Libertyville senior forward Sydney Dulak is winning the mental game this season.
Dulak said that wasn’t the case last year, when she struggled to handle self-imposed pressure after committing to Saint Louis.
“Last year, I was in my head a lot,” she said. “Just myself, I needed to be good. When I set super high standards, I don’t take it too well, especially last year.”
But Dulak has been a different player throughout the Wildcats’ run to the North Suburban Conference title and the Class 3A Fremd Sectional championship game this season, and that continued Friday night.
Dulak scored twice in the first half as top-seeded Libertyville beat second-seeded Fremd 2-1 in Palatine to win the sectional title.
Dulak also scored a goal against Glenbrook South in the sectional semifinal and has 13 goals and 11 assists for the Wildcats (18-1-3), who reversed a 2-1 loss to Fremd (13-6-4) in the 2024 sectional final to advance to the Barrington Supersectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“When you get into these games, you have to let go,” Dulak said. “It’s so much easier playing free, like a weight off of my shoulders. It’s fun again.”
Calling Dulak an “incredible player,” Libertyville coach Ian Taylor said switching her from center midfielder to the wing has made a difference too.
“It was a really positive change for her,” Taylor said. “I think she has a little more freedom now to play her game, and she gained more confidence throughout the game, taking players on 1v1s. When she gets a chance in a game, she doesn’t miss.”
Taylor said Dulak can play any position on the field, though.
“She has another gear that you don’t see until she puts on the burners,” Taylor said. “She’s really smart with the ball and has a great delivery with both feet. She’s a really technical and dynamic player.”
Libertyville senior defender Anna George said Dulak can affect the game in a number of ways.
“Sydney is so composed under pressure, and she knows what to do with the ball all the time,” George said. “She takes her chances whenever she has them.
“She’s a good goal scorer but also assists very well. She knows where everyone is on the field and can set everyone up on the field as well.”
Dulak said she intends to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a physical therapist. She even likes to practice on teammates.
“I know what to do because of my parents, like icing and elevating, taking care of your body and taking the rest days,” she said.
“We have a couple of people who are injured on our team. We just had one of our starters, Tess McGormley, injure her ankle recently, and she wanted to get back in the next day. So I told her, ‘You’ve got to take a break and ice.’ She iced it and is now ready to play the next game.”
So is Dulak.
“I feel last year it wasn’t that fun,” she said. “I was in my head and put so much pressure on myself. This year, I love my team and love it so much.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.