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Nate Steinlage knows where he needs to go immediately after soccer practice – to football practice.
This season, the senior goalkeeper is also the go-to kicker for Friday night lights.
As soon as Steinlage is done leaping to make saves and yelling out orders for his soccer teammates, he heads nearby, straps on his chinstrap and gets ready for his second practice of the day.
It’s an approach he’s taken throughout life: try new things.
“Just take the opportunities,” he said. “If there’s a sport that you want to try, if there’s a position that you want to try, if there’s anything that you want to do, go. Just because, like, that’s what I’ve enjoyed about Eudora.”
Steinlage has played soccer since before he could remember and fell in love instantly. He said he always knew he’d play as soon as he got to high school.
He grew up playing with his brother, Blake, who’s three years older than him. Steinlage embraced the challenge of playing against older kids, including trying his hand as a goalkeeper.
“If you put your mind to it and stick with it and practice, practice, practice, then you can get through and get to where you want to be,” Steinlage said.
Steinlage had a lot of success in his first year in high school, but the pressure started to get to him as he started his second year.
“I just put a lot of pressure on myself for whatever reason,” he said. “I just wanted to better myself or get better than the year before. And me thinking about that just kind of brought me down a level I feel.”
He worked with his coaches and added in new routines like pregame breathing exercises to break past the struggles and find his footing again. Most of all, he has relied on the close bond he shares with his teammates to help return himself to form.
“It’s a team, but it’s more, I get a family vibe,” Steinlage said. “We all care for each other, we all want the best for each other and we’re all able to just be ourselves around each other.”
Boys soccer head coach Darren Erpleding said there is one moment during Steinlage’s junior year when it felt like he finally found his stride.
As Erpelding stood by the high school trying to catch a glimpse of his team playing Spring Hill last fall, he could hear one thing loud and clear: Steinlage barking orders.
Erpelding had been ejected from the match and as the team battled on a windy October day, Erpelding might not have had the best view of the game, but he learned a lot about his goalkeeper that day.
“He really stepped up and took charge of that game,” Erpelding said.
Aside from Steinlage’s leadership being on full display, he showed off his talent, too, leaping to deny Spring Hill on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net.
“From that moment on, I think Nate finally realized how good he was and how good of a leader he could be now,” Erpelding said. “He may not pinpoint that moment, but I would say that was probably the moment for me, that I saw him really grow as a leader for us.”
It also helped Steinlage to lean into his other roles around the school, including as a school record-chasing javelin thrower, president of the Cardinal Corps and three-time Science Olympiad state champion.
His abilities off the soccer pitch help strengthen his skills on it, Erpelding said, describing Steinlage as a well-rounded student and athlete.
“Everything that you see with Nate is real,” Erpelding said. “He’s a very genuine person, and there’s no fake stuff about it. So if you ever heard a bad thing about him, I’d be shocked.”
Steinlage boasts 462 career saves and 20 shutouts, the school record. He is just three wins shy of the school record. And the goal he is chasing the most is least goals allowed in a season, a record he nearly set last year.
This year, Steinlage decided to add more to an already full schedule. Football head coach Drew Steffen has often looked for soccer players to be kickers for the team, and Steinlage was top of his list.
It took a little bit of persistence, but eventually, Steinlage agreed to kick for the football team. The decision was driven by the same motivation to try new things and take opportunities that had driven him for much of his life.
After watching football games from the student section, he decided this year he was ready to be part of the game.
“I’m not going to be able to have a chance to do it ever again, and I’d like to be able to see what I can do,” he said.
Steffen said the transition for soccer players to kick in football can be challenging, but Steinlage put in the work during the offseason to make sure he was ready this fall. Steffen said he hasn’t worried much about Steinlage splitting time between sports.
“You trust and you know he’s going to do a good job,” Steffen said. “So you’re not worried about the timing because of how much he cares about everything that he does.”
It’s a different role than what he does on the soccer pitch. Instead of the loud, vocal leader he has become for the soccer team, his role on the football team is quieter and more reserved. On the sidelines, he goes through his motions a few steps away from the team, ensuring he’s ready whenever his name is called.
Steffen and Erpelding have worked to balance Steinlage’s time. He spends most practices with the soccer team but finds time around or after soccer practice to join the football team and practice kicking.
That work has paid off, with Steinlage making all but one of his extra points this year.
When Steinlage rolled his ankle earlier in the year, forcing him to sit out a few soccer games, Steffen made sure he wasn’t kicking for the football team either to ensure his ankle could heal
It’s all a lot to balance for Steinlage, but he says he enjoys every second of the packed schedule — even if he’s still trying to figure out how to balance it all.
It’s that work ethic and that drive to do more that makes Erpelding sure he has a bright future, no matter which sport or activity he chooses to pursue.
“Nate, oh my gosh, it’s so cliche, you know, but the sky’s the limit for the kid,” Erpelding said. “If he wants to go throw javelin in college, he can. If he wants to go play soccer in college, he can. He’s going to be able to do whatever the heck he wants to do. He works really hard, and as hard as he works in athletics, he probably works harder in the classroom.”
But Steinlage isn’t too focused on the long-term yet. After all, he still has some records to set.
“Everyone talks about it again too fast,” Steinlage said. “I just want to be able to enjoy every moment of it before it’s over.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
