With a chance to put the Vikings up late in a matchup with neighborhood rival Reavis, St. Laurence junior Adan “Jett” Gutierrez saw his point-blank shot sail high over the bar.
He didn’t have to wait long for some redemption.
Closely covered by two Reavis defenders on the endline about 10 yards out up the left, Gutierrez put a perfectly placed shot at the near post for the eventual game-winner in host St. Laurence’s 5-2 win on Oct. 24 in a Class 3A regional final.
“It really motivated me to use a mistake I’ve made and bounce back,” Gutierrez said. “Luckily, I got that third goal and then we got the fourth and fifth. It was a really nice way to end the game.”
It was the program’s ninth straight regional title. St. Laurence (23-1-2) was set to play Morton (14-3-3) on Oct. 27 in a Reavis Sectional semifinal. The sectional final is Oct. 30.
Gutierrez finished with two goals and an assist in the regional win.
Seniors Antonio Godoy and Jesus Salazar and junior Cristiano Koloffon added a goal each. Seniors Maven Marquez, Pauly Rzadkosz and Maxx Figueroa and junior Beto Luna all had an assist.
Senior Noah Mendez had three saves.
“Every win is a big win,” Gutierrez said. “Winning a regional should be routine for us. I live in Burbank, so my public school would have been Reavis. Beating them means a little more.”
Gutierrez’s scoring outburst brought him to 12 goals this fall.
Coach Jaime Alonso said Gutierrez has been an Energizer Bunny all season for a balanced Vikings attack.
“Jett has done a great job playing off the bench,” Alonso said. “He changes the dynamic of our style. He just has a different desire to score. He’s running all over like there’s a couple Jetts out there. He gets to the end of every diagonal ball and when he gets it in a good spot, he’s clinical.”
After Gutierrez’s goal in the 64th minute, Koloffon scored less than four minutes later. Salazar scored in the 77th minute on a breakaway to seal the win.
St. Laurence played a man-up the final 42 minutes after the Reavis goalkeeper was issued a red card late in the first half.
The Vikings have been able to rely on a ton of goal scorers all season.
“Me coming off the bench, our starters, our role players, we get on the field and create chances and scoring opportunities,” Gutierrez said.
St. Laurence finished as the Class 3A state runner-up a year ago and returned a strong core.
“Every step is definitely an accomplishment,” Rzadkosz said. “We’re in the highest division (3A) in a tough sectional. Every game you win is an accomplishment. Every team is going to be good. We have to give our best.”
Junior Xavier Arroyo and sophomore Lionel Espinola scored a goal each for Reavis (12-6).