At the start of the season in August, Mike McCaulou distributed paper to his Vernon Hills soccer players and asked each to write down realistic goals for the season.
“Coach said almost all of us put down going to state,” senior forward Cole Guillaume said.
This was McCaulou’s fourth year directing the program, meaning this year’s seniors were his first class of freshmen back in 2013. The Cougars returned eight starters from last year’s team, which advanced to the Class 2A sectional finals.
Expectations were high. Qualifying for the state finals was within reach, and the first part of the process was envisioning it.
“I always had the vision when I took over the program,” McCaulou said. “You have to have the right pieces to create the puzzle. We could not have asked for a better group of seniors to come through our program to build where we are today. For us, everything fell into place.”
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Displaying toughness, skill and dedication, the Cougars ripped off four consecutive shutout victories to capture the first sectional crown in program history. They beat Belvidere 2-0 on Oct. 29 to claim the title.
Vernon Hills then gave Chicago private school powerhouse Latin everything it could handle before falling 3-2 in double-overtime in the Class 2A Grayslake North Supersectional on Nov. 1.
Vernon Hills (15-9) had an apparent goal by senior midfielder Anakin Ruiz disallowed with four-and-a-half seconds remaining in the first overtime.
Star senior forward Chris White converted a penalty kick in the 10th minute and extended the game by serving up a beautiful pass that senior midfielder Matt Gramins drilled home in the 74th minute for the equalizer.
White ended the year with 21 goals and 11 assists.
Senior goalkeeper Brennan Reback recorded 12 saves against the Romans (22-3).
“Brennan is a great keeper, and we have a solid defense and we just played very well together,” Guillaume said.
Playing their first season in the Central Suburban North, the Cougars got knocked around a few times, such as a 7-0 loss against Class 3A state power Glenbrook North.
The team grew tougher and stronger. After getting to a sectional final last year, the Cougars elevated their game again.
“We are the only 2A school on both sides of the (Central Suburban) conference,” McCaulou said. “When you play against big schools, the physicality, the pace and quality of soccer is at a very high level. It definitely prepared us.”
Vernon Hills outscored its playoff opponents 13-0 leading into the Latin game.
“We saw the highest level of soccer, and when you come in here to the state tournament, it’s the highest level too,” White said. “We realized we could compete with that.”
This year marked the 18th season of the Cougars’ soccer program. Before McCaulou took over, the Cougars reached double figures in wins only once.
The 10 seniors helped elevate the program to a new level. The supersectional berth marked not the end but a beginning.
“When you heard the name Vernon Hills, that was a school you used to hear getting beat 6-0, or 8-0,” White said. “Coach McCaulou has taken us from an average program into an elite program. We built an empire through hard work and dedication. We trained harder than anybody, and it paid off. “
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press