ADRIAN — Right around this time every year, Lenawee Christian soccer coach Nathan Sharpe turns into a salesman.
He starts selling the merits of his players to the other members of the all-district, all-region and all-state committee, hoping the numbers and skills of his players merit selection to the various honor teams.
This year, he didn’t have to do much selling to the committee about Avery Sluss.
“Normally at those all-state meetings, I’ve got to push, push, push people,” Sharpe said. “This year, everybody was pretty aligned that they believed she was the No. 1 goalie in the district, No. 1 in the region and all-state.
“For us not to win districts and have a first team all-stater is rare. She was recognized at the highest level as being one of the best, if not the best, in Division 4. Unbelievable.”
Sluss, Lenawee Christian’s outstanding goalkeeper, earned her selection on the all-state team and today has added to those honors by being named The Daily Telegram’s 2023 Soccer Player of the Year. Sharpe didn’t have to do much convincing.
The Cougars won nine games this past season, eight of which were when Sluss recorded a shutout. She made 108 stops during the season and kept LCS in the game against a strong Manchester team in the districts before the Flying Dutch pulled out a 2-1 win.
“She’s extremely athletic and that’s a big part of goaltending,” Sharpe said. “I think the thing she’s improved each and every year is her ability to be in the right position. Goalkeeping is about angles. She plays better at that than any female goalie I have had or that I’ve seen, honestly.”
Sluss, 18, works with a goalie coach throughout the year to get better. She credits her teammates and coaches with her on-field success.
“I think I’ve progressed a lot because of my teammates around me and my coaches pushing me to do my best,” she said. “It has a lot to do with people around me, especially Olivia (Durbin) and Lauren (Swiggum). We’ve been playing together since we were 11 or 12. They’ve been through my entire journey. I don’t think I could have done what I’ve done without them.”
LCS was shorthanded much of the season because of injuries.
“I think I played my best this year,” she said. “I think everybody can agree that they got better over the course of the season. As a team, we played the best we could.”
Sluss admits to feeling some pressure in goal, but mainly pressure she put on herself.
“I definitely felt the pressure of it being my last season of high school and having very minimal people on the bench,” she said.
The daughter of David and Kristen Sluss will attend Indiana Wesleyan next year. Sluss said she is ready for the next level.
“I’m really excited for that,” she said. “I’ve been watching more soccer, making sure I’m up to speed on all of the new things and knowing the game well is important. I’ve been running a lot, which is important. It’s very important to be in great condition.”
Sharpe said there are some indications that she will step right into some playing time as a freshman goalkeeper.
“They’ve kind of indicated to her to be ready come September,” Sharpe said. “Most likely she’s going to step right in. That’s really rare.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Sluss named Lenawee County Girls Soccer Player of the Year