Straub ready to lead one last playoff run for Lakeland Christian girls soccer

LAKELAND — KJ Straub has always been one of the leaders for the Lakeland Christian girls soccer team, certainly since her freshman season. In the state championship game that year when LCS trailed by a goal, Straub let it be known to her teammates that they were not going to lose that match.

Until this season, however, she’s had older teammates surrounding her.

Straub is now in her senior year and is ready to lead Lakeland Christian to one last playoff run before she heads off to college. She signed last fall with South Alabama.

The regional quarterfinals begin Tuesday for boys and girls soccer in Classes 1A through 4A, and the Vikings will play host to Pine at 5:30 p.m.

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Straub acknowledged how her role is a bit different now that she is a senior.

“I've always been the baby ever since seventh grade, so I'm very protective of this team now, and I love these girls to death,” Straub said. “I mean I've absolutely loved playing for this team for so many years, and I'm so excited and hopefully we continue to do well. But I'm very protective of them and I want them to continue to grow, especially once I'm gone because they're going to be so amazing.”

This year’s team is a bit different after last year’s senior-laden team graduated. She is one of just three returning starters, although new starters like Mari Carr, Ella Williams and Kyleigh Coleman played major roles off the bench last year. Straub is thrilled with the way the new starters and new players have played this season.

“They've stepped up this year like unbelievably,” she said. “Mari is has so many goals and Ellie (Cox) has gotten so many goals and assists this year, Ella with her speed on her wing. It's been unbelievable. So they've been awesome on top."

Straub plays as a holding midfielder, especially against teams with a dangerous offensive player, but will also often will play a more offensive role. She scored in five consecutive games — nine goals overall — ahead of the district final vs. Santa Fe to take over the team lead with 17 goals, and her 23 assists are a testament to her playmaking ability.

In addition to her play, Straub is vocal on the field in directing her teammates.

“She is our heart,” LCS coach Jason Streets said. “She’s our pulse. We go as she goes.”

Straub’s leadership on the field will be important as the Vikings advance in the playoffs. Streets said his team often plays nervous in the first few minutes against good teams, so her role in helping to settle them down is important.

“She’s always been the leader,” Streets said. “Even in the seventh grade when we started her in the playoffs, you could hear her talking. This team’s biggest hurdle all year was trying to build chemistry. We started the season, we were discombobulated and a lot of it was being a new team. She’s really had to bring it all together as we’ve gone along. You can see it. The girls have always respected KJ, so there have been instances where she’s really had to step in and bring the girls together and communicate more and direct more. She does a lot of things. She is a coach on the field for me.”

You can’t really say that Lakeland Christian got off to a slow start with so many new players as the Vikings have just three losses. Still, Straub is excited about how the team with so many new players has developed.

“I think what really helped was (Streets) bringing them up at the end of the year and getting them acclimated into the team,” she said. “I think that helped a lot of the chemistry. I will say it started off a little rocky just because we're all getting to know each other, but as the season progressed, it's just gotten so exciting to play with these girls and getting to know them so much more.”

Lakeland Christian has won three straight state championships, and Straub would like nothing better than to close out her high school career with a fourth. However, she’s not looking that far ahead.

“One game at a time for sure,” she said. “That's how we look at it every single day and every single practice. We have to try to play super hard, and that's just what we have to do every single game and we have to put the work from every game to every practice.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland Christian soccer's KJ Straub leads one last playoff run