There was a split second where Lyons Township junior Horacio Sanchez stood and watched as the soccer ball he just headed calmly settled into the side netting of the Neuqua Valley goal Tuesday night, a brief moment in time where everything but the ball seemed to stand still.
Then it was gone, and so was Sanchez.
As soon as the ball hit the ground, the LT junior sprinted off the field toward the Lions’ cheering section to celebrate probably the biggest goal of his career in his team’s biggest game of the season. Sanchez’s second-half header was the only goal of the game as the Lions upset undefeated Neuqua Valley, who entered the game ranked first in the state and second in the nation, 1-0 to win the Class 3A Benedictine University supersectional and earn a berth in the state semifinals.
“We knew whoever scored that first goal, that was going to be the game,” said Sanchez, who received a yellow card for the excessive celebration but confessed afterward it was worth it. “We knew we had to capitalize on that one chance.”
That one chance came after a dangerous play call was made against Neuqua Valley 20 minutes into the second half. The Lions received a free kick from 40 yards out on the left side of the field, virtually the same spot where LT senior Zach Pearsall took a free kick from earlier in the half.
That first kick of Pearsall’s was on the ground and went right at the Neuqua Valley defender standing 10 yards in front of him. Pearsall made sure not to let that happen again. The senior midfielder got under the ball and made a perfect cross into the center of the penalty box, where an oncoming Sanchez did the rest.
“We knew that when we had our chances we just had to put them away,” Pearsall said. “I had a good strike and I saw (Sanchez) making the run, and he got the flick and took care of business.”
While the goal put the Lions on the board, it did not end the game. The Wildcats still had plenty of fight left in them — after all, they were undefeated for a reason. Neuqua Valley pressured the Lions relentlessly over the final 20 minutes but could not find a way to score.
The Wildcats’ best chance came with less than five minutes left in the game after a controversial hand ball by LT senior defender Billy McGuinness. The Wildcats thought the incident happened inside the penalty box, which would have given Neuqua Valley a penalty kick. After the referees consulted with one another, though, it was ruled the infraction occurred just outside of the box.
“I knew it was a hand ball and I knew it was going to be a free kick,” LT coach Paul Labbato said. “You hate to see them run over and talk about it and then decide. We would have loved to have seen a straight decision. If it was a PK it’s a PK, and if it’s not a PK it’s not.”
The ensuing free kick went over the crossbar.
The hand ball might have been the only bad thing McGuinness and the LT defense did all game. The Lions (24-3) and goalie Sully Fox kept the Illinois’ top-ranked team scoreless and got a nice dose of revenge after losing to the Wildcats twice earlier in the year. Neuqua Valley (27-1-1) beat LT 4-0 on Aug. 29 and 2-1 in double overtime on Sept. 20.
“Not too many people thought we really were going to do this, but we had a game plan going into it and we did the things we needed to do, we stayed organized defensively and we put away our chance,” McGuinness said. “I was getting really nervous, but I’m happy we were able to pull it out.”
The win elevated the Lions into Friday’s state semifinals, where they will face off against New Trier, who defeated Lake Forest 2-1 on Tuesday.
LT was not thinking about New Trier on Tuesday night, though. The team was still too busy celebrating.
“It was a David and Goliath (match) it felt like,” Pearsall admitted. “Just to be able to come out on top in a game like this is what a player lives for.”
