Chuck Stevens and his family are all about Lincoln-Way Central soccer.
Chuck, a senior midfielder, is a three-year varsity player. His sister, Emilee, was on the girls varsity team as a freshman in the spring. Their younger brother, Hank, also plays soccer and their father, Mike, is a vocal supporter on social media.
Do any online research on the Knights and you’ll likely be quick to find a Stevens hyping the team up. And Chuck loves it.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “Every weekend, it’s me, my sister, my brother out playing soccer somewhere. We’re all over the place all the time. It’s really great to constantly have my own squad of cheerleaders.”
Stevens gave them all something to yell about Tuesday night, scoring his first goal of the season to lift the Knights to a 2-1 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over host Andrew in Tinley Park.
Aidan Byrne also scored for Lincoln-Way Central (6-1, 1-0). Connor Pate and Quinn Lauer each added an assist, while Jimmy McKendry made three saves and Josh DeMik added one save while shutting out Andrew in the first half.
Will MacLeod scored on a penalty kick for the Thunderbolts (2-3-1, 0-1). Carson Solomon finished with three saves.
Stevens, meanwhile, buried a shot from 35 yards to give the Knights a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Stevens came into the game with three assists on the season but had yet to score a goal.
He’s got a powerful leg but Lincoln-Way Central coach Dave Brown sometimes teases him about his accuracy.
“Chuck’s a captain this year and he does a lot of the little things for us,” Brown said. “He brings energy and physicality. We always laugh with him, saying that shooting-wise, he’s 1-for-20 and (Tuesday) we got the one. Hopefully, it’s not 20 more before we get another one.
“When he strikes the ball well, you can see what happens. The keeper really had no chance on that one.”
When it comes to shooting, Stevens stays persistent and does not get down on himself when they’re not going in.
He wants to set a good example of a positive attitude, not just for his younger teammates but for his siblings.
“I know my sister and brother are always watching me and I always have that voice in the back of my head like, ‘What would Emmy think? What would Hank think?’” Stevens said. “I want them to always be able to go and talk about me so I never want them to think I’m a weak player.
“I put on that strong persona and I hope they can follow that.”
Hank, who is in seventh grade, has become something of a celebrity among the local soccer community. His dad often posts videos of him giving weather forecasts on Lincoln-Way Central game days and cheering on the Knights.
“It makes me a little bit jealous at times,” Chuck said with a laugh. “But I’m proud of him as an older brother. I want him to not only follow in my footsteps but to be better than me.”
Stevens’ teammates have much appreciation for the way he plays the game.
“He’s a quick winger,” Byrne said. “He’s great at beating a guy one-on-one and he’ll work. That’s the biggest thing is he’s willing to work for us. That’s what we need in a teammate, and he brings that for us.”
After all, if Stevens didn’t work hard, his siblings would call him out on it.
“It’s great sharing soccer with them,” Stevens said. “We’ve all been playing our whole lives. It’s always been our sport. Even when we’re not in season, we’re up at the high school training together, shooting or messing around.
“It’s definitely brought us closer together as a family.”
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