The conditions, the moment and opportunity all fused together beautifully Wednesday night for St. Laurence’s Diego Lugo. You could see it in his eyes and in his movements.
A wet field turbocharged every action for the dynamic senior forward.
“Everybody on the team knows I like to make that run,” a drenched Lugo said afterward. “They play me the ball, and I just go out and try to get the best shot I can get out there.
“No matter what, I’m just going to go in and create something.”
Lugo created a masterpiece, scoring two goals in the final 13 minutes to power the Vikings to a 4-2 victory over St. Ignatius in a Class 2A De La Salle Sectional semifinal in Chicago.
The Vikings (12-7-2) advanced to Saturday’s 11 a.m. championship game against Solorio (18-3-1), a 1-0 semifinal winner over the host Meteors. Solorio has defeated St. Laurence in the sectional the last two seasons.
In three playoff games this year, Lugo has scored five goals, equaling his output for the regular season. His most important strike Wednesday was a rocket-like shot off a half volley in the 67th minute that broke a 2-2 tie.
“The ball fell right in front of me,” he said. “I decided to hit it as hard as I could and just let it slip through his hands. My role is scoring goals, and it feels great.”
Lugo clinched the victory with his goal in the 79th minute for the Vikings, who avenged a one-sided 4-0 Catholic League Blue loss on Sept. 19 against the Wolfpack.
The state playoffs symbolize a new beginning, a chance to offset a disappointing regular season.
“Nobody remembers what you did in September,” St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso said. “Our season didn’t go the way we wanted. I told the boys to just grow from it.
“We had multiple one-goal losses where we made mistakes or from not being sharp on set pieces that caused us to lose games. We have grown from that.”
That goes for the 5-foot-11 Lugo, who has the ideal blend of size, athleticism, and presence on the ball.
“I think my work ethic is as strong as it has ever been,” he said.
Fittingly, he wears No. 9, the position in soccer designed to be the primary scorer.
“He is working very hard to get others involved,” Alonso said. “Due to his outstanding work ethic, the ball is starting to fall in great situations, and he is bearing down on the net.”
Senior midfielder Clark Herrera scored the Vikings’ first goal, setting the stage for Lugo.
“The first time we played Ignatius at their house, we just felt like we weren’t playing as a team,” Herrera said. “Our regular season wasn’t the best, but we knew we’d pick it up.”
Lugo has personified that heightened state of intensity, effort and focus.
“He never stops running,” Herrera said. “He’s the workhorse, and right now, we are looking at just getting him the ball. He’s hot. We just have to keep an eye on him.”
The game featured two ties and two lead changes, but junior defender Frankie Martinez scored off a corner kick at the end of the first half to pull the Vikings even at 2-2.
“We needed that extra motivation and Diego brought that, especially with his first goal,” Martinez said. “It’s a wet surface, he just smashes it, and the goalie doesn’t catch it.
“That is just what he does out there.”
In that way, Lugo stepped up to the moment.
“Our bench is so deep I could be taken out at any minute,” he said. “But I’m obviously doing something right.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.