Gymnastics was everything for Jade Rubalcaba as a child. She had never played soccer until she entered Evergreen Park High School, but her cousin Noreima Hernandez convinced her to give it a try.
Now, Rubalcaba can't imagine his life without sports. The junior forward enjoys playing with Hernandez and another cousin, Zaida Rubalcaba, for the Mustangs.
“Zaida and I did gymnastics together, and when we started high school we tried a lot of new things, like volleyball and soccer,” Jade said. “But I fell in love with soccer.
“I like to score. I like the whole team aspect of it. I like being able to use my speed. I love this sport so much that I want to continue at the collegiate level.”
Jade Rubalcaba has developed into Evergreen Park's leading scorer.
She had two goals and one assist to lead the Mustangs to a 5-0 victory over Crete Mone on Tuesday night in the Class 2A St. Lawrence Regional semifinal game in Burbank.
Hernandez also had two goals and one assist for Evergreen Park (9-8-2). Maddie Bruno added a goal and Abby Kupschuk made two saves for the shutout.
The sixth-seeded Mustangs will play third-seeded St. Lawrence (11-10) in the regional final Friday at 5 p.m. (beat Morgan Park 11-0 in Tuesday's other semifinal). .
Andrea Gutierrez Silva made two saves for 11th-seeded Crete Mone (5-19-1).
It's definitely a family affair for Evergreen Park, with the trio of cousins all playing big roles.
Jade Rubalcaba scored a team-high 14 goals. Hernandez, a senior forward, scored nine goals. And junior Zaida Rubalcaba is one of the team's defensive leaders.
Evergreen Park coach Matt Microwicz will be watching to see how the cousins' chemistry plays out on the field.
“They definitely have a family connection,” Microwicz said. “They're very close. They play together really well.”
Hernandez is an eight-year soccer veteran. She asks Jade and Zayda to join her team, uniting the trio of cousins.
Well, that may have been more than asking.
“She forced us to try out the freshmen,” Zaida said. “But we did gymnastics for six years, so we were always athletic. We knew we wanted to play sports in high school.
“In soccer, we like everything about running. We like conditioning and practicing every day.”
Mr. Hernandez was happy to arrange a family reunion.
“I had them play volleyball and soccer,” Hernandez said. “I just wanted them to try something new. Volleyball didn't work out, but soccer did.”
On Tuesday night, Jade Rubalcava scored in the 17th minute and then another in the 37th minute to give Evergreen Park a 2-0 lead at halftime.
“I give 100% on the field and continue to push every game. I continue to reach my full potential by working with my teammates and working hard in practice.” Jade said.
After Hernandez added two goals in the second half, Bruno converted a penalty kick to complete the scoring.
Zaida Rubalcaba led the line along with Trinity Jones and Taylor Eman.
Jade and Zaida didn't play soccer until high school, but the sport definitely clicked with them quickly.
“I quickly learned that they were quick learners,” Miklovicz said. “Jade learned how to kick the ball correctly within a few days. You can see them start to improve very quickly.”
Jade Rubalcaba said her gymnastics experience definitely helped.
“The speed and flexibility I gained from gymnastics is definitely great for soccer,” she says. “And just being able to condition helps.”
Soccer is a natural fit for Jade Rubalcaba, especially with her cousins on her side.
“It feels good to play with your own family,” she said.
