With the video scoreboard outlined against the falling snow, senior midfielder Johnny Esparza looked up at the clock and saw the chance for St. Laurence to take advantage.
He knew the moment was ripe for a significant breakthrough.
“In the first half, we were kind of flat and just going through the motions,” Esparza said, shaking his head afterward. “I knew we had to pick it up and make something happen.
“I saw my opportunity, and I took the shot.”
Sometimes, all it takes is the first one.
Esparza blasted home the first goal in the 64th minute as the Vikings rolled to a 3-1 victory over Catholic League rival DePaul Prep in the Class 2A De La Salle Supersectional in Chicago.
St. Laurence (14-7-2) won its fifth straight and qualified for its first trip to state since the 2019 team finished fourth. The Vikings will play at 3 p.m. Friday in a semifinal at Hoffman Estates against Peoria Notre Dame (21-1-3), a 1-0 winner over Brother Rice (19-4-2).
Esparza scored his team-best 19th goal for St. Laurence, which continued its revenge tour by reversing a 3-2 loss on Sept. 21 to the Rams (13-6-3) in league play.
“Honestly, we had a kind of anger since the time that they beat us,” Esparza said. “We had a lot more energy going into the game, knowing it would be an embarrassment to lose against the same team twice.”
In a game of heightened stakes and pure emotion, Esparza provided the necessary push forward for the Vikings. Momentum, in soccer, tends to accrue and move downhill.
Senior midfielder Edgar Perez felt the anticipation.
“We were waiting for him to come out and create something,” Perez said. “When Johnny wants the ball, he can do great things out there.
“We told him he had to lead us and he had to want the ball. You can see the kind of special things he can do out there.”
Senior forward Lalo Perez, no relation to Edgar, contributed a rebound goal and assist for the Vikings. Lalo Perez put the game away by slotting a ball that senior forward Diego Lugo converted in the 80th minute.
“I’ve known Johnny since I was about 5, when we were playing club together,” Lalo said. “We really trust each other. When we move the ball back and forth between us, everything is just second nature.”
It was Lalo Perez’s 13th goal of the season. He scored two minutes after Esparza.
“Once Johnny scored that first goal, everybody was so pumped,” Perez said. “We looked out, and our whole student section was yelling. We fed off that emotion.
“It got the energy and the atmosphere up.”
In his second varisty season, Esparza has exemplified his team’s rapidly improving effort in the state playoffs. As a rookie, he needed last year to assimilate to the speed and power of the game.
It’s more natural and intuitive to him now.
“My role has evolved a lot,” Esparza said. “This year, I feel a lot more confident. I can play a lot more free out there. It feels more normal to play at this level.
“Last year, I felt nervous all the time and had a lot of stress on me. Now, I am much more comfortable and able to manage myself.”
Seniors like Esparza and Lalo and Edgar Perez were in seventh grade the last time St. Laurence reached the ultimate stage.
The challenge is to sustain this hot streak.
“It’s kind of surreal and a dream to be here now,” Esparza said. “It’s a big accomplishment, and I am proud of this team. I am glad that we are able to get this far.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.