Early in the season, Leah Rutkowski felt something special brewing.

Crystal Lake Central opened the spring with a 3-2 loss to Lake Forest. The Tigers responded with a 15-game winning streak that included a five-game stretch where Central outscored its opponents 27-0. That stretch, which included a crucial win over Huntley, a win that loomed large for the Fox Valley Conference title, had Rutkowski thinking big.

“We lost our first game of the season and just got back to work,” said Rutkowski, Central’s second-year girls soccer coach. “We went into a stretch where we had a pretty tough week and some teams who we knew would give us some battles. ... We had four shutouts. That was a special moment where the team showed a lot of growth.”

Earning a No. 1 seed for the postseason, Central cruised through its regional and sectional brackets. In the supersectional round, where Rutkowski’s first year at the helm ended last spring, the Tigers met Lake Forest once more. This time, however, Central bounced back, topping the Scouts 2-1 and returning to the Class 2A state finals.

It was there that the Tigers claimed their second state championship in three years, and Rutkowski, an assistant under former coach Sarah Fack, earned her first championship as Central’s leader. The Tigers, who placed third at state three years ago, finished with a 22-2 record and 9-0 in the FVC to win their fourth conference title in five years.

Rutkowski has been named the 2026 Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Coach of the Year, as voted on by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Rob Eastland, who led Johnsburg to a 19-1 record, Kishwaukee River Conference regular season and tournament titles and third in the Class 1A state tournament, was also considered.

Sports reporter Russ Hodges recently spoke with Rutkowski about the 2026 season, the team’s unsung heroes, the players who made her laugh, her coaching philosophies, role models and more.

What did it mean to win your first title as head coach?

Rutkowski: It’s something I think every coach aspires for, and so getting it in my second year was just incredible. It was really about the team, myself and the girls looking out for each other, wanting the best for each other and playing and coaching for each other.

Was there a moment you felt this season could be special?

Rutkowski: I knew how special our senior class was. I pulled them aside early and had conversations with them without being too specific or putting too much pressure on them. ... They just locked in to that, latched on and took that and ran with it.

How long have you been coaching soccer?

Rutkowski: I’ve been coaching ever since I started teaching at Central, so that was about 10 years ago. What inspired me was a love for the game. I play the game in adult leagues, and coaching is just another way to enjoy the game and share it with others.

What do you enjoy most about coaching soccer?

Rutkowski: I think it’s sharing in the kids’ success. I’ve told teams in the past that every single time I’m celebrating one of their goals, it’s way better and more enjoyable for me than any goal I’ve ever scored.

How would you describe your coaching philosophy?

Rutkowski: I coach very team-based soccer where I heavily focus on good work rate and good possession from all 11 players on the field. ... Work rate is one of my priorities, so I love players that work hard, and those are the players I develop in my programs. Ones that play for each other are unselfish and play good team soccer.

Who have been your biggest coaching role models?

Rutkowski: A couple of the coaches I took programs over from, which would be Sarah Fack for the girls and Jay Schwarzrock for the boys, are huge coaching mentors to me. Also, my assistants in both programs, Kyle McCaughn for the girls and Todd Sherwood for the boys, are incredible coaches, and they help me do what I do every day. I have a good friend that I teach with, Joe Schroeder. He coaches Prairie Ridge’s varsity boys, and I’ve learned a lot from him.

What do you teach, and how long have you been teaching?

Rutkowski: I teach science. Chemistry and forensics primarily. I come from a large family of educators, so it’s always something I thought about since I was young. My family influenced me a lot to go into education. I’ve always been really interested in science.

Are there any players who made you laugh most this year?

Rutkowski: Kira Stavropoulos has a really good sense of humor. It’s a smart sense of humor because she’s a very intelligent person, so she would make little comments that always cracked me up.

Was there a player you found to be really inspiring?

Rutkowski: Peyton McMahon. Her competitive nature is something I rarely see in an athlete. All kids want to win, but Peyton is literally willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. She’s just such a hard worker and such a leader. In those tough moments, she would just drag our team through with her self-sacrifice and leadership.

Who were some of your unsung heroes this season?

Rutkowski: One player who made an impact in a very unexpected way was Charlotte Wallner, who stepped into the keeper position having never played a minute before the season. She learned a new position and made some incredible saves to keep our season alive. ... Skyler Ferrero was someone who was an impact player in that we could play her at any of the 11 positions on the field, including in goal. ... Our two center backs, Kira Stavropoulos and Katelyn Hallum, controlled a lot for us. We ended the season with 14 shutouts, which is incredible.