Wheeler junior goalkeeper Ashlynne Trinidad hadn’t played soccer before this season.
But that didn’t stop people from asking Trinidad, who was already a three-sport athlete, to give it a shot.
“They asked me multiple times,” she said with a laugh. “Every time I’d see a soccer player, it was, ‘Ashlynne, can you come out? We need you to play goalie.’”
On Wednesday, Trinidad showed why those teammates were so persistent, recording her fourth shutout of the season in Wheeler’s 1-0 win against Boone Grove at home in a Class 1A regional semifinal in Valparaiso.
Senior midfielder Grace Christos scored the only goal for the Bearcats (12-5), who will travel to Westview (14-5-2) for the regional championship game on Saturday. Christos converted a free kick from 25 yards in the 70th minute.
“Before every kick, I take a breath and look at the goal,” Christos said. “I noticed the goalie was over to the right more, so I just took my shot, and the second it left my foot, I knew it was going in.”
Perhaps the only person happier than Christos after that goal was Trinidad, who sprinted about 70 yards to join in the celebration.
“Keeping all of those balls out of the net was tough,” Trinidad said. “But Grace is a senior, and this could’ve been her last game. Her scoring that goal was pretty big.”
Trinidad then continued to hold Boone Grove (12-6) scoreless for the final 10 minutes to send the Bearcats back to the regional final for the second straight season. Of course, Trinidad wasn’t on that team last year. Before she was added to the roster this season, Wheeler coach Nate Anweiler knew little more about her than she didn’t play soccer.
“I knew she played softball, and I knew she played basketball, and I knew she was buddies with some of the soccer players,” Anweiler said. “But when I talked to her, it seemed like her personality definitely fit with the team.”
Trinidad, who played volleyball during the previous two fall seasons, said her softball experience was part of the reason her soccer teammates seemed convinced she could play goalkeeper.
“I play center field in softball,” Trinidad said. “So tracking the ball away from the goal is something that they figured I could be good at.”
Anweiler pointed to Trinidad’s softball experience too.
“She picked it up pretty well,” he said. “With her background in softball, she quickly learned how to judge balls out of the air, and she was willing to put her body behind the ball as well.”
Trinidad said Wheeler assistant Sonny Otano was essential to her development and that teammates like Christos and senior defender Genevieve Mills have provided on-field support.
“It’s gone really well,” Trinidad said. “Genevieve gives me a lot of confidence as one of our middle defenders. If anything ever gets by her, I know that I need to be ready. But most of the time, she keeps the ball away.”
Mills was quick to point out that Trinidad has brought plenty of her own confidence to the team.
“She has a really aggressive mindset,” Mills said. “She’s not afraid to go for the ball, and she’s also not afraid to communicate with us. She’s just a really athletic player overall.”
Trinidad said she didn’t experience too many nerves this season — at least until the postseason arrived.
“The first game of sectionals was really scary,” she said. “But after that first game, things calmed down a lot.”
So much so that there was no sign of nerves before the game against Boone Grove.
“They’re gone now,” she said with a big smile.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
