MUSKEGON – Muskegon Risers soccer fans are quickly learning to appreciate Ryan Zietlow’s offensive skills.

That’s something new and refreshing for Zietlow, 22, who has always had a knack for scoring goals, but has sometimes been overlooked in that respect.

He scored a lot in his senior season at Spring Lake High School in 2018, producing 20 goals and 10 assists, and expected to get strong consideration for All-State status.

But much to his frustration, he wasn’t deemed to be one of the better point producers in Michigan and was snubbed when the All-State teams were announced.

Zietlow moved on to play for Davenport University in 2019 and had a great experience, but never really got the chance to use his offensive talents.

The coaches at Davenport took advantage of his diverse abilities and used him in many different positions, but he was never relied on to score goals. His best college season came in his junior year, when he totaled three goals and one assist for Davenport.

Zietlow graduated with his degree last spring and entered the work world as a shipping coordinator for Fairlife Milk.

But his desire to play soccer still burned bright, so he accepted the chance to play semipro last summer for the Grand Haven Admirals, and this winter for the Risers men’s indoor team.

Risers Coach Ben Ritsema was very aware of Zietlow’s offensive gifts and put him in a position to produce goals for the team.

He responded to the opportunity right away, scoring a three-goal hat trick in the Risers’ season opener in Cincinnati, then followed up with two goals in their second game in Chicago.

Zietlow went scoreless in the Risers’ first home game of the season on Jan. 7, but made up for it the following night, finding the goal four times to lead Muskegon to a dramatic 11-10 victory over the Chicago Mustangs.

His fourth goal, which came with 2:15 left in regulation, turned out to be the game-winner for the Risers.

He leads the team with 10 goals so far this season and has brought another weapon to a Risers lineup that already features a number of talented scorers.

His efforts have helped the Risers get off to a very respectable 2-3 start in their first year of full competition in the Major Arena Soccer League 2.

Zietlow insists that that he’s a team player first, and he definitely means it. He would be willing to play any position on the field to help the Risers win, just like he did for his college team.

“I look at soccer as a team sport,” he said. “The most important thing is to get a win. There’s nothing more fun that celebrating with your teammates, and I hate to lose.”

But Zietlow also admits that it’s fun to be scoring goals again, and helping the Risers win games in a more direct way.

“I do love scoring goals, that’s for sure,” he said. “I was always used to playing offense when I was growing up, and making the transition to defense and not scoring as many goals (in college) was a little weird, but I was capable of making that transition.”

The amazing part about Zietlow’s scoring outburst is that he’s done it in very unfamiliar territory. He has spent his entire career playing traditional outdoor soccer, and the indoor version is new to him.

Indoor soccer is much different. It’s played on small arena fields that are basically covered hockey rinks. Instead of having 11 players per team on the field, there are only five. The game is faster, more physical and has a lot more scoring. Like in hockey, players make frequent shift changes, and aren’t on the field for more than a few minutes before a new group replaces them on the fly.

“It’s ridiculous how many different things there are between indoor and outdoor,” Zietlow said. “Our coach always talks about shifts. It’s pretty much like hockey, You bust your butt for a minute or a minute and a half, and for a newcomer that’s one of the biggest learning factors, when to get on and off the field. In outdoor you play a lot longer.”

Zietlow has quickly learned to enjoy the different style of play.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s so much fun. I have a blast out there. My teammates make it super fun, and the fans make it even better. They are right next to you, not hundreds of feet away. It’s a cool atmosphere.

“I had no idea it was like this. I knew it was kind of a cool thing, but I didn’t know there were strobe lights going off when you score with everyone screaming and yelling, and little kids coming up to you after the game. It’s awesome.”