Czyz-ing her opportunities

Published 11:43 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Rachel Czyz has been a field-surveying, traffic-directing, ball-distributing center midfielder for Dalton High’s girls soccer team this season.

At other times, she’s been a clutch, go-to, just-give-her-the-ball forward who has shown the ability to score even with the pressure on and time running out.

The important thing for the Lady Cats and first-year coach Rebecca Snellman is the senior standout, who signed a full athletic scholarship with Berry College this past August, has been on the field somewhere. And as Snellman can tell you, Czyz — it’s pronounced “seize” — contributes even when she comes off of it by giving the coach an inside perspective on what’s working and what isn’t.

Czyz doesn’t hesitate to tell Snellman if her own play is part of the problem, either — though with 14 goals through 12 games, that would seem to be a rare occurrence these days — and often takes a vocal leadership role.

“She really doesn’t have any qualms about that,” said Snellman, who was an assistant for two years under Tony Carlson before taking over this season. “She always tries to put a positive spin on it. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, because she’s an upbeat person and she’s aware of other people’s sensitivities. But she definitely speaks up when she thinks something needs to be changed.”

It’s a role that seems to come naturally to Czyz, who is co-president of Dalton High’s student council.

“I love being involved and helping out as much as I can,” she said. “Not just in school, but everywhere, on and off the field. I want us to do the best that we can because I know everyone can succeed and do better in life. I love helping people in any way possible.”

She’s helped the Lady Cats by being as talented a soccer player as they’ve had in recent seasons.

With a powerful leg that has produced a pair of 40-yard goals in her time at Dalton, anyone who’s seen Czyz starting at midfield since her freshman season likely wondered what it might be like to see her move up to forward, where scoring is more of a priority.

Well, so did Snellman, who made the shift with the Lady Cats stuck in a scoreless battle with Fannin County earlier this month. Moved from midfield to the front line with about 10 minutes to play, Czyz scored twice in the 2-0 win as she reached double digits in goals for the season.

Snellman’s reaction?

“Probably, ‘Why didn’t I do this sooner,” the coach said. “We were dominating that game, there was not a worry of them scoring on us, it was, ‘How are we going to finish something?’ And just like that, in 10 minutes she finishes. I realized, ‘Oh, maybe this is the spot for her.’”

The move became more permanent because of Snellman’s confidence in her entire lineup this season, which has led Dalton to a 9-2-1 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Region 7-4A’s North subdivision, good enough that the Lady Cats still have a shot at a No. 1 seed for the region playoffs.

With sophomore Nery Martinez playing solidly at stopper, Snellman was able to move Marixa Ortiz up from defense to midfield alongside Lisa Mata, freeing up Czyz to focus on scoring.

“She’s a playmaker,” Snellman said. “She can beat defenders and set up plays. She’s just a smart player who can see the whole field, where the ball needs to go and where to make her runs. But she’s quick about getting back on defense and the biggest thing is she makes plays from the middle.”

A recent injury to Martinez pulled Czyz back to midfield, but her role remains flexible. Although she’s more experienced in high school soccer at midfield, Czyz has played forward for several years while competing in the local San Jose League, where her division includes adults. An almost lifelong soccer player — she began playing in a YMCA league at age 3 when her family lived in Minnesota — she has competed on local and Chattanooga-area club and travel teams as well.

It’s at midfield that Czyz believes she has the biggest impact as a leader, so it’s not surprising that position remains her preference, though she’s open to doing whatever’s needed.

“You’re going back and forth,” she said. “It’s not like you’re just seeing the attacking view or the defending view.

“You get a feel for everything and that’s where a lot of the responsibility comes from. You can motivate the girls and tell them what they need to be doing. It’s a good position for leaders of the team.”