After her sophomore year ended, as she saw it, prematurely, Lauren Rakytiak set out to make sure that didn’t happen again. The Strongsville girls soccer standout decided to elevate her game a bit.

That part of it worked. With a lot of sweat equity, extra training sessions, anything she could find to add a little to her game, Rakytiak emerged this year as one of Ohio’s best players, perhaps even one of the best in the country.

The Kent State recruit scored a team-high 23 goals this year and also had eight assists. When she took shots, they went in. She only had 32 shots on goal.

Those numbers are why Rakytiak (pronounced ruh-kitty-ack), a first-team All-Ohioan, is The Post’s 2017 Player of the Year in girls soccer. Rakytiak’s story this year isn’t all about numbers, but about development and self-motivation.

A year ago Rakytiak appeared in 13 games – a total limited by a concussion incurred early on. She started just three and scored just five times. She had nine assists as a sophomore.

“Last year leaving the Walsh game the first time, I knew coming back we needed to be the best we possibly could,” Rakytiak said. “Everyone wanted it and I knew I could have stepped up more.”

Even she admits she never saw her junior season coming. The goals just started going in and never really stopped. Rakytiak thought the well might run dry at some point but it never did.

“I thought that one game I was going to start not being as good as I was,” she said. “But I had faith in my performance. The support I have in my teammates helped me out.”

Mustangs coach Todd Church saw it coming. Maybe not in terms of production in the scorebook, but Church saw the time and effort Rakytiak was investing. He knew there would be a payoff.

“She really exploded on the scene this year,” Church said. “She just works continuously on her craft. She’s always working foot skills, extra sessions, extra training sessions. She works out really hard. This season was a culmination of all that work.”

With Rakytiak leading the way, Strongsville finished 18-1-1 overall, 6-0-1 in the Greater Cleveland Conference, earning a share of the championship in what is hands-down the best league in Ohio for girls soccer.

The big prize, though, the one that originally provided the spark that ignited Rakytiak’s season, eluded the Mustangs again when they were eliminated by eventual state champ Walsh Jesuit in the regional semifinals.

That may motivate Rakytiak and her teammates even more. But what also keeps them going is their mere existence. In a program like Strongsville’s, there is always someone waiting to take your job. It could be a teammate, or a player in eighth grade right now.

“The history drives us,” Church said. “It’s kind of a culture we’re striving to have within our program. We’re going to continue to work hard all through. That’s what Lauren did. She’s been coming to our camps since she was 4 or 5 years old.”

Rakytiak is quick to acknowledge her teammates’ influence on her, as well as their on-field contributions to her success. Without the likes of Vanessa Dinardo, Alli Sidloski and a host of others, all those scoring opportunities might never come.

“All my teammates are fantastic,” she said. “We had such a close bond this year. Every single player on this team made me a better person this season.”