Adaptable Noah Daykin poised for impactful senior year with Sycamore

If Noah Daykin learned anything last year, it was how to roll with the punches.

Normally playing a more attacking position, an injury to a key Sycamore soccer player shuffled a few players around about halfway through the season.

By the time the musical chairs ended, Daykin was in the middle of the Sycamore offense. He handed out 11 assists and scored once.

“I was never a center-mid really, I was more of a winger and striker,” Daykin said. “To go into the middle and know how to assist people, that was good for our team.”

As summer workouts wind down for the Spartans, Daykin is expecting to stay at center-mid for his senior season.

Daykin is one of seven seniors on the roster for the Spartans. He said his focus this offseason is on more of a leadership role.

“I’m trying to become a captain this year,” Daykin said. “So I’m trying to become a role model for these guys.”

The Spartans went 16-7-1 last year, including 9-1 in the Interstate 8 to win the conference title. They lost to Kaneland in a Class 2A Rochelle Regional semifinal.

Early in the season, they lost leading scorer Jameson Carl for the last 12 games of the year. That pushed Aiden Sears up top, and he ended up becoming the Daily Chronicle Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Daykin ended up taking over for Sears in the middle.

“Losing a goal scorer like J got Aiden the ball a lot more,” coach Kevin Bickley said. “In the attack, he probably saw the ball a lot more. He’s just so good on the ball when he gets it.”

Bickley said that Daykin has continually improved his game since his freshman year.

“He had come in his freshman year with a broken leg with a plate in it,” Bickley said. “We knew he was going to come in with some skill, and unfortunately, came in coming off a broken leg, so he had to start his first year on the fresh/soph team. He’s really battled his way back, and he’s probably one of the hardest working players on our team.”

Bickley said Daykin is emerging as a leader.

“We did lose a lot of seniors last year, but with the senior class that is coming in, they’ve been together for a long, long time,” Bickley said. “They’re all strong leaders. I think Noah is going to be a great leader for us on the field. He’s very vocal, understands the game. He helps the younger guys out a lot. I think it’s going to be great for him.”

And there are a lot of players for him and the other seniors to lead, Bickley said. He said he expects about 70 players program-wide by the time fall practices start.

Bickley pointed to a recent friendly at DeKalb in which 50 players showed up to a light afternoon game in almost 90-degree heat.

“They’re all committed to being here and getting better,” Bickley said. “I think we’re going to have three really strong levels. People are going to be fighting for spots. That’s going to be the big thing these guys aren’t used to. There’s not a lot of spots to fill, and there’s going to be a lot of competition for it.”