Becoming a captain for Bloom in his third season on varsity, senior forward Diego Munoz knew he had to make a change.
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Munoz was determined to have the right attitude this fall, both in the way he interacts with his teammates and in the way he treats himself.
“I needed to fix my mentality because I always used to put my head down,” Munoz said. “Now, if I put my head down, my teammates help me rise it up.
“I started believing in myself because everybody else believes in me so much.”
Munoz has plenty of reasons to be confident, continuing his productive season Monday night by scoring a goal and dishing out two assists as the host Blazing Trojans shook off a slow start en route to earning a 6-2 win over crosstown rival Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights.
Erik Hernandez finished with two goals for Bloom (6-6-2), while Nate Renteria, Sergio Pompa and Angel Mendez all scored once.
Issac Mendoza and Alex Montalvo each scored goals for the Spartans (3-11-1), while Edgar Bravo made 14 saves.
Marian Catholic led 1-0 before Munoz took a 20-yard shot from the left side of the field and ripped it inside the far post to make it 1-1 in the 35th minute.
It was Munoz’s eighth goal of the season.
“We just had to get something going,” Munoz said. “I saw a chance to take the shot and was happy it went in.”
Munoz added two assists as Bloom scored five times in the second half, including two goals from Hernandez.
“We started off pretty slowly, especially myself,” Hernandez said. “I think I was really disappointing in the first half, but all that matters is that we kept it going and we believed in ourselves and we picked it up in the second half.”
Hernandez, a sophomore forward, confirmed that he looks up to Munoz — and the entire team follows Munoz’s example.
“Diego brings special leadership to the team,” Hernandez said. “He really shows why he should have the captain’s armband. The captain’s armband is not for show.
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“You should have great leadership and he shows exactly that. He leads us on and off the field. He shows us right from wrong. He’s just a great senior and captain.”
Munoz acknowledged receiving the captain’s role motivated him to stop being so hard on himself and always stay positive on the field.
“When I got the captain band, they told me I was going to have a lot of responsibility with the team,” Munoz said. “At first, I was wondering what I needed to fix.
“When I realized it, I fixed it and I feel more complete as a player. I think my teammates complete me as a captain.”
Bloom coach Zack Radtke has seen the progression not only in Munoz’s game but in his communication skills.
“He’s definitely grown up,” Radtke said. “His maturity and his play on the field have both gone up. Even in practice, you see the maturity and the things he does for his teammates as a captain.”
Munoz’s older brother, Christian, holds the program record for career goals. Diego joined Bloom’s varsity as a sophomore trying to live up to that legacy.
“Those are hard shoes to fill and it was hard for Diego because he didn’t want to be compared because they have different playing styles,” Radtke said. “But he’s done a great job of filling that spot for us and being a productive striker for us in a different way.”
In the process, Diego Munoz has learned how to make his own mark in his own way.
“I realized over the years that I don’t need to be anybody else,” he said. “I can just be myself and show my skills on the field.”