HARBOR SPRINGS — Picking a favorite goal this season for Stefi Reskevics was actually easy.
The Harbor Springs junior instantly thinks back to the semifinal score in the game’s final seconds that lifted the Rams to the state championship at the buzzer.
“That was awesome,” Reskevics said, still getting excited about it. “Just the time running out and we didn’t have to go into overtime. That was huge for the team and I was really happy about that one.”
It’s hard not to pick that one.
But, she did have 27 to pick from. From a state championship score, to one of four goals in the home opener and a game-winner in districts.
Name a big moment on the season and Reskevics was likely involved.
“I really believe she just has a knack for being in the right place at the right time,” Harbor Springs coach Aaron Riley said. “It’s that striker instinct. She always positions herself in the best possible spot to score. That shows itself when you score in the last five seconds of a game or when the team needs you the most in states.”
The history-making season for the Rams went as Reskevics delivered one big moment after another, but she’ll be first in line to tell you it was all about the complete team coming together.
“Nobody on the team was selfish and I think that plays a big role in having a successful team,” she said. “The coaches, everyone on the team and community were just supporting through our championship, that was a big help.”
While the year came together as a cohesive unit, Reskevics now gets to be selfish a bit, as she claims the Petoskey News-Review Soccer Player of the Year honor.
An offensive standout all three years of her high school career, Riley has watched Reskevics grow into a star that the state finally got to see on the biggest level.
“Her maturity is No. 1,” he said. “She’s always there for her teammates, she doesn’t speak bad about anyone. Even the opposing team or coaches. She loves the game and loves the fact that she was able to get us a state title.
“As a physical player, she’s obviously a tremendous athlete, a three-sport athlete at Harbor Springs and that shows even when she doesn’t have the ball. She’s had a tremendous year but she’s also worked a lot to get to this point.”
While it took a lot of work, a lot of it also just comes natural to Reskevics. She doesn’t spend much of her offseason playing the game or training for soccer.
She’s caught up as a standout cross country and basketball player in other seasons. Still, her IQ of the game was able to take a leap from years past.
“I worked in the offseason a bit, but with the other sports I play, it made it challenging,” she said. “I’d say just being able to watch soccer has made a big impact on that.”
There’s hardly a spot on the field that Reskevics can go without being noticed by the opposing team, which 27 goals and seven assists will do, making things frustrating at times, but she’s also happy it opens things up for teammates.
One of those this season was freshman Maeve Riley, who clicked with Reskevics right away up top and finished with 17 goals and 19 assists, many of those assists to Reskevics.
“That was huge,” Reskevics said on the connection. “In the past, I feel like we haven’t really had someone like that. But to have a freshman that has such a high soccer IQ and is a great teammate, that was huge.”
Aaron Riley saw his daughter grow under Reskevics’ leadership, which comes in a calculated form.
“If she speaks, everyone listens,” Aaron added. “She chooses her words carefully and knows that if you always tell someone what to do, they’re not going to do it. When she decides what she wants out of her teammates, they listen.”
And, they’ll get another year of Reskevics’ guidance ahead, as the Rams try to run things back at the state level in her final season ahead. While she’s got a fall and winter to get through first, it’s already on the mind for Reskevics.
“I’m super excited,” she said. “I think we can do great things. I think we’ve got a great freshman class coming in, so just building upon our success this season I think will do us really well.”
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: One big moment after another leads Harbor’s Reskevics to Player of the Year honor
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
