It’s been a busy fall for St. Laurence’s Thomas Suchecki. He has balanced two sports, advancing to the sectional in golf while being one of the leaders of the soccer team.
Suchecki has done a lot, but one thing the senior defender has wanted to do more of — score goals.
He did that Tuesday night, burying a 20-yard free kick with 20 minutes, 43 seconds left to help the host Vikings escape with a 1-1 tie against Bloom.
“I saw the back post wide open, so I curled it in,” Suchecki said. “There was a lot of excitement there. When it went in, I was like, ‘Wow, man.’
“It’s my second goal of the season. I’ve been slacking on the goals, but to score that one, it felt amazing. I’ve been hitting shots all season that have gone wide or right at the keeper, so putting that one away was a special moment for me.”
St. Laurence (14-4-2) rallied after freshman Omar Ortiz gave Bloom (18-3-2) the lead in the 20th minute.
Suchecki has had some long days lately, playing in a golf tournament in the morning and a soccer game at night with school in between, but he said it has been worth it.
“When the soccer season got pushed back last fall, I decided to play golf just to try it,” he said. “It’s been a blast. Playing both this year, it’s a lot to handle but I’ve been able to manage both perfectly well. It’s been a great experience.”
St. Laurence’s Andres Lemus, the Daily Southtown Boys Soccer Player of the Year in the spring, and Bloom’s Christian Munoz, who set the school record Wednesday with his 123rd career goal, both sat out Tuesday night to rest for the upcoming playoffs.
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Both teams head into the playoffs as top contenders. The Vikings are the second seed in the Class 2A sectional they are hosting, while Bloom is the third seed in the 3A Sandburg Sectional.
Lemus, who broke the fibula and dislocated the ankle on his right leg in a club game in May, has been battling injuries.
“Andres probably could have played,” St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso said. “He was in my ear all night trying to get in the game, but we told him we’re looking at the bigger picture.”
Without Munoz, Bloom turned to Ortiz, who scored his 14th goal of the season.
Johnathan Magana played a pass to Leonel Berrum down the left side of the field and Berrum’s cross found its way to Ortiz on the right side, from where Ortiz converted.
“At first, I was going to stop running because I thought we were offsides, but I kept running and then I thought he was going to shoot it,” Ortiz said of Berrum. “So, when he passed it to me, I got the ball and shot it all of a sudden and I didn’t think I was going to make it. It was exciting to see it go in.
“At first, I wasn’t going to play high school soccer, but I wanted to try it. People told me it was a different experience and it has been. It’s been really good.”
Bloom coach Zack Radtke thinks he might have his next star in Ortiz.
“There are big shoes to fill with Christian, but Omar’s knocking on the door already as far as having that knack for scoring goals,” Radtke said. “He has that big body already as a freshman. We’ve seen a lot of good things from him.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.