Junior midfielder Olivia Piloni leads the Lady Hubs varsity soccer team with five goals this season, and Piloni’s ability to maneuver through opposing defenses can be traced all the way back to when she was 5 years old.

Piloni played both soccer and T-ball when she was younger, but she said she knew from an early age that she was an attacking player. She joined the Northern Illinois FC when she was 10 years old, and after competing in several sports during her middle school years including volleyball, basketball and track, Piloni prioritized soccer when she arrived at Rochelle Township High School.

“Soccer was the sport that I liked the most,” Piloni said. “It was the sport I spent the most time with and it was more of what I wanted to do… It was more about knowing myself and what my abilities were, and I thought I was better at playing soccer than any other sport.”

Piloni has spent three years with the Lady Hubs varsity soccer team, beginning her high school career in the midfield before moving to defense during her sophomore season and jumping back up to midfield for her junior season. She credited former Rochelle standout Julissa Quinonez for helping her adjust to varsity soccer during her freshman year, and she’s since become an integral player for the Lady Hubs.

“She was the captain and she really liked to lead,” Piloni said. “I could tell that my teammates really trusted her. She was my first role model, and some of the girls I play with outside of school are doing big things and I want to follow in their footsteps. I like to watch the National Women’s Soccer League and Carli Lloyd is a really big role model for me. I try to see myself making the plays she does.”

Piloni ranks second on the Lady Hubs in shots (17), shots on goal (12) and corners (7) this season. Her aggressive play on both ends of the field has allowed her to draw a team-leading six fouls by opposing players, and despite the numbers on the scoreboard, Piloni’s leadership and communication have been appreciated by both teammates and coaches. She was named team captain during her sophomore year, and she’s carried her role into this season.

“I definitely think it shows that my team trusts me and thinks of me highly,” Piloni said. “I have to own up to that and I appreciate that because there are a lot of things I think I can do to help our team. I think I see the game a lot more and it helps to know that, when I give direction, my teammates trust that it’s the right move.”

There haven’t been many wins to celebrate this season, as the Lady Hubs have earned just one victory in 15 games. But with injuries, tough opponents and the learning curve of many first-year players making victory difficult to achieve, Piloni has helped her teammates remain positive about soccer, and with increased participation this spring, Piloni said she’s excited about the future of the program.

“We had such a large number of girls come out who hadn’t played before, but we’re building up the program,” Piloni said. “We have the number of girls we need, so we just need to work up our skill level and I think that will build up over the years… I want us to get one more win, and if not then I want us to play one more hard-fought game. The girls work crazy hard and it stinks that their hard work doesn’t show in the outcomes of our games.”