Illiana Christian senior Sam Bultema does not lack self-confidence as she nears the end of her highly productive high school career.
Bultema felt much different when she arrived as a freshman, however.
“I remembered crying before our first conditioning session because I was so scared,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be good enough to play with all of these high school girls.”
But a fortunate bounce in Bultema’s first game was a harbinger of the many goals to come, turning that timid rookie into a scoring threat who is in the middle of her fourth straight season with a double-digit goal total.
Bultema leads Greater South Shore Conference leader Illiana Christian (10-4, 3-0) with 18 goals this season, scoring from her usual position as the center forward atop a 4-3-3 formation. Juniors Jaylyn Podlin, who has six goals and two assists, and Sienna Eenigenburg, who has three goals and two assists, typically flank Bultema on the wings.
“Our top three have really worked well together,” Illiana Christian coach Vanesa Huizenga said. “There are a lot of give-and-go plays. But a lot of the time, Sam gets the ball and does her thing and puts it right into the corner of the net.”
Huizenga noted that Bultema’s ability to navigate through defenders while maintaining possession of the ball is a key part of her success.
“Her footwork has really improved, and she’s been able to control the ball a lot better this year,” Huizenga said. “She’s been on a really good run this season.”
Indeed, Bultema has 10 goals in the past six games after scoring twice in the Vikings’ 3-0 win against Bishop Noll on Saturday. She also scored twice in the Vikings’ 4-1 win against Wheeler on Sept. 19, a victory that gave them the inside track for the conference title.
Bultema credits the mindset she has developed since her freshman season.
“You just have to be aggressive, and you have to want it,” she said.
Bultema scored 12 goals as a freshman and 14 goals as a sophomore. She missed a few weeks last year with a sprained left ankle but still scored 12 goals. There have been no such setbacks this season.
“This has been my best season yet,” Bultema said. “I’ve been playing really hard and am going out with a bang in my senior year.”
Bultema has come a long way since the summer before her freshman season, when she questioned her ability to make the team.
“I didn’t know how I was going to fit into the equation,” she said. “I ended up starting at striker even though I really didn’t know how to play that position.”
That began to change in her first game, when a long shot bounced off Lowell’s goalkeeper and then Bultema and went into the net. Without using her feet, Bultema had her first goal — and a sudden change of mind.
“Something in my brain was just like, ‘I can do this,’” she said. “Getting those goals that year set the whole tone for the rest of my years here.”
Huizenga said Bultema’s self-confidence is the driving force behind that production.
“Every forward has that mindset of wanting to score,” Huizenga said. “But hers is just a little bit more aggressive than others in its way of saying, ‘I’m going to get that goal.’”
Bultema hopes that self-belief is shared by teammates as the Vikings pursue their first sectional title. The postseason begins next week.
“It’s just about being a positive influence and keeping everyone in a good headspace,” she said. “We can do this. We don’t have to go in scared to play hard teams. We just have to keep playing hard and encouraging each other. That’s what it all comes down to.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
