Bloom’s Jonathan Magana flew through the air, connected with the ball and saw it go in.
The junior forward had just scored one of the best goals of his life on a bicycle kick, helping the Blazing Trojans earn one of the best wins in program history with a 3-2 upset of Lyons.
It was the highlight moment on Sept. 23 in what has been a memorable season for Magana — and it still feels surreal.
“When it was happening, I didn’t really think much of it,” Magana said. “I just saw an opportunity and I took it. When I made it, I couldn’t believe it. It felt like a dream.
“I still can’t believe I made it. To go against a team like that and win was just amazing. To score a bicycle kick, it was crazy.”
Magana has dazzled with his scoring abilities all season, leading Bloom (13-4-2) with 20 goals.
He and Omar Ortiz, who has 15 goals and 19 assists, have formed a stellar duo at forward.
“Having two good strikers instead of just one makes us tough to stop,” Ortiz said. “We both connect with each other really good. We know what each other is going to do.”
Magana enjoyed soccer when he was younger but did not play competitively right away.
“I didn’t join a team until I was 11 or 12 years old,” he said. “That was mostly my parents’ choice.
“I think everybody wants to be on a team when they’re young, so when I got my chance to do it, it was exciting.”
Magana holds himself to a high standard. When he doesn’t score, he gets frustrated. Keeping his confidence level high is a facet he’s still working on.
“It’s something I’ve been dealing with since I was young,” he said. “Everybody has always had high expectations for me and I’ve always been taught to do better than everyone else.
“When things don’t go the way I want them to, the only thing I can do is go train harder.”
Bloom coach Zack Radtke will sometimes remind Magana how good he is.
“He has high expectations for himself,” Radtke said. “You see when certain shots don’t go in, he gets frustrated. I tell him, ‘Relax, calm down, you’re a goal scorer. This is what you do. Just have fun with it.’
“Him and Omar are crazy unstoppable up top when they’re clicking.”
Magana treasures his memories of goals like the one against Lyons that reinforce his love of soccer.
“This game brings me peace,” Magana said. “It can ruin your life in a second or be the best moment of your life. That’s what I like about it.”
Down to the wire: An exciting three-team race for the South Suburban Blue title will be decided by Bremen (6-3-1), Lemont (5-2-3) and Oak Forest (5-2-1).
The Braves and Bengals square off in a key game Tuesday.
Bremen put itself into a contending position Tuesday with a huge 1-0 win over Oak Lawn, following that up Thursday with another 1-0 victory over Reavis.
Saul Lagunas scored the winner in both games, while Yahir Perez earned the shutouts.
“I feel like we’re kind of hitting out stride right now,” Bremen coach Tom Piotrowski said. “We’re starting to figure out our formation and the kids are working really well together.
“It’s a good time for us to hit that stride.”
The Braves (10-6-1) were given the third seed in the Class 2A Brother Rice Sectional.
Seeds planted: Sandburg, Stagg, Romeoville, Lockport, Bloom, Lincoln-Way Central, Oak Lawn and Shepard are the top eight seeds in the Class 3A Lockport Sectional.
Several area coaches have said it’s the toughest sectional field they can remember in the Southland.
“There are going to be a lot of battles,” Stagg coach Mike Kealy said.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.