Carrera's late heroics cap St. Patrick thriller
Injured senior's goal produces 2-1 win at Notre Dame
By Dave Owen
NILES -- So much for September being a forgettable, agonizing month for Herbert Carrera.
Limited for the past two weeks by a pulled hamstring, Carrera took the field Wednesday just in time to produce one of St. Patrick’s most memorable wins in awhile.
After a foul in the box produced a penalty kick goal by Notre Dame’s John Walsh and a 1-1 tie in the 76th minute, the Shamrocks, ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, unveiled a flair for the incredibly dramatic.
Aaron Moreno-Lopez’s free kick from the left sideline from the seemingless harmless distance of 55 yards coupled with Carrera’s limited mobility and just his second minute on the field made the duo appear to be an improbable scoring combination.
Guess again.
Moreno-Lopez’s launched his send toward the left post where Carrera’s 10-yard header snuck inside the near post with just 1:54 to play, producing a 2-1 St. Patrick win for the ages.
“It’s one of the best high school games I’ve ever seen or been a part of,” Shamrocks coach Kyle McClure said.
And the finisher of the game-winning goal was the best story of all.
“We put Herbert in, our senior captain and a four-year varsity starter,” McClure said. “He’s been injured the last two weeks, and the last two games he’s only played 10 minutes each. We put him in with five minutes left, and he scored the game-winner. What a goal for him.
“It’s really frustrating for him. He wants to play in college next year. He pulled his hamstring for the second time. For him to show he was still prepared after basically two weeks off and go in there and score a goal like that was incredible.”
“Incredible” seems an understatement to Carrera, the 75-minute spectator turned hero of the huge rivalry game against the Dons (6-4-2, 2-2-0 in the ESCC).
“I never would have believed a script like this,” Carrera said.
“It was an intense game. I really wanted to part of it. We didn’t know if it was smart for me being injured to go in to such an intense game. But I know this is my last year playing against our archrivals ND, so I wanted to play some minutes.
“Coach offered me the last four or five minutes, and asked ‘Can you give me everything you’ve got.’ I told him yes, everything. And my first touch is a goal. It was just incredible.”
And as for finding space in the crowd to finish Moreno-Lopez’s great send?
“I knew set pieces were going to be key for us,” Carrera said. “I just wanted to get into a position where I could score.”
Carrera’s brief but very eventful appearance began at a low point for the Shamrocks.
“When I was coming in they had scored the PK, which was a downer,” Carrera said. “But everyone was motivating each other, saying ‘Let’s go! Don’t put your heads down. There’s still plenty of time.’
“So I was moving around, seeing where I could get the ball and where I could be useful.”
Teammate Jonathan ‘Pollo” Rodriguez scored the night’s first goal on a 30-yard blast 5:45 before halftime, and was the main force of the game for 78 minutes en route to Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
But Carrera’s appearance and instant impact made his night.
“I was so happy he scored,” Rodriguez said. “Even though he had his injury, we all have communication with each other, and we kind of read each others’ minds. That’s exactly what we did.
“When Herbert scored that header, that goal, we were all just crazy and so happy for him.”
For Notre dame coach Mike Smith, one perfect set piece couldn’t obscure the positives for his side.
“Obviously it’s a tough loss, but I told the guys I’m super proud of their effort,” Smith said. “Especially going against a top 20 team in the state.
“To show the resiliency and skills to fight back and get the goal -- it’s not the result we wanted, but it’s the effort. If we can get the consistency, we’re going to compete because that’s one of the best teams we’ve played all year.”
Still the Carrera goal was a stunner.
“That No. 23 (Moreno-Lopez) was putting in good free kicks and good services, but our guys were doing a good job all game on balls in the air,” Smith said. “We just lost a mark there. And with the emotions of going from scoring a goal, I think our line was a little off.
“It was a heck of a finish and a heck of a service. Nothing you could do much about.”
But if two goals in two minutes weren’t enough of a wild turn of events, Notre Dame nearly added another twist.
Rodriguez nicely cleared the box of a threat with 55 seconds left, but a Dons corner kick just 30 seconds later would make the final ticks seem like an eternity.
Off the corner send, Walsh’s 10-yard drive was denied on a diving save at the right post by Shamrocks goalkeeper Jorge Cebrero and a clear out on the side by Adam Przytula.
Then on the ensuing throw-in with eight seconds to go, more mayhem – a huge scrum in front, with Notre Dame players battling for a shot at the ball 6 yards out but the Shamrocks blocking all attempts at great risk to seal the 2-1 win.
“We only have one freshman on varsity, (midfielder) Ivan Guerrero,” McClure said. “And being the only freshman in a game like this is a lot of pressure.
“He played really well, then injured himself breaking up that play in the last few seconds. He kind of laid out for that ball and maybe saved the win with that.”
Regardless of the result, it was a night that will be remembered.
“I was really impressed with how hard ND played, and the amount of class they showed after the game checking on our injured guy,” McClure said.
Even before the first-class goals and sportsmanship late in the game, the huge crowd and electricity for the rivalry game between two nearby schools produced quite an event.
“The atmosphere here -- we told the guys to embrace the moment,” Smith said. “It shows what a big rivalry it is.
“High school soccer kids don’t play in front of a crowd like that too much, with the student section, the cheerleaders and all that. We tell our guys to have fun regardless of the score, and I think they did.”
As for the first 75 minutes of the game, Rodriguez’s goal and the brilliance of Dons goalkeeper John Mueller were center stage.
Mueller’s first half highlights included a save on a Shamrocks penalty kick in the 25th minute and a leaping deflection over the crossbar on another seemingly sure goal.
“We’re a really good possession team, and we have a lot of (scoring) opportunities,” McClure said. “Then it’s making that final run or getting that final touch on goal that we’re having trouble with.
“But their goalie was outstanding,” McClure added. “I haven’t seen all the goalies in our conference yet, but I just told Mike (Smith) that he’s probably my vote for ESCC Goalie of the Year.
“He had three or four unbelievable saves that kept them in the game obviously.”
But it was Shamrocks star Rodriguez who ended the Dons’ defensive stand in the 35th minute of play, powering in a 30-yard strike off a Sebastian Modrzejewski assist.
“We were doing one touches, and I told my friend ‘Bash’ (Modrzejewski) that I had a run through. I saw open space right beside me, so I went for it. I saw the goal right in front of me, I took the shot and it went in.”
That goal appeared sure to stand up for much of the second half.
After a Notre Dame corner kick with 35:40 left was denied on a long clear by Diego Rivera, St. Patrick resumed its edge in chances.
Mueller again came up big with 28:15 to play, leaping to deflect Joshua Torres’ 21-yard shot over the crossbar.
Then after a Guerrero block and a combined clear by Juan Leon and Angel Adame that snuffed out a Notre Dame free kick with 19:30 left, the Shamrocks’ bids for an insurance goal continued to meet familiar resistance.
With 6:40 to play, a Luis Saucedo pass set up Torres for a low 15-yard blast towards the far (right) post -- only to have Mueller again make a great diving deflection wide.
The need for goalkeeper heroics was no surprise.
“We knew we would take a lot of pressure from them (St. Patrick),” Smith said. “Our goalie I think had his best game in a long time. I told him he was up for Conference Player of the Year after that.
“He’s a straight A student too. And he’s sneakily very athletic. Teams look at him and say ‘Let’s take some shots.’ Then you see some of those saves and, ‘Whoa.’”
But it was woe that awaited the St. Patrick next, when Notre Dame’s Sebastian Guerrero was tripped on his dribble at the right edge of the box to set up the tying PK by Walsh.
What followed was a test to St. Patrick’s resolve and toughness, and an impressive answer.
“Unfortunately we have a tendency to pick up our game after another team scores, which I guess is a good thing and a bad thing,” McClure said.
“But our composure was really good after we gave up that goal. I didn’t know how we’d react to it, and obviously we reacted really well. Now we know we can fight back.
“Both teams showed really good composure,” McClure added. “They went down, then kept fighting and tied it up. And we kept fighting -- it was just an awesome game.”
Awesome may not come close to summing up a finish like that.
“We just kept telling each other to keep our heads up, we have more time to score,” Rodriguez said. “It was just amazing. I’m so happy right now.”
Carrera’s limited role of late left the Shamrocks with one senior starter Wednesday, and none in their previous two games.
But the young yet experienced nucleus is showing the moxy befitting their run to the Class AA state semifinals last year.
“We know from last year,” Carrera said, “that in a tough situation like this where the game may not be going our way, we know not to panic and play kick ball. We just have to calm down, relax, play our game and the game will come to us.”
Even in a losing effort, Notre Dame had reasons for major pride Wednesday.
“We tell our guys never give up – that was the motto of the night,” Smith said. “No matter the score, fight to the last whistle and leave everything on the field. If we do that we can walk off the field proud.
“I told our guys too, if they’re going to score let them be good goals. The first one the kid (Rodriguez) rips a perfect 30-yard shot, a great left foot. Then the second goal is a great finish on a great service.”
While not usually as dramatic as Wednesday’s methods, the Shamrocks are passing some big tests.
“One of our big goals is to win our soccer program’s first ever conference championship (in a 36-year history),” McClure said. “We got close last year. We took third and were a goal away, and we play some really tough teams.
“Monday was a must-win vs. Carmel, we knew this was a must-win, and now we have Saturday with Benet (1 p.m. at Triton) that will be a huge game. Saint Viator is in the mix too.”
And what does Carrera have planned for an encore?
“I’ll get a little more rest before Benet, which is going to be a huge game,” Carrera said. “Whatever’s best for the team, I’ll try to do the best I can.”
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Jorge Cebrero
D: Adam Pryztula
D: Juan Leon
D: Diego Rivera
D: Angel Adame
M: Jonathan ‘Pollo’ Rodriguez
M: Sebastian Modrzejewski
M: Aaron Moreno-Lopez
M: Ivan Guerrero
F: Joshua Torres
F: Luis Saucedo
Notre Dame
GK: John Mueller
D: Phil Szutkiewisz
D: Andres Barron
D: Roman Rajski
D: Danny Malik
M: Andres Barrezueta
M: John Walsh
M: Jamie Gutierrez
M: David Mikolajczyk
F: Sebastian Guerrero
F: Nicky Marchese
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jonathan ‘Pollo’ Rodriguez, jr. M, St. Patrick
Scoring summary
First half
St P- Pollo Rodriguez (Sebastian Modrzejwski asst), 35th min
Second half
ND - John Walsh (PK), 76th min
St P - Herbert Carrera (Aaron Moreno-Lopez asst), 78th min
Injured senior's goal produces 2-1 win at Notre Dame
By Dave Owen
NILES -- So much for September being a forgettable, agonizing month for Herbert Carrera.
Limited for the past two weeks by a pulled hamstring, Carrera took the field Wednesday just in time to produce one of St. Patrick’s most memorable wins in awhile.
After a foul in the box produced a penalty kick goal by Notre Dame’s John Walsh and a 1-1 tie in the 76th minute, the Shamrocks, ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, unveiled a flair for the incredibly dramatic.
Aaron Moreno-Lopez’s free kick from the left sideline from the seemingless harmless distance of 55 yards coupled with Carrera’s limited mobility and just his second minute on the field made the duo appear to be an improbable scoring combination.
Guess again.
Moreno-Lopez’s launched his send toward the left post where Carrera’s 10-yard header snuck inside the near post with just 1:54 to play, producing a 2-1 St. Patrick win for the ages.
“It’s one of the best high school games I’ve ever seen or been a part of,” Shamrocks coach Kyle McClure said.
And the finisher of the game-winning goal was the best story of all.
“We put Herbert in, our senior captain and a four-year varsity starter,” McClure said. “He’s been injured the last two weeks, and the last two games he’s only played 10 minutes each. We put him in with five minutes left, and he scored the game-winner. What a goal for him.
“It’s really frustrating for him. He wants to play in college next year. He pulled his hamstring for the second time. For him to show he was still prepared after basically two weeks off and go in there and score a goal like that was incredible.”
“Incredible” seems an understatement to Carrera, the 75-minute spectator turned hero of the huge rivalry game against the Dons (6-4-2, 2-2-0 in the ESCC).
“I never would have believed a script like this,” Carrera said.
“It was an intense game. I really wanted to part of it. We didn’t know if it was smart for me being injured to go in to such an intense game. But I know this is my last year playing against our archrivals ND, so I wanted to play some minutes.
“Coach offered me the last four or five minutes, and asked ‘Can you give me everything you’ve got.’ I told him yes, everything. And my first touch is a goal. It was just incredible.”
And as for finding space in the crowd to finish Moreno-Lopez’s great send?
“I knew set pieces were going to be key for us,” Carrera said. “I just wanted to get into a position where I could score.”
Carrera’s brief but very eventful appearance began at a low point for the Shamrocks.
“When I was coming in they had scored the PK, which was a downer,” Carrera said. “But everyone was motivating each other, saying ‘Let’s go! Don’t put your heads down. There’s still plenty of time.’
“So I was moving around, seeing where I could get the ball and where I could be useful.”
Teammate Jonathan ‘Pollo” Rodriguez scored the night’s first goal on a 30-yard blast 5:45 before halftime, and was the main force of the game for 78 minutes en route to Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
But Carrera’s appearance and instant impact made his night.
“I was so happy he scored,” Rodriguez said. “Even though he had his injury, we all have communication with each other, and we kind of read each others’ minds. That’s exactly what we did.
“When Herbert scored that header, that goal, we were all just crazy and so happy for him.”
For Notre dame coach Mike Smith, one perfect set piece couldn’t obscure the positives for his side.
“Obviously it’s a tough loss, but I told the guys I’m super proud of their effort,” Smith said. “Especially going against a top 20 team in the state.
“To show the resiliency and skills to fight back and get the goal -- it’s not the result we wanted, but it’s the effort. If we can get the consistency, we’re going to compete because that’s one of the best teams we’ve played all year.”
Still the Carrera goal was a stunner.
“That No. 23 (Moreno-Lopez) was putting in good free kicks and good services, but our guys were doing a good job all game on balls in the air,” Smith said. “We just lost a mark there. And with the emotions of going from scoring a goal, I think our line was a little off.
“It was a heck of a finish and a heck of a service. Nothing you could do much about.”
But if two goals in two minutes weren’t enough of a wild turn of events, Notre Dame nearly added another twist.
Rodriguez nicely cleared the box of a threat with 55 seconds left, but a Dons corner kick just 30 seconds later would make the final ticks seem like an eternity.
Off the corner send, Walsh’s 10-yard drive was denied on a diving save at the right post by Shamrocks goalkeeper Jorge Cebrero and a clear out on the side by Adam Przytula.
Then on the ensuing throw-in with eight seconds to go, more mayhem – a huge scrum in front, with Notre Dame players battling for a shot at the ball 6 yards out but the Shamrocks blocking all attempts at great risk to seal the 2-1 win.
“We only have one freshman on varsity, (midfielder) Ivan Guerrero,” McClure said. “And being the only freshman in a game like this is a lot of pressure.
“He played really well, then injured himself breaking up that play in the last few seconds. He kind of laid out for that ball and maybe saved the win with that.”
Regardless of the result, it was a night that will be remembered.
“I was really impressed with how hard ND played, and the amount of class they showed after the game checking on our injured guy,” McClure said.
Even before the first-class goals and sportsmanship late in the game, the huge crowd and electricity for the rivalry game between two nearby schools produced quite an event.
“The atmosphere here -- we told the guys to embrace the moment,” Smith said. “It shows what a big rivalry it is.
“High school soccer kids don’t play in front of a crowd like that too much, with the student section, the cheerleaders and all that. We tell our guys to have fun regardless of the score, and I think they did.”
As for the first 75 minutes of the game, Rodriguez’s goal and the brilliance of Dons goalkeeper John Mueller were center stage.
Mueller’s first half highlights included a save on a Shamrocks penalty kick in the 25th minute and a leaping deflection over the crossbar on another seemingly sure goal.
“We’re a really good possession team, and we have a lot of (scoring) opportunities,” McClure said. “Then it’s making that final run or getting that final touch on goal that we’re having trouble with.
“But their goalie was outstanding,” McClure added. “I haven’t seen all the goalies in our conference yet, but I just told Mike (Smith) that he’s probably my vote for ESCC Goalie of the Year.
“He had three or four unbelievable saves that kept them in the game obviously.”
But it was Shamrocks star Rodriguez who ended the Dons’ defensive stand in the 35th minute of play, powering in a 30-yard strike off a Sebastian Modrzejewski assist.
“We were doing one touches, and I told my friend ‘Bash’ (Modrzejewski) that I had a run through. I saw open space right beside me, so I went for it. I saw the goal right in front of me, I took the shot and it went in.”
That goal appeared sure to stand up for much of the second half.
After a Notre Dame corner kick with 35:40 left was denied on a long clear by Diego Rivera, St. Patrick resumed its edge in chances.
Mueller again came up big with 28:15 to play, leaping to deflect Joshua Torres’ 21-yard shot over the crossbar.
Then after a Guerrero block and a combined clear by Juan Leon and Angel Adame that snuffed out a Notre Dame free kick with 19:30 left, the Shamrocks’ bids for an insurance goal continued to meet familiar resistance.
With 6:40 to play, a Luis Saucedo pass set up Torres for a low 15-yard blast towards the far (right) post -- only to have Mueller again make a great diving deflection wide.
The need for goalkeeper heroics was no surprise.
“We knew we would take a lot of pressure from them (St. Patrick),” Smith said. “Our goalie I think had his best game in a long time. I told him he was up for Conference Player of the Year after that.
“He’s a straight A student too. And he’s sneakily very athletic. Teams look at him and say ‘Let’s take some shots.’ Then you see some of those saves and, ‘Whoa.’”
But it was woe that awaited the St. Patrick next, when Notre Dame’s Sebastian Guerrero was tripped on his dribble at the right edge of the box to set up the tying PK by Walsh.
What followed was a test to St. Patrick’s resolve and toughness, and an impressive answer.
“Unfortunately we have a tendency to pick up our game after another team scores, which I guess is a good thing and a bad thing,” McClure said.
“But our composure was really good after we gave up that goal. I didn’t know how we’d react to it, and obviously we reacted really well. Now we know we can fight back.
“Both teams showed really good composure,” McClure added. “They went down, then kept fighting and tied it up. And we kept fighting -- it was just an awesome game.”
Awesome may not come close to summing up a finish like that.
“We just kept telling each other to keep our heads up, we have more time to score,” Rodriguez said. “It was just amazing. I’m so happy right now.”
Carrera’s limited role of late left the Shamrocks with one senior starter Wednesday, and none in their previous two games.
But the young yet experienced nucleus is showing the moxy befitting their run to the Class AA state semifinals last year.
“We know from last year,” Carrera said, “that in a tough situation like this where the game may not be going our way, we know not to panic and play kick ball. We just have to calm down, relax, play our game and the game will come to us.”
Even in a losing effort, Notre Dame had reasons for major pride Wednesday.
“We tell our guys never give up – that was the motto of the night,” Smith said. “No matter the score, fight to the last whistle and leave everything on the field. If we do that we can walk off the field proud.
“I told our guys too, if they’re going to score let them be good goals. The first one the kid (Rodriguez) rips a perfect 30-yard shot, a great left foot. Then the second goal is a great finish on a great service.”
While not usually as dramatic as Wednesday’s methods, the Shamrocks are passing some big tests.
“One of our big goals is to win our soccer program’s first ever conference championship (in a 36-year history),” McClure said. “We got close last year. We took third and were a goal away, and we play some really tough teams.
“Monday was a must-win vs. Carmel, we knew this was a must-win, and now we have Saturday with Benet (1 p.m. at Triton) that will be a huge game. Saint Viator is in the mix too.”
And what does Carrera have planned for an encore?
“I’ll get a little more rest before Benet, which is going to be a huge game,” Carrera said. “Whatever’s best for the team, I’ll try to do the best I can.”
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Jorge Cebrero
D: Adam Pryztula
D: Juan Leon
D: Diego Rivera
D: Angel Adame
M: Jonathan ‘Pollo’ Rodriguez
M: Sebastian Modrzejewski
M: Aaron Moreno-Lopez
M: Ivan Guerrero
F: Joshua Torres
F: Luis Saucedo
Notre Dame
GK: John Mueller
D: Phil Szutkiewisz
D: Andres Barron
D: Roman Rajski
D: Danny Malik
M: Andres Barrezueta
M: John Walsh
M: Jamie Gutierrez
M: David Mikolajczyk
F: Sebastian Guerrero
F: Nicky Marchese
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jonathan ‘Pollo’ Rodriguez, jr. M, St. Patrick
Scoring summary
First half
St P- Pollo Rodriguez (Sebastian Modrzejwski asst), 35th min
Second half
ND - John Walsh (PK), 76th min
St P - Herbert Carrera (Aaron Moreno-Lopez asst), 78th min