Will Jirek took the field Wednesday night with some extra motivation beyond the desire to keep Lincoln-Way West’s season going.
Jirek’s grandmother, Mimi, was in the stands. And these days it’s extra special for Jirek when she can make it to a game.
“My grandma has Alzheimer’s and every time she’s able to come watch me play, I try to do something big for her,” Jirek said. “It’s like an obligation. I know I have to come through for her.”
Jirek certainly made grandma proud. The senior forward/midfielder scored his eighth goal of the season, lifting the Warriors to a 2-1 win over Marist in a Class 3A Rich Township Regional semifinal in Richton Park.
Mikey Nebel also scored for 10th-seeded Lincoln-Way West (8-7-1), which advanced to take on second-seeded Stagg (14-4-1) at 10 a.m. Saturday in the regional final.
Myles Decker and Jack Tisch added assists for the Warriors, while Zack Szubryt made six saves. Kyle Ianakiev scored for seventh-seeded Marist (10-9-2). Michael Finn finished with five saves.
After Nebel headed in Decker’s corner kick for a goal in the eighth minute, Jirek gave Lincoln-Way West a 2-0 lead eight minutes later.
Jirek finished off a beautiful sequence that saw the ball go from Gerardo Lopez
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to Decker to Tisch, who sent a cross toward the far post where Jirek slammed it in.“I saw the outside back wasn’t looking and I just snuck behind him,” Jirek said. “I saw the ball coming in and I was like, ‘Don’t miss.’ I was happy to score there.”
Lincoln-Way West coach Matt Laude and assistant Ryan Decker were definitely impressed.
“The build-up from the back to the wingers and then the finish from Will, that was something,” Laude said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I turned to Decker and I was like, ‘What was that?’
“He said, ‘I believe we call that soccer.’ It was great.”
It was a meaningful moment for Jirek, who scored in front of his lucky charm.
“My grandma has been to a few games this season and I think I’ve scored in almost every single one that she’s been at,” Jirek said. “I’m really trying for her. My whole family was here for this game, so I had to do it.”
Nebel, a senior defender, has grown accustomed to seeing Jirek make things happen on offense.
“He’s really technical and he’s just always a threat for the other team,” Nebel said. “He’s someone they always have to pay attention to and that opens things up for other people to do things.”
Meanwhile, Nebel scored his first goal of the season.
“It felt great,” Nebel said. “Playing defense, I don’t get a lot of chances to score. We just came up with that play (Tuesday) in practice and it paid off right away.”
Jirek and Nebel are two of the four senior starters on a young team that struggled early in the season but found its footing late, with the Warriors winning six of their last nine games.
Jirek credited Nebel with being the motivational guy for the team, while he simply tries to set a good example for the younger players through his actions.
“It’s been really hard building this team up,” Jirek said. “It’s been a collective effort. I don’t know if I’ve done a lot of leading, really. Mikey is a big leader. That’s his thing.
“My role has kind of been, ‘Just do it.’ I’ve been able to help out that way.”
Jirek did his thing for his team — and for grandma — on Wednesday night. Now, he wants to keep his high school soccer career going beyond Saturday.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs but this is a special team,” Jirek said. “I think we can make it happen.”