Scoring her first high school goal was exciting enough for Sandburg’s Ydalis Alvarez.
Adding two more for a hat trick in her first playoff game? Well, that was almost too surreal for the freshman midfielder to process.
“It’s very hard to believe,” Alvarez said. “It’s an amazing feeling, though. Being able to score for my team and pick us all up at once, it’s so great.
“We’ve had a rocky road this season, but it felt like a clean slate with the playoffs, and I came out with a really positive mindset. I was like, ‘Let’s start new. Let’s keep it positive and keep our heads up.'”
Alvarez and sophomore midfielder Gabby Dittmer gave the Eagles plenty to feel good about Tuesday night.
Dittmer scored four goals and fifth-seeded Sandburg rolled to an 8-2 victory over 11th-seeded Bloom in a Class 4A Lincoln-Way West Regional semifinal in New Lenox.
Purdue Fort Wayne recruit Morgan Gallagher also scored for Sandburg (7-15), which will take on the third-seeded host Warriors — a 5-0 winner over 14th-seeded Stagg — at 4 p.m. Friday in the regional championship game.
South Suburban College recruit Charlene Mendoza, the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, closed her high school career with two more goals for Bloom (14-10-1).
Alvarez, meanwhile, has been an impactful player on the varsity team all season, but she had not quite been able to find the net.
“I’ve had some close calls, but things happen,” she said. “Some go in, some don’t go in. It’s all part of the trip.”
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Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz was thrilled to see Alvarez break through.
“Ydalis has been working hard for us all year,” Kubowicz said. “We’ve been telling her, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot.’ She’s so unselfish. She’s always looking to distribute and do the little things. It was really great for her to get on the score sheet. It was the perfect time for it.
“You could tell if you saw the reactions of all the other girls, they were so excited for her to score because they know hard she works and how she’s always trying to set everyone else up.”
Alvarez scored the final three goals for Sandburg, including two just 62 seconds apart in the first half.
Alvarez, who started playing soccer when she was 5 years old, dropped some other interests to make it her primary extracurricular focus.
“Growing up, I was doing ballet and gymnastics, but I had to make a decision about what to do,” she said. “Because my family and all my friends were involved with soccer, I was like, ‘I might as well stick with it.’
“My brothers and I, growing up, we’d always play in the living room, having fun.”
Dittmer said Alvarez has helped the Eagles not give up during a trying year that included a six-game losing streak to end the regular season.
“She’s brought a lot of energy and positivity,” Dittmer said of Alvarez. “She helps us communicate on the field. She’s a good leader for our team, too.”
Dittmer put away more goals — four — in the first 22 minutes Tuesday than the total of three the Eagles had scored during that six-game losing streak.
“I think we all just forgot about it,” Dittmer said of the losses. “It’s the postseason. Everything starts new. Everyone’s score is back at zero. I think this was a good start for us.”
Alvarez hopes this is just the start for her as a goal scorer. Either way, she plans to keep bringing the same attitude for the rest of the playoffs and future seasons.
“I think staying positive is the main thing I’ve focused on,” Alvarez said. “Communicating, telling your teammates that it’s OK to make mistakes.
“It’s OK to fall back, and you just have to get up again and focus on the future.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.