When Lia McCarthy isn’t on the soccer field for Shepard, you can probably find her riding a horse.

McCarthy competes in show jumping equestrian events, giving her another outlet to complement her passion for soccer.

“I love horses,” McCarthy said. “My parents actually met on a horse farm. Horses are a big thing in my family. My sister is pursuing a career with horses now while she’s in college in Montana, and I’m going out there in the fall to attend the University of Montana.”

When it comes to soccer, McCarthy — a senior midfielder — is definitely the Astros’ workhorse.

The four-year varsity regular came through again Tuesday night, providing a goal and an assist as host Shepard spoiled Argo’s bid at an outright South Suburban Red title by beating the Argonauts 2-1 in Palos Heights.

Wiktoria Skupien also scored for the Astros (10-9-1, 6-4-1), who won their sixth game in a row. Clarissa Sanchez added an assist, while Jannel Balbuena made five saves and Mariah Perkins chipped in with three saves.

“This win means a lot,” Skupien said. “I played against a lot of my friends who play for Argo, so it was like a friendly competition. It was fun.”

Klara Cicha scored the goal for Argo (9-5-3, 6-2-3), which now shares the SSC Red championship with Reavis.

Cicha pulled the Argonauts even 1-1 with 35:21 to go before McCarthy provided the answer for Shepard, taking a pass from Sanchez and sprinting down the middle of the field before burying a high shot from 20 yards with 23:43 to go.

“We were mad because we were up and then everyone maybe took their foot off the gas a little bit and then we’re back to square one being tied,” McCarthy said. “We had to lock back in and really push our hardest. Scoring that goal, we knew it’d bring the energy back up.”

It was the 19th goal of the season for McCarthy, and Shepard coach Dan Cordes knows he can always lean on her.

“Lia just does a little bit of everything,” Cordes said. “She scores goals. She assists. She helps us defend to close out games. She’s a leader vocally and with her play.

“It’s obvious every game that she’s the best player on our team. Everyone follows her lead.”

Speaking of doing a variety of things, McCarthy was also a hockey player before giving up that sport after her freshman year. Now, it’s soccer and horses.

“Competing with horses, it’s a fun thing,” McCarthy said. “It’s an out-there thing because not a lot of people do it, but when you meet other people who do it, it’s really cool. You get your own little horse friends. It’s like a whole community.

“Then you have that relationship with the animal. I think it’s pretty amazing.”

McCarthy believes she still has a hockey mentality inside of her as well.

“Hockey is what made me a better soccer player,” McCarthy said. “My freshman year, I was doing both at the same time and that was a lot. I decided I wanted to focus on soccer because I liked it more.

“But I feel I’m a very physical player because of hockey. I have some friends who went from hockey to soccer, too. Hockey players make great soccer players.”

As a three-year captain, McCarthy has certainly left her mark on the program. Playing in her last regular-season game Tuesday brought about some mixed feelings.

“It’s a bittersweet thing,” she said. “I’ve played four years and it’s been a long journey, and at certain points this year, I was ready for it to end. I got frustrated early in the season because I had big expectations, but as the season’s going on, we’re getting better.

“It’s going to be a good ending for me.”