Athlete of the Week: Knights Have an Eager Leader in Richards

Carolyn Richards, a junior in her third year on Chicago Christian’s varsity girls soccer team, splits her time between center-midfield and forward. She’s not only a leading scorer for the Knights, she’s also a team leader on and off the soccer pitch.

"She does a good job for us. She helps control the game and distributes the ball and makes decisions,” Knights coach Trevor Schans said. “She gives us a great dimension doing things on both offense and defense, shutting down their midfielders.

"Her technical and tactical ability allows her to show some of the other girls and where to be on the field. Other players can learn and grow from that as well.”

And Richards clearly thrives in that leadership role.

"I love our team. We're really like a close-knit family,” she says. “It makes it fun to come to practice every day."

In recognition of her efforts, Richards is Patch’s Athlete of the Week.

Richards, a native of Orland Park, plays club ball with the Windy City Pride out of Lemont. She is undecided about college and would like to study athletic training, criminology or chemistry.