The moment was ripe for a discovery that St. Laurence’s Edgar Perez could not pass up.
The senior midfielder found himself perfectly placed between the Rochester goalkeeper and a defender trying to clear the ball. And he understood exactly what he wanted to do.
“I was just right there,” Perez said, analyzing the situation. “I think they made a mistake, but I controlled the ball. It popped up, and I hadn’t really been shooting the whole game.
“I knew I had to put one in.”
Perez put in that one goal and also added an assist Saturday morning for the Vikings in a 4-2 victory over the Rockets in the Class 2A state third-place game at Hoffman Estates.
It’s the best finish in program history for St. Laurence (15-8-2), eclipsing a Class 2A fourth-place trophy in 2019.
The goal by Perez in the 27th minute helped to power the Vikings to a 3-0 halftime lead. His assist in the 67th minute on a goal by senior forward Diego Lugo, who finished off the play with a header, staved off a late rally by Rochester (19-7).
“I knew we were the better team,” said Perez, a three-year starter. “I thought we were the best team in the state.”
Perez completed his stellar season with 15 goals and five assists. Only senior midfielder Johnny Esparza ended up with more goals, scoring 17.
“I’m glad he got a goal (Saturday) because he’s been knocking on the door,” St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso said of Perez. “There’s no better way to wrap up the season, especially on such a quality goal.”
Edgar Perez is the longest tenured starter for the Vikings, beginning his varsity career two years ago as a sophomore.
“We brought him up because of his ability to beat people one-on-one,” Alonso said. “He showed up (Saturday) on a silver platter. I thought from the first minute, Rochester didn’t really have an answer for him.”
Senior midfielder Tristan Figueroa confirmed that Perez unlocked the attack.
“Edgar is really talented with the ball,” Figueroa said. “He’s gifted. He always does something really special. He’s like a professional, always doing something beautiful out there.”
Figueroa, who closed the season with seven goals and seven assists, also ignited the fast start with a goal in the eighth minute.
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Senior forward Eduardo “Lalo” Perez, no relation to Edgar, added his 11th goal of the season in the 11th minute.
The proudest onlooker was Kristy Kane, a former soccer standout at Benet. She coached the girls programs at Rosary and Aurora Central Catholic before in 2020 becoming the first female principal in school history at St. Laurence.
As a coach, she twice reached the supersectional at Aurora Central Catholic.
“It feels a little bittersweet because I wish I’d had this experience as a coach,” she said. “It feels great to support the players and the coaches, most of whom are in the building.”
An Evergreen Park resident, Perez nearly attended Brother Rice before an eleventh hour decision to go to St. Laurence. He’s a key reason the Vikings had a 27-7 goal differential and went 6-1 in the playoffs.
“Coming into this environment, I had to grow as a person,” Perez said. “I was very immature as a freshman. I learned so much that sophomore year. I had to mature faster.”
His inspiration growing up was his older brother Jairo, who suffered a broken leg and never played high school soccer.
“I first touched the ball when I was about 5, but I didn’t get serious until I was 10,” Perez said. “I fell in love with the game watching my brother play.
“My parents didn’t really want me to play like him, but I did anyway.”
Now, Perez will leave St. Laurence with a legacy of his own.
“I just love the plays you build up, part of a beautiful game,” he said. “Sometimes you just forget about everything. You just play.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.