Antonio Godinez has seen plenty of success around him while coaching boys soccer at Mount Carmel.
“We’re a dynasty in football and baseball, and have won a lot in many sports,” he said. “We just want to contribute to that legacy. Now, we’ve got people talking about Mount Carmel soccer.”
Indeed, after a season in which the Caravan won the Catholic League South title for the second time in three seasons and captured their first regional championship since 2007, the soccer team has earned respect on and off its campus.
Godinez, for leading his team to those accomplishments, has been named the Daily Southtown Coach of the Year.
“This year was another step forward for the program as a whole,” Godinez said. “It’d been a long time since we won a regional championship and I told the seniors that they’ll always be a special group. They’re the ones who broke through. They got us here and set the building blocks for the program.”
The regional championship was even more monumental considering the opponent. Despite its strong regular season, Mount Carmel was seeded eighth in the Class 2A Glenbard South Sectional and drew top-seeded Benet in the regional title game.
Benet, in sharp contrast to the Caravan, had won three straight regional titles. Co-champions of the East Suburban Catholic, Benet was among the favorites to capture the 2A crown.
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The Caravan, though, pulled out a dramatic win in a shootout after going through regulation and overtime scoreless.
“It was a difficult game,” Godinez said. “We went a man down, but our younger players followed the leadership of our older guys and we got the win. Winning a game like that, it just showed our players that they can play with anybody. It was a huge confidence boost.”
Mount Carmel finished 14-7-1 after falling to Kennedy in a shootout in the sectional semifinals. The Caravan did not allow a goal in regulation over their final seven games, playing hard-nosed soccer the entire way. Just the way Godinez likes it.
“We definitely want our teams to be disciplined and have a good work ethic,” he said. “We want to play hard and play tough, but we have to play with class, too, and go about things the right way.”
Godinez knew his team was on a mission this season after finishing third in the Catholic League South a year ago.
“After we lost to Lemont (in a regional final) to end the season, Scott Tobin (a senior captain this season) stood up and said, ‘Our season starts now,'” Godinez said. “They put in the preparation all summer and that really helped us out. The leadership of these boys meant a lot to our team.”
A strong senior class will be missed. But the future appears bright for the Caravan, who captured conference crowns on the freshmen and sophomore levels as well.
“It was a great year for the program as a whole,” Godinez said. “On all levels, everyone wants to compete. Everyone wants to carry on the tradition that we now have with Mount Carmel soccer.”
Steve Millar is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.