Girls soccer: Size aside, Jakubowski came up big for Huntley

The notion of proving people wrong can serve as a powerful motivation tool.

Long before Taryn Jakubowski carved up defenses the last 4 years for the Huntley girls soccer team, there was a time during her youth when those doubted the petite striker on the pitch.

"Everyone used to say I wasn't really going to be anything because of how small I was," said the 5-foot, 4-inch Jakubowski, who barely stood over 5-foot tall as a freshman. "I think that kind of helped become who I am today. There were people back in (club soccer) who didn't believe in me and I wasn't really anything so that made me work harder than anybody else."

Jakubowski let her actions speak for themselves.

"Her mom told me that at 11 or 12 she knew she wanted to play college soccer," Huntley girls soccer coach Kris Grabner said. "I believe she wrote it on a desk in permanent marker about her goal and what she wanted to do. She's just driven."

"I don't even remember that," laughed Jakubowski, who admitted she probably did. "I was going through all my stuff and I have notes that I wrote to myself and goals that I had, like playing varsity as a freshman and making D-I. I wanted to play in college."

Not only did she knock the varsity part as a freshman out of the park, consider her commitment to Creighton University her junior year case in point.

But her best was saved for last, as Jakubowski led Huntley to a 22-5-2 record with 30 goals and 11 assists this season, downing Barrington in the supersectional and going out in style with a Class 3A fourth place trophy - the best finish in program history.

For those efforts this season, Jakubowski, a 3-time all-Fox Valley Conference selection, has been selected as the Honorary Captain of the Daily Herald's Fox Valley girls soccer all area-team.

She becomes the third Huntley player overall to earn the award, following Aimee Wronski's back-to-back honors in 2010 and 2011 and Corinne Wronski in 2009.

But gaining a reputation for being a dynamic technician who spun defenders in circles didn't happen overnight for the daughter of Andy and Michelle Jakubowski.

"My parents have always instilled in me that you can be better than what you are," said Jakubowski. "I always think there's somewhere you can improve. Even going into the summer there's girls who are working harder and harder so I know I have to keep pushing myself because I know there's always someone out there who's going to be better than me. I'm going to strive to be the best I can be."

Jakubowski adjusted her play in the air due to her size. She developed better skill with her left foot and focused on changing pace to avoid playing at one speed all the time. This season in particular, due to the double and triple teams over the years, she bulked up.

"She's put on a ton of muscle. If you look at her legs they are so strong," Grabner said. "That's important because she took an absolute beating all year and no matter who we played they just hammered her. If she didn't put on that muscle she would've been out a number of times this year."

But it was her teammates who dealt with injuries. As a sophomore, Jakubowski was required to be selfish for once when Deanna Hecht was injured. When Hecht was healthy, Jakubowski returned to a distributor midfield role her junior year and then back to a scoring role this season.

"I think she understands now when to shoot and when to pass and she's just the complete package," Grabner said. "She's so dynamic in her brain; when you watch her play you just see her brain going and how she's going to beat people and how she's going to create. You just don't see incredibly intelligent players that often. And she's one of them. Her soccer IQ is crazy high."

It goes back to when she was 4, starting with indoor soccer at Sportscore in Rockford as well as club ball for the Chicago Magic and Sockers FC. It culminated this season as she totaled 80 goals and 49 assists in her Huntley career, the latter a girls school record. She launched the game-winner against Barrington in the supersectional, and her 71 points this season along with 6-straight game-winners averaged her to 52 points each year.

"I give so much credit to Taryn, she can overcome any obstacle," teammate Erin Gaitsch said. "She gets doubled and tripled teamed and still gets out of it. She's always working; she never stops working."

The frequent adjective that comes up about Jakubowski is her selflessness and her ability to look out for others while looking to pass first on the field. She also stood out in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA.

"We're lucky," said her mom, Michelle, a former Huntley AD and current math teacher and volleyball coach at Barrington. "She's not just a player but a good character. That's kind of one of the more important things to us. It's just not on the soccer field but off the soccer field. And grades. And being a leader. Some of the younger players on the team, that's what we've heard from some parents and to me that makes me more proud than any other soccer accomplishment that could come, especially as a coach."

"She's done everything on her own," said her dad Andy, an English teacher and head baseball coach at Huntley. "It's been her putting in the time and the effort. It was her doing the hurdles and ladders in the summer when she was eight and she always wanted to get better. She's a self-driven player."

That drive, including the one Taryn and her dad took on a snow day a few years back to visit Creighton, made her Division I dreams come true. She's undecided for a major, but if she's not playing after graduation she could follow her parents in their footsteps.

"I still want to get a good education and I always thought coaching might be a thing I've wanted to do because I don't want to leave the game because I love it so much. We'll see what the future holds," Jakubowski said.

Chances are there's a piece of furniture on or off the field at Creighton just waiting for Jakubowski's next goal.

Get to know Taryn Jakubowski

College: Creighton

Favorite music: rap, country

Favorite singer: Sam Hunt

Favorite movie: A Walk to Remember

Favorite food: Barbecue chicken pizza

Favorite restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings

Favorite soccer team: FC Barcelona

Favorite athlete: Mia Hamm

Guilty pleasure: chocolate

If not soccer: Softball