Lockport’s Damir Oliynyk never had such a spectacular view of SeatGeek Stadium.
The junior forward scored on a free kick from the top of the box in the 66th minute Thursday night as the Porters rallied for a 2-1 victory over Juarez in the championship game of the Windy City Ram Classic in Bridgeview.
“You come here to watch the Fire, but you don’t truly feel the ambience when you are on the field,” Oliynyk said. “When you are on the field, you truly experience what it is like to be out here.
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“It is a different world.”
Oliynyk earned MVP honors of the 32-team tournament. The game was played under a special format with two 35-minute halves.
The game-winner came with just 4:21 remaining.
“In the lead-up to the shot, I just told myself to relax and play it like I do in practice,” he said. “I practiced that shot hundreds of times during the summer.”
All the scoring occurred in the second half. A rising power in the Chicago Public League, Juarez (5-1-1) took a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute on a goal by Peter Gonzalez.
But that deficit appeared to ignite Lockport (5-0). Junior forward Sebastian Molek was especially active in the open spaces of the larger field.
In the 53rd minute, he controlled a deflected ball and created the equalizer from 15 yards out.
“As soon as we got scored on, we needed to get right back into the game,” Molek said. “I saw the ball in the back of the air and I knew I needed to put a foot on it.”
The Porters adapted to playing on the larger field. By pushing numbers forward, they swung the momentum to their advantage.
“Because it is a wider field, we had to spread out more, play quicker and move the ball faster than usual,” Molek said.
Sophomore goalkeeper Pat Marshall also impressed with his athleticism and quick reactions inside the box.
He made four standout saves in the second half and allowed the Porters to hang around until their offense matched the excellent defense.
Lockport is ready to use the tournament championship as a springboard for even greater success.
“We had very high motivations going into the game,” Oliynyk said. “In the first half, the chances did not really go off for us. I feel like when we get that thirst for goals, any game is ours.
“Winning just gives us an extreme confidence boost. We are ready to go farther than ever before.”
Young 1, Lincoln-Way West 0: Despite two excellent saves by senior goalkeeper Chris Zavala, the Warriors fell 3-2 in the shootout of the consolation title. Neither team scored in regulation. Senior midfielder Brady Forsythe and junior defender Aaron Ronaldson converted their PKs in the shootout for Lincoln-Way West (3-2).
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.