Freshman midfielder Joel Martinez takes the win for this team after making his first goal as a Tiger against Plainfield South on Sept. 9.
It is unusual for a freshman to be on the varsity roster.
“Normally you see it in the more individual sports, such as golf, bowling, tennis, cross country and swimming,” Athletic Director Ron Lear said. “The soccer team has twenty-two athletes. The best twenty two athletes at North should be on the soccer team. [It] doesn’t matter what grade level.”
Though he was apprehensive at first, Martinez gets along with the team and plays well on the field.
Martinez said. “I was nervous on my first game, but once I got the hang of it, I was getting more comfortable and more confident on the field,” Martinez said. “It does put a lot of pressure on me when it’s a game that counts a lot and that puts a lot of pressure on me because I play in the middle. If I make one mistake, it can hurt my team.”
Boy’s varsity soccer coach Lucas Majewski sees Martinez skills on the field and believes placing him on varsity was the right thing to do.
“Joel is a well-rounded player who not only possesses technical skills but also has great physical attributes as well as the vision to play center midfield,” Majewski said “By playing high school level soccer at his club team and performing extremely well with our JV1 team, we felt that he was ready to be moved up and contribute at the varsity level.”
Playing on a varsity team while being the only freshman along with the rest being seniors and juniors can seem a little tough. Senior captain Owen Taylor states Martinez fits right in.
“Joel is very cooperative with the coaches and listens to what we say,” Taylor said. “He is going to be a great leader in the future [because] he brings a bunch of laughs, smiles and goals.”
During the week of September 11, he was voted athlete of the week. According to Lear “Athlete of the week is chosen by every coach on Monday morning… based on last week’s performances.”
“The impact Joel has on our team is that he contributes to our team’s overall succes
s,”Majewski said. “He is not looked at as a freshman or a lesser player, he understands his role on our team and performed to the best of his abilities.”
Martinez is not just setting goals for himself but also thinking of the team’s future seasons. Having that attitude to make it bigger and better with his teammates is his priority.
“My goal for my high school season is to make it to the state semifinals,” Martinez said. “My future goal is to make it to state.”
As this 2023 season is coming to end, Martinez has some memorable games this season. Scoring against Lincoln Way East on Sept 11 was a highlight.
“I banged it in the back of the net and made it 1-2 and took that win,” Martinez said.
