Maven Marquez brings an aggressive mentality to the soccer field every day for St. Laurence.
The senior forward is always looking to attack — and that was certainly the case Thursday.
“I had one thing on my mind and that was scoring,” Marquez said. “Every time I get the ball, I just think about destroying the defender. That’s my job. Scoring is my job, so that’s what was on my mind.”
Marquez did his job, scoring the first goal of the game to spark St. Laurence to a 3-0 nonconference victory over host Oak Lawn in a rainy regular-season finale for both teams.
Charlie Freeman and Pauly Rzadkosz also scored for the Vikings (21-1-2), while Adan Gutierrez dished out three assists. Noah Mendez made four saves for the shutout, getting plenty of help from Rzadkosz, Heriberto Luna, Andrew Martinez and Josue Garcia on the back line.
Josemy Neri-Martinez made seven saves and Alex Lebica had two shots on goal for Oak Lawn (14-5-1).
In the 17th minute, Marquez took a pass from Gutierrez and sprinted down the right side of the field. He kept his footing on a wet field in a pouring rain and ripped a shot inside the far post for his ninth goal of the season.
It was the kind of electric play Rzadkosz has gotten used to seeing Marquez make.
“He’s amazing,” Rzadkosz said. “Even when he was coming off the bench last year, he still played a big role. This year, now that he’s starting, he plays a big role the whole game.
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“He’s so fast. He can beat anyone down the line. He can serve the ball in the box. He gives us a lot of chances to score.”
Marquez began last season as a reserve before earning a starting spot late in the fall, when he became a major force in helping the Vikings finish as the Class 3A state runners-up.
Heading into his senior year, Marquez’s goal was simple.
“Being a consistent player,” he said. “That’s something that I learned from last season that was really important. I think at the beginning of last season I was a bit inconsistent, and by the end, that’s when I started to find my form.
“This year, I think I’ve been consistent the whole way.”
St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso definitely agrees with that assessment.
“Anytime Maven’s on the pitch, he affects the game,” Alonso said. “I think he’s been our most dangerous attacking player, even if he isn’t always bagging the goals.
“You see two or three guys following him around the field and that opens things up for other players. The entire team definitely benefits from his ability to beat people one-on-one.”
Freeman and Rzadkosz added goals in the second half as the Vikings wrapped up their stellar regular season.
Now, St. Laurence heads into the playoffs on a mission, with last season’s heartbreaking 3-2 shootout loss to Naperville North in the state championship game still fresh on their minds.
“It’s all about desire,” Rzadkosz said. “It’s wanting to win. It’s wanting to get back to the state championship game and winning it all this year because I still have that feeling in my heart from last year.
“It still irks me. Wanting to get there again is the biggest thing for us.”
Marquez will look to lead the Vikings there. He’s been playing with an extra dose of motivation all season.
“I felt like I had something to prove this season,” Marquez said. “I had to prove it to myself and everyone else that I can come out here and do good things every game.
“It’s having the hunger to want to score — and the hunger to be the best, honestly.”