Chances are, if there’s a free kick or a corner kick to be taken by an N.C. State women’s soccer player, that player will be sophomore Katie Ruiz.
Ruiz has been the team’s specialist in those areas this season, as well as last, and has been in nearly every team she’s been a part of growing up.
When lining up the kick for these key scoring opportunities, Ruiz said she’s ideally trying to lob it into the thick of things so a teammate can head it in.
“I’m trying to drive it into the box so one of our players can head it in, usually far post,” Ruiz said. “It depends. We have some of our best headers like Jessica [O’Rourke] and Meredith [Parrilla], and they do a really good job getting on the end of it, so it makes me look good when they do that.”
Ruiz has one of the strongest legs on the team and has had some highlight moments in her short Wolfpack career. She led the team in assists as a freshman.
“She had a free kick from behind midline last year that we put in the box that we scored on,” coach Laura Kerrigan said. “She did a great free kick to Jessica for a goal against Miami. It was a 1-0 win.”
In addition to having a powerful leg, Ruiz’s accuracy is unparalleled on the team, according to freshman Alex Berger.
“She’s got a really good service. She’s got a lot of control over it, which a lot of our teammates don’t have,” Berger said. “She can place it really well where she wants to, and she can also switch up the kind of ball she hits.”
Last year, Ruiz learned from fellow defenders like Michelle Massey, Megan Buescher and Nicole Mayo — three players who started almost every game over their four-year careers.
With the trio now graduated, some forwards were moved to defense positions to help create depth at the position, leaving Ruiz as the only returning player with experience playing the back line.
Many, like Massey, took Ruiz under their wing last year. Ruiz has now switched from mentee to mentor in the defensive unit.
“It is a big transition. When we do things in practice, working on defense, I realize how much I it took for granted last year that [the seniors] knew what they were doing: Drills that were so easy last year with them are chaos this year,” Ruiz said.
“It’s a bigger responsibility for me since I’m the only returner on the back line to get everybody organized.” Berger said Ruiz has already started to become a leader on the team, citing the help Ruiz often gives the more inexperienced players during practice.
“When I make a mistake or when I mess up, she’ll take me aside and tell me what I should have done or maybe a better way to handle it,” Berger said. “She talks a lot in the back, which helps and provides a lot of leadership and keeps us under control.”
Her coach has also taken notice and said Ruiz has “embraced the leadership role” that has been asked of her.
“She runs the back line,” Kerrigan said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces back there, and we’re asking her to organize the back for us.”
As the season progresses — the team is 1-1 — Kerrigan will continue to look to Ruiz to lead the back line into the heat of conference play, and as always, produce goals for the Pack with her kicking specialties.
“She can put the ball on anyone’s head that we ask her to put it on. That’s certainly a big weapon for us,” Kerrigan said. “We feel like any free kick from 30 yards is going to be a good scoring opportunity for us because Katie can put it in the goal.”
