Lincoln-Way Central’s Abby Sudkamp started playing soccer when she was 3.
Erase those immediate thoughts of Sudkamp being a child prodigy as an athlete, however, because she was an emotional wreck every single time that she stepped onto the field.
“My parents got me into the sport and tell me about how much I hated it,” she said. “I cried when I played. I cried during practice and I cried during games. I was a bad kid.”
Now?
The Loyola-bound senior defender loves everything about playing soccer. And when it comes to showing emotion on the field, she’s like a poker player, according to teammate Jules Rafacz.
“She’s aggressive, but she’s also calm,” Rafacz said of Sudkamp. “She’s one of the calmest players on the ball. I think it’s so great.”
Sudkamp came through with a great finish Thursday night, calmly depositing a penalty kick into the right side of the net with 5:05 left to put the Knights ahead to stay in a 2-1 victory over Andrew in the Windy City Ram Classic championship game at Reavis in Burbank.
Rafacz scored with 19:38 remaining to create a 1-1 tie for Lincoln-Way Central (5-0), which gained a measure of revenge after the Thunderbolts topped the Knights 2-0 last season in the sectional.
Andrew (4-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead on a goal by Emily Crotty with 24:14 left in the first half. Oak Park-River Forest took third place in the 32-team tournament with a 2-1 win over De La Salle.
At this stage of her career, Sudkamp said the crying episodes are long gone. She’s been calm ever since and finds a low-key demeanor suits her well, even in a sport that thrives on emotion.
“I like to keep my composure on the field,” Sudkamp said. “I definitely think that’s one of my better qualities. That’s just how I am. I try to keep myself calm and confident the entire game.”
Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey, who said Sudkamp is a great defender, hopes she can mix in a little more offense moving forward.
“Abby is an absolute monster,” Fahey said. “She’s an incredible athlete and a great competitor. She’s a leader and a great teammate, and I think this game was the first game we saw her step into a different role in the attack.
“For her to help shut down that Andrew front line is no easy task. She deserves to score the game-winner like that. She does so much dirty work on defense that it was good to see her score.”
Off the field, Sudkamp had a roller-coaster ride with her college choice. She verbally committed to Loyola in January 2024. And like she does on the field, she kept her cool.
Sudkamp was recruited by coach Barry Bimbi, who was fired in July, even though the previous January he inked a contract extension through the 2027 season. The Ramblers named Angela Staveskie as interim coach during the fall. Jon Sandoval got the job in December.
While all of that drama was playing out, Sudkamp didn’t waver on her decision. She waited to see what would happen and then met with the new coach.
“It was devastating because I had a good connection with him,” Sudkamp said of Bimbi. “But there was nothing I can do about it.
“The new coach is younger, so he’s not going anywhere any time soon. He started a life in Chicago, and I see a lot of positive things coming out of that.”
In the same way, Sudkamp has done a complete 180 on soccer. The sport that once made her cry makes her happy. She describes soccer as being “artistic.”
“People have their own way of expressing their skill in the field with the way that they play,” Sudkamp said. “It’s the same thing as being an artist. You have a painting canvas.
“And this is my painting canvas.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
