Sanchez repeats past heroics for Solorio
Goal, assist lead defending CPL champs past Washington
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Think of Alex Sanchez as a radical traditionalist.
He is drawn to new ideas and new possibilities. At the same time he is always cognizant of the past and how it plays on and informs the present.
As a sophomore, he was the top scorer on a Solorio team that won a Class AA state championship. Last year he scored the game-winner against Washington in overtime as the Sun Warriors captured the first city championship in program history.
He is a two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-State player who scored more than 40 goals last year. As time presses on his senior year at Solorio, he is staking claim as one of the best players in the history of Chicago Public League soccer.
Much more remains to be done, he said. One more time into the breach, as it were, with the Sun Warriors taking on Washington in the league tournament semifinals Tuesday, the history lessons were acute.
“As the year passes, we keep getting more accomplishments and more is expected of us,” he said.
“We expected to get back to the city final.”
Washington matched Solorio’s skill with the drive and fury the program is known for.
In the end, Sanchez, as is his wont, was the difference.
Sanchez created the game-winning assist and put the game out of reach with a beautiful free kick goal as the Sun Warriors, ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, pulled out the 3-1 victory at Lane Stadium.
For his achievements, Sanchez earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
The Sun Warriors (19-1-1) now reach for a different level of history, trying to become the first program in the history of the boys tournament to win consecutive titles.
Solorio faces off Thursday at 7 p.m. against Lane (11-2-0), which defeated Taft 2-1 in overtime in the first city semifinal.
The game marks the first game between Lane and Solorio since the city semifinals in 2017. The Chicago Public League has since instituted a two-division Premier Division, with South and North breakdowns.
Washington played without its best player, senior forward Angel Arismendiz, who was injured in their penalty kick shootout win over Young in the quarterfinal round Saturday.
The second semifinal was also streaked in sorrow and loss. The game was overshadowed by a Monday night tragedy involving two students at Washington.
Two young women from the school, an 18-year old and a 17-year-old, were killed when the car they were passengers in collided with a truck in Hammond, Indiana.
The two schools held a moment of silence in their memory before the start.
“The game was very emotional,” Washington coach Alvaro Perez said. “Their mindset was not totally in the game. As coaches, we tried to get them focused.”
Still the game echoed the memorable city title of a year ago at the rechristened SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Sanchez got lost in the deep spaces of that field.
Washington has also achieved the state-city championship double this decade. The Patriots are a formidable program. The two South Side powers mirror each other.
“It’s a game for pride whenever we play,” Sanchez said. “It’s not just the win. It’s the pride.”
Solorio coach Adrian Calleros understands his team is now subjected to a different set of rules. The level of accomplishment is such, getting by is no longer an option.
Solorio is now the standard in the city.
“We have become a target, and the players have accepted the challenge,” Calleros said. “We just won a state championship, we have won a city championship. We have gone through the city pretty well.
“We are going to have to come out and match the other team’s intensity. It’s just like us when we were coming up as a program. When we played a Washington or when we played a Lane, we said 'Those programs are where we want to get to.'”
Solorio edged Washington 1-0 in Premier Division South play on September 9.
Solorio has a finesse style and likes to play a fluid, touch and pass attack. Washington is more physical and exceptionally dangerous on set pieces. The contrast made for some riveting soccer.
When these two teams hook up, it goes straight to 11 -- no warm up or exposition, straight to the heart of the matter.
Sanchez created near constant pressure from the start, showing unmatched creativity and the ability to create separation in space. In the fifth minute, Washington’s elite keeper Eduardo Rodriguez made a great kick-stop.
“We graduated some guys from last year, and our team is still young. But we have a solid group, and we play well together,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez commands a lot of attention, enabling Solorio’s secondary wave to assert their presence in the game. Midfielder Eduardo Franco did just that in the 20th minute, controlling a misplayed ball that he broke through for a breakaway.
Rodriguez charged off the line and got a touch but it was not sufficient to redirect the ball; it floated inside the near post for the 1-0 Sun Warriors lead.
Washington (12-6-1) responded in kind. The Patriots created some pressure of their own that produced a strong scoring chance from the top of the box.
Midfielder Rafael De Santiago blasted a left-footed ball that appeared headed for an open location only for the Sun Warriors’ keeper Joel Estrada to extend his body and get just enough of a touch to direct it off the near post.
Sanchez got free on several opportunities. Washington solved the initial play through the end of the first half. The Patriots finally struck in the 38th minute, a terrific free kick just inside midfield by Angel Huerta that sophomore defender Julian Martinez finished with a sharp volley for the equalizer.
“We absolutely felt confident after we scored the equalizer and we thought we had a good chance against them,” De Santiago said.
“We had a lot of opportunities we didn’t make, but that is the game of soccer.”
The Patriots certainly took hold of the Sun Warriors’ imagination. Their spirited play and fast actions caught Solorio off guard.
Sanchez said the team had to catch up to their rhythm.
“After they scored it was a wake-up call,” he said. “After we scored we got a little confident that we were going to win the match. They scored and that was a way for us to realize we had to play better in order to win.
“That helped us get focused.”
Solorio likes to play quick to push the ball from side to side. Sanchez is the master of pace and rhythm. In the back and forth the two teams played out through the second half, Sanchez sought a way to switch up the momentum.
In the 63rd minute, he delivered. His importance was felt two ways, on the field and through his compelling individual leadership.
Defender Andy Salgado was the beneficiary.
“Alex sent me the ball, and he told me to look for the second post,” Salgado said. “I was there and ready, and I looked for it. I just put my head through the ball, and it went in the net.”
Washington worked hard to fight back. Midfielder Adrian Yanez, who started on the Patriots’ city title-winning team two years ago, played with tremendous composure and a high-end pressure.
The team could not find a way to keep Sanchez in check or score enough to make his offensive output a secondary concern.
Sanchez put the game out of reach with a beautiful free kick just outside the top of the box. His creativity and skill with the ball occasioned the foul that set up the goal.
“When we won state and had that run last year, going 22-2-0, people said we graduated a lot and would maybe struggle,” Calleros said.
“But we have an All-American in Sanchez and three or four other really good players with returning experience. They work and put in leadership. The young guys we have, obviously, they are not bad.”
Now the focus turns to Lane and a different kind of history. Sanchez is the one in charge.
“In the past couple of years, ever since my freshman year, it has not been a great history with Lane,” he said.
“We tied one year, and they beat us my sophomore year. I don’t remember ever beating them. This game is going to be a little sweet revenge.”
Starting lineups
Washington
GK: Eduardo Rodriguez
D: Julian Martinez
D: Angelo Williams
D: Joel Sevilla
MF: Christopher Gomez
MF: Sebastian Ramirez
MF: Rafael De Santiago
MF: Adrian Yanez
MF: Angel Avila
F: Daniel Tinajero
F: Angel Huerta
Solorio
GK: Joel Estrada
D: Kevin Patino
D: Edgar Torres
D: Andy Salgado
MF: Donovan Dorantes
MF: Rafael Soto
MF: Angel Nevarez
MF: Eduardo Franco
MF: Hector Salto
F: Alex Sanchez
F: Raul Mariscal
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Sanchez, sr., F, Solorio
Scoring summary
First half
Solorio—Eduardo Franco (unassisted), 20th minute
Washington—Julian Martinez (Angel Huerta), 38th minute
Second half
Solorio—Andy Salgado (Alex Sanchez), 63rd minute
Solorio—Sanchez (free kick), 72nd minute
Goal, assist lead defending CPL champs past Washington
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Think of Alex Sanchez as a radical traditionalist.
He is drawn to new ideas and new possibilities. At the same time he is always cognizant of the past and how it plays on and informs the present.
As a sophomore, he was the top scorer on a Solorio team that won a Class AA state championship. Last year he scored the game-winner against Washington in overtime as the Sun Warriors captured the first city championship in program history.
He is a two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-State player who scored more than 40 goals last year. As time presses on his senior year at Solorio, he is staking claim as one of the best players in the history of Chicago Public League soccer.
Much more remains to be done, he said. One more time into the breach, as it were, with the Sun Warriors taking on Washington in the league tournament semifinals Tuesday, the history lessons were acute.
“As the year passes, we keep getting more accomplishments and more is expected of us,” he said.
“We expected to get back to the city final.”
Washington matched Solorio’s skill with the drive and fury the program is known for.
In the end, Sanchez, as is his wont, was the difference.
Sanchez created the game-winning assist and put the game out of reach with a beautiful free kick goal as the Sun Warriors, ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, pulled out the 3-1 victory at Lane Stadium.
For his achievements, Sanchez earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
The Sun Warriors (19-1-1) now reach for a different level of history, trying to become the first program in the history of the boys tournament to win consecutive titles.
Solorio faces off Thursday at 7 p.m. against Lane (11-2-0), which defeated Taft 2-1 in overtime in the first city semifinal.
The game marks the first game between Lane and Solorio since the city semifinals in 2017. The Chicago Public League has since instituted a two-division Premier Division, with South and North breakdowns.
Washington played without its best player, senior forward Angel Arismendiz, who was injured in their penalty kick shootout win over Young in the quarterfinal round Saturday.
The second semifinal was also streaked in sorrow and loss. The game was overshadowed by a Monday night tragedy involving two students at Washington.
Two young women from the school, an 18-year old and a 17-year-old, were killed when the car they were passengers in collided with a truck in Hammond, Indiana.
The two schools held a moment of silence in their memory before the start.
“The game was very emotional,” Washington coach Alvaro Perez said. “Their mindset was not totally in the game. As coaches, we tried to get them focused.”
Still the game echoed the memorable city title of a year ago at the rechristened SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Sanchez got lost in the deep spaces of that field.
Washington has also achieved the state-city championship double this decade. The Patriots are a formidable program. The two South Side powers mirror each other.
“It’s a game for pride whenever we play,” Sanchez said. “It’s not just the win. It’s the pride.”
Solorio coach Adrian Calleros understands his team is now subjected to a different set of rules. The level of accomplishment is such, getting by is no longer an option.
Solorio is now the standard in the city.
“We have become a target, and the players have accepted the challenge,” Calleros said. “We just won a state championship, we have won a city championship. We have gone through the city pretty well.
“We are going to have to come out and match the other team’s intensity. It’s just like us when we were coming up as a program. When we played a Washington or when we played a Lane, we said 'Those programs are where we want to get to.'”
Solorio edged Washington 1-0 in Premier Division South play on September 9.
Solorio has a finesse style and likes to play a fluid, touch and pass attack. Washington is more physical and exceptionally dangerous on set pieces. The contrast made for some riveting soccer.
When these two teams hook up, it goes straight to 11 -- no warm up or exposition, straight to the heart of the matter.
Sanchez created near constant pressure from the start, showing unmatched creativity and the ability to create separation in space. In the fifth minute, Washington’s elite keeper Eduardo Rodriguez made a great kick-stop.
“We graduated some guys from last year, and our team is still young. But we have a solid group, and we play well together,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez commands a lot of attention, enabling Solorio’s secondary wave to assert their presence in the game. Midfielder Eduardo Franco did just that in the 20th minute, controlling a misplayed ball that he broke through for a breakaway.
Rodriguez charged off the line and got a touch but it was not sufficient to redirect the ball; it floated inside the near post for the 1-0 Sun Warriors lead.
Washington (12-6-1) responded in kind. The Patriots created some pressure of their own that produced a strong scoring chance from the top of the box.
Midfielder Rafael De Santiago blasted a left-footed ball that appeared headed for an open location only for the Sun Warriors’ keeper Joel Estrada to extend his body and get just enough of a touch to direct it off the near post.
Sanchez got free on several opportunities. Washington solved the initial play through the end of the first half. The Patriots finally struck in the 38th minute, a terrific free kick just inside midfield by Angel Huerta that sophomore defender Julian Martinez finished with a sharp volley for the equalizer.
“We absolutely felt confident after we scored the equalizer and we thought we had a good chance against them,” De Santiago said.
“We had a lot of opportunities we didn’t make, but that is the game of soccer.”
The Patriots certainly took hold of the Sun Warriors’ imagination. Their spirited play and fast actions caught Solorio off guard.
Sanchez said the team had to catch up to their rhythm.
“After they scored it was a wake-up call,” he said. “After we scored we got a little confident that we were going to win the match. They scored and that was a way for us to realize we had to play better in order to win.
“That helped us get focused.”
Solorio likes to play quick to push the ball from side to side. Sanchez is the master of pace and rhythm. In the back and forth the two teams played out through the second half, Sanchez sought a way to switch up the momentum.
In the 63rd minute, he delivered. His importance was felt two ways, on the field and through his compelling individual leadership.
Defender Andy Salgado was the beneficiary.
“Alex sent me the ball, and he told me to look for the second post,” Salgado said. “I was there and ready, and I looked for it. I just put my head through the ball, and it went in the net.”
Washington worked hard to fight back. Midfielder Adrian Yanez, who started on the Patriots’ city title-winning team two years ago, played with tremendous composure and a high-end pressure.
The team could not find a way to keep Sanchez in check or score enough to make his offensive output a secondary concern.
Sanchez put the game out of reach with a beautiful free kick just outside the top of the box. His creativity and skill with the ball occasioned the foul that set up the goal.
“When we won state and had that run last year, going 22-2-0, people said we graduated a lot and would maybe struggle,” Calleros said.
“But we have an All-American in Sanchez and three or four other really good players with returning experience. They work and put in leadership. The young guys we have, obviously, they are not bad.”
Now the focus turns to Lane and a different kind of history. Sanchez is the one in charge.
“In the past couple of years, ever since my freshman year, it has not been a great history with Lane,” he said.
“We tied one year, and they beat us my sophomore year. I don’t remember ever beating them. This game is going to be a little sweet revenge.”
Starting lineups
Washington
GK: Eduardo Rodriguez
D: Julian Martinez
D: Angelo Williams
D: Joel Sevilla
MF: Christopher Gomez
MF: Sebastian Ramirez
MF: Rafael De Santiago
MF: Adrian Yanez
MF: Angel Avila
F: Daniel Tinajero
F: Angel Huerta
Solorio
GK: Joel Estrada
D: Kevin Patino
D: Edgar Torres
D: Andy Salgado
MF: Donovan Dorantes
MF: Rafael Soto
MF: Angel Nevarez
MF: Eduardo Franco
MF: Hector Salto
F: Alex Sanchez
F: Raul Mariscal
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Sanchez, sr., F, Solorio
Scoring summary
First half
Solorio—Eduardo Franco (unassisted), 20th minute
Washington—Julian Martinez (Angel Huerta), 38th minute
Second half
Solorio—Andy Salgado (Alex Sanchez), 63rd minute
Solorio—Sanchez (free kick), 72nd minute