Girls Soccer: Proud of her Muslim faith and multicultural heritage, Rania Arain is a keeper in goal for Hinsdale Central

Hinsdale Central goalkeeper Rania Arain is willing to do whatever she can to help her team.

She even played a few games on an empty stomach.

Arain, a junior, was originally supposed to split time in the nets with senior Grace Clopton. But Clopton missed the first week of the season due to COVID tracing and Arain took full advantage. She’s played every game for the Red Devils (5-2) and has recorded a 1.00 goals-against average and three shutouts.

“She’s not necessarily a surprise,” Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia said. “I’ve been watching her since her freshman year and she is such a hard worker that she just kind of rolls with it.

“It’s not at all cockiness. It’s just, ‘I’m here to play soccer and I want to be the best and I want us to be the best.’”

This season posed a greater challenge than usual for Arain. The start of the season coincided with the start of Ramadan, the 30-day period in which Muslims fast during daylight hours.

“Basically, you wake up really early before the sun rises and you eat,” Arain said. “Then you pray and then you start your day.

“No food, no water, no gum. You break your fast when the sun is setting.”

Most people would find putting in a full day of school without food or water, then attending practice or playing a match, to be difficult. Arain said it is doable.

“It’s something that you end up getting used to,” Arain said. “The first few days are really difficult, but as long as you hydrate and eat some food before the sun starts rising, you’ll be good.”

Arain informed Madonia of her intention to fast at the start of the season and he said it hasn’t affected her performance. But it did give Arain a chance to educate her teammates about the process.

“Some of my teammates overheard me talking about it, and they were like, ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot about that for you and the other Muslim athletes, it’s crazy that you do that – you can’t even drink water?’

“I tell them, ‘Yeah, it’s OK, it’s not insanely hard.’

“Some of my teammates were curious and I love when they ask me questions. It really makes me happy when they’re trying to learn more about other faiths.”

Arain’s communication skills aren’t limited to discussing her faith. She’s simpatico with her teammates, particularly center backs Ava Elliott and Sydney Turnbull, and that has turned the Red Devils into a tough defensive team.

“In terms of being a good keeper, I feel like the most important thing is connecting with your teammates and communicating, so that everyone knows what is happening, especially on plays that are close to the goal like goal kicks or free kicks,” Arain said. “It’s very important for a goalkeeper to communicate as much as possible so everyone is on the same page.”

Arain also is in touch with what her body needs and she is serious about putting her teammates first during the season. That led to a tough decision.

“It was very hard and kind of taxing on my performance, so I decided that I would stop fasting for the season just because I need to have the best performance that I can,” Arain said. “So I intend to make up my fast later in the year.”

Arain has been in top form recently. She stopped two penalty kicks in a 3-2 shootout win over Glenbard West and shut out Proviso West last Thursday.

While some athletes play their entire season while fasting, it is not a strict requirement.

“It’s all up to the athlete,” Arain said. “There is no crucial obligation.

“Of course, it’s better to fast while the whole rest of the world is fasting, but if it’s getting in the way of something that’s crucial to your career or your job or interfering with your sport, it’s OK to make them up later in the year.”

While her faith is important to Arain, it is only part of who she is. She is proud of her multicultural heritage.

Arain’s parents, Adnan and Terri, were both born in the United States but like most Americans can trace their lineage overseas. Terri, who teaches English, is of Irish descent, while Adnan, an insurance advisor, claims roots from Pakistan.

Arain has a grandfather from Pakistan and a grandmother from the Philippines. She visited relatives in Pakistan when she was little and hopes to travel to the Philippines one day.

“I have so much respect for my parents,” said Arain, who has three younger sisters. “They are really hard workers. I get my work ethic from them.”

That work ethic extends to the classroom. Arain is strong in math and chemistry and wants to go to medical school.

“I plan to be a psychiatrist because I find the brain to be really interesting and I also really want to be a doctor,” Arain said. “Helping people is a really big thing for me to do, so that puts them all together.”

Arain also has her parents to thank for her soccer career. They enrolled her in a park district program when she was 6.

“At first, I didn’t like hard work and I didn’t like running,” Arain said. “But my parents told me to give it a few years and stick with it.

“I did and it was the best decision I ever made. I totally fell in love with the sport.”

Though the pandemic has slowed the recruiting process, Arain intends to play soccer in college. She said it’s a big commitment but she’s not ready for her playing career to end.

Madonia doubts it will.

“I think it would be a very lucky college program to have her, based mainly on her intangibles,” Madonia said. “She does everything in her power when it comes to training and individual training. She does everything right.”