’m definitely playing basketball,'” Colletti said. “I’m so relieved that she said that. I don’t want to even think about not having her. I saw her in the hall today, and she had the biggest smile on her face.”
Swift plans to return to Naperville North to watch Fink play basketball.
“I didn’t know if she was going to pick basketball or soccer, but I’m really glad that she picked soccer, and I thought it was super cool that she’s going to Kentucky,” Swift said. “I can’t wait to follow her on her journey throughout her career.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.