Girls Soccer: Andran’s Chris Mikrut in the right position

Chris Mikrut’s career path has taken some twists and turns, but he’s exactly where he wants to be.

The Illinois native started coaching high school soccer in his home state at Carmel in far north suburban Mundelein, working with both the boys and girls teams, before coming to Indiana in 2002 to take over Andrean’s girls program.

“I was happy at Andrean,” Mikrut said. “The kids were unbelievable, they worked so hard. I wasn’t planning on leaving.”

But when Mike Malaski stepped down as Crown Point’s coach four years ago to become assistant athletics director, Malaski jumped at the chance to take over the Bulldogs. It’s been a good fit, perhaps never more so than this fall, when Mikrut led Crown Point to a 16-5 record, its first regional title since 2003 and second overall, and a share of the Duneland Athletic Conference championship. For taking the Bulldogs to another level, Mikrut is the 2011 Post-Tribune Girls Soccer Coach of the Year.

“To walk into this was somewhat difficult,” Mikrut said jokingly. “I had to keep up the success, especially because (Malaski is) now my boss.”

The talent on hand made Mikrut’s job easier this season.

“There’s no doubt that I felt we had a good opportunity to make it to semistate,” he said. “This group of kids, when they were freshmen and sophomores, we knew this would be a good year.”

It wasn’t without its ups and downs, however. After starting 7-0, the Bulldogs dropped three in a row, including a 1-0 loss at Valparaiso in mid-September.

“We were struggling in that mid part of the season,” Mikrut said. “At that point, (the thinking was), hopefully we can make a run at the end.”

They did. The Bulldogs won their own Class 2A sectional, beating Kankakee Valley 6-1 in the final behind two goals and an assist from Sarah Rivich. Then Crown Point edged Munster 1-0 on a Rivich goal in the semifinals of the Munster Regional, avenging a loss to the Mustangs on that field two years ago.

Next was a regional championship win over Valparaiso on penalty kicks after the DAC rivals battled to a scoreless tie through regulation and two overtimes.

That was one in a series of statement wins for the Bulldogs this fall.

“We finally beat Lake Central,” Mikrut said. “The second game against Valpo was big, too.

“It was kind like us getting over that hump and making that big run. We just couldn’t break through that postseason (before).”

The regional title earned the Bulldogs a matchup with South Bend St. Joseph’s, which scored a pair of overtime goals to earn a hard-fought 3-1 win that ended the Bulldogs’ season.

But Mikrut can’t complain about the state of the program. The Bulldogs’ summer workouts consistently drew 50 to 60 players and so many tried out for the team that Mikrut had to make cuts. And it’s not just the athletes who are bullish on Crown Point girls soccer.

“Girls soccer is an important sport at the high school and within the community,” Mikrut said.

And he doesn’t expect that to change. “There’s two ways it can happen — you can be satisfied getting to semistate or it can make you a little hungry,” Mikrut said. “Especially the kids in our junior class. They’re hungry and they’re ready to go again.”

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