Adan Gutierrez is often referred to by his middle name — Jett — by his St. Laurence teammates and coaches.
Gutierrez appreciates the uniqueness of the name and it certainly seems fitting with the way the junior midfielder/forward flies around the soccer field.
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“In the hospital, my dad wanted to name me Jett at the last minute, but my mom had some doubts about it because it’s a little unusual, so it’s my middle name,” Gutierrez said. “I hope I live up to the name.”
He definitely did Thursday night, coming off the bench and scoring two goals over the final 25 minutes to help the Vikings rally to stay undefeated with a 3-2 Catholic League Blue win over host De La Salle in Chicago.
Jesus Sanchez also scored for St. Laurence (16-0-2, 3-0-2). Josue Garcia and Pauly Rzadkosz each had an assist, while Noah Mendez made four saves.
Joshua Lawson and Kevin Gates scored for the Meteors (11-4-4, 3-2). Kobe Ibarra finished with three saves.
The showdown between reigning Class 2A state champion De La Salle and last year’s Class 3A runner-up St. Laurence was played in a heavy rain and was full of momentum shifts as the Meteors led twice before Gutierrez led the Vikings comeback.
“We knew if we didn’t win this game, it didn’t look good for us in the CCL,” Gutierrez said. “We needed that win. We needed two goals and I luckily stepped up.
“I found the balls near the net, a little bit like a poacher, and we got the win.”
Indeed, Gutierrez was dynamic around the net. He ripped in a rebound after a big save from Ibarra to tie the game 2-2 with 24:13 to go.
Then, with 3:30 left, he charged toward the right post and scored on a sliding volley off a long cross from Garcia.
“It really can’t get any better than this,” Gutierrez said. “When you see all your teammates running toward you, sliding on the wet surface, it’s the best feeling.”
It was the seventh goal of the season for Gutierrez, who Sanchez feels gives the Vikings a major spark off the bench.
“Adan plays a big role on our team, coming off the bench, starting in the second half,” Sanchez said. “He’s just a dog. That’s kind of our motto around here, ‘You’ve got to have that dog in you.’
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“Adan has that. He’s always willing to find that first ball and compete out there, and he showed it with those two goals.”
Gutierrez played sparingly as a sophomore last season but managed to score five goals. He also made sure to take in all the knowledge he could from his veteran teammates.
“Playing with that incredible team, I had some great seniors and this whole big junior class who are seniors now,” Gutierrez said. “Learning from them as a sophomore helped me become the player I am now.”
Even with nine starters returning from that state runner-up team, St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso knew he had to find a way to get Gutierrez more involved this fall.
“He’s taken tremendous strides,” Alonso said. “With us having so many returning starters from last year, I feel like a good headache we’ve had this year is figuring out where to plug him in. He’s been a jack of all trades. He’s played different positions.
“When we need to find a goal, we throw him up top. He has a nose for the goal. He puts himself in great positions and when we gets his chances, he buries them.”
Gutierrez is all about making the most of his opportunities.
“I like to think of myself as a super sub,” he said. “I try to make as much of an impact as I can, whether it’s goals or assists, and just help my team when I get in there.”