Morton senior Miguel Jimenez doesn’t mind the pressure that comes with playing goalkeeper.
He actually thrives on it.
“As a goalie, if you have the visual and then see the plays, then I think that’s what I like most,” Jimenez said. “I can talk to my team and tell them what could happen and what to do. I like being the person that stops the shot, too.”
Jimenez has stopped a lot of shots during his varsity career, which began when he was brought up for the playoffs his freshman year. He made his debut during a penalty kick shootout in the regional final against Riverside-Brookfield. Morton won that game 1-0.
“It was a wonderful experience,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez has been on varsity ever since. He began his second season as a starter by making five quality saves in the first half a 1-0 road loss to Naperville Central on Aug. 24.
“He had some great saves,” Morton coach Stefano Crancich said. “He’s got a lot of experience. He’s a senior now so he’s one of our leaders.”
Jimenez set a great example against Naperville Central. In the 15th minute, the Redhawks had a shot hit the left post and Jimenez made a great diving save on the rebound. Soon after that, he leaped high in the air to snag a dangerous header.
The Mustangs had several good chances, including a 30-yard shot by senior midfielder Edgar Salazar that hit the crossbar in the 25th minute.
Junior Ulises Lavanderos replaced Jimenez for the second half and made four saves, but Naperville Central’s Nicholas Widmer beat him on a breakaway with 23:56 remaining for the only goal.
Though outplayed in the second half, the Mustangs fought to the end, getting the ball into the box in the final minute but were unable to get a shot off.
“I think we played very well, very composed in the first half,” Jimenez said. “I think we could have put them away in the box like that last play.
“If we would have kept doing that all game, I felt like we could have got one in.
But the first half is when we had the chances to score and score.”
Despite the loss, the Mustangs have the same lofty goals they always do.
“Being a senior, being that it’s my last year, I just want to give it my all,” Jimenez said. “The goal as senior is to win state. We haven’t won since 2011 and I feel like this year we have the team to do it and we have the chances.”
Jimenez also might a chance to play college soccer. He said he’s talking to a few Division I schools and aspires to become a physical therapist.
“My cousins back in Mexico, they do that,” Jimenez said. “They do it for a team in Mexico and that is really interesting because I still want to be part of the sport.
“Even if I don’t go as far (as a player), I still want to be in the sports world and help people.”