Columbus North’s Maddi Rutan (13) and Columbus East’s Allison Craig (3) battle for the ball ahead of East’s goalkeeper Kate Stiles during a match at BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
Columbus North senior Maddi Rutan is most known for hitting softballs over the fence.
Over the summer, Rutan made the transition from the diamond to the pitch.
With it being her final year of high school, Rutan decided to come out for the girls soccer team. Rutan has been a starter for the squad this year. She’s been able to fill a void left by several top seniors that graduated a year ago.
Rutan hasn’t regretted the decision, but the only regret she does have is not coming out for soccer her freshman year.
Rutan is no stranger to soccer, having played for Parks and Recreation until she was 8 years old. Rutan also was a multi-sport athlete at the time, playing softball and basketball. She decided to give up soccer because of the travel schedules that coincided with basketball and softball, and later, concentrated only on softball following her sophomore year.
“I’ve always loved soccer, and I always missed it,” Rutan said. “I absolutely love it, love the team, love the coaches. I wish I would have done it sooner.”
North girls soccer coach David Young recalls asking Rutan about soccer dating back to when she was a freshman after seeing her in the weight room. Of course, Young didn’t get the answer he wanted since Rutan wanted to focus on softball.
The conversation was jokingly revisited last year during a girls basketball game. Rutan then started to have a change of heart and decided to join the team.
“I looked at her and said, ‘Athletes are athletes. If you want to come out and play, come out and play,’” Young said. “I said, ‘You’re a Division I athlete. Your work rate and work ethic will shine through.’ That’s what it has been doing so far this season.”
The transition has been the hardest part for Rutan. There’s more conditioning and running that goes with soccer that she wasn’t quite used to, yet.
Rutan said that conditioning will help her stay fit, and more important, stay healthy as she prepares for softball in the spring and for her collegiate softball career at Eastern Kentucky next year. Rutan mentioned to her future coach at EKU, Jane Worthington, that she was going to play soccer, and Worthington has been supportive of the decision.
“It will help me with softball with stealing bases and being quicker, not necessarily faster, but quicker on my toes. Going side to side and pushing off easier will help me, and it’ll help me with playing shortstop,” Rutan said. “It’ll help me go to EKU because I’ll be more apt to go out and run more on my own instead, and I know I’ll be going to the gym a lot more after soccer so I can still stay in shape. That’s my game plan as I move forward.”
Soccer is a much more physical contact sport than softball. With her softball career ahead of her, it has weighed in the back of Rutan’s mind a bit if she had a serious injury, but she said she wanted to stay active more this fall.
“The first game, I was a little worried because I haven’t played in forever. It did cross my mind a little bit, but if I’m going out, and I’m playing hard, and I’m having fun and the worst comes to worst, at least I did something having fun,” Rutan said. “I don’t want to use this time to not do anything, and that’s why I wanted to play soccer. If I do something and accidentally get hurt, I’m doing something productive that will help me.”
In six games this season, the forward has one goal and one assist. The Bull Dogs are 2-3-2 this season.
Rutan has started and played big minutes in most of the games, and Young said she has progressed during the season.
“We’re trying to build up minutes as much as we can to get her that experience. So, maybe midseason or come sectional time, she’ll be a regular piece of what we’re doing,” Young said. “She understands, but the nice thing about being a Division I athlete is that she’ll go outside of practice and work on those things that she needs to work on.”
Regardless of how the season has gone so far, Rutan has enjoyed her time playing soccer.
“It’s amazing! All the girls are super-fun. That’s what makes soccer fun, is being with the girls and having a good time,” Rutan said. “They’ve always been so helpful to me. If I don’t get something right away, they’re always encouraging me and never saying anything to bring me down at all. It’s an amazing atmosphere. I’ve enjoyed myself so much more than I ever thought was possible. It’s been so much fun and wonderful.”
