Providence’s Jovanny Gonzalez believes he has become a better soccer player by taking on a very different sport during the winter.
Gonzalez, a junior midfielder, started wrestling his freshman year. It was something he never imagined doing but has found to be both fun and beneficial to his main sport.
“People told me to wrestle in middle school but I was always scared to do it,” he said. “But some of my friends wrestle. (Senior forward) JT Potocsnak recommended me to the wrestling coach.
“I’ve really enjoyed it and I think it’s helped me stay more composed on the soccer field.”
Gonzalez put that ability to stay cool and collected to good use in Monday’s season opener. He scored two first-half goals to lift the host Celtics to a 4-0 win over Joliet Catholic in New Lenox.
Aldo Dominguez added a goal and an assist for Providence (1-0), while Christian Hofferica chipped in with a goal. Luke Rost made two saves for the shutout, with help from a defense led by Luca Bullion, Cameron Klene and Lucas Garcia.
CJ Munger made four saves for Joliet Catholic (0-1).
Gonzalez opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a corner kick that deflected into the net off a defender. He ripped in his second goal with just three seconds left in the first half to make it 2-0.
Earlier, though, he had a discussion on the bench with Providence coach Mike Taylor. Gonzalez knew he had to adjust the way he was playing to help his team.
“Coach had to take me out for a bit,” Gonzalez said. “I wasn’t feeling it. I had a talk with him about playing my role and getting everybody organized, and I just had to go out there and do what I had to do and I scored.
“It felt amazing.”
Taylor wanted Gonzalez to focus on the basics.
“He frustrates me sometimes because he wants to showcase his skills all the time and I tell him, ‘Do me a favor — only showcase your skill when you have to,’” Taylor said. “Great players do all the simple things and then all of a sudden it’s, ‘Oh my God.’ He wants to be ‘Oh my God’ all the time.
“But it will come. He definitely has the skills.”
Garcia knows what Gonzalez can do when he puts those skills on display.
“He’s always been a playmaker his whole life,” Garcia said. “He’s always helped us and been good setting other people up, and now with finishing, he’s finally got that down, too.”
Garcia led the defensive effort as the Celtics avenged last season’s 2-1 defeat to the rival Hilltoppers.
“It was a tough loss last year so it feels good to come back out here and do what had to be done,” Garcia said. “The defense was really strong and Luke made a couple good saves on the corner kicks so he helped us, too.”
Gonzalez, meanwhile, is off to a fast start after finishing last season with 10 goals.
Taylor was one of the people who suggested Gonzalez try wrestling.
“I think it’s made him stronger,” Taylor said. “I think maybe the one-on-one, mentally, helps him.”
Between his time on the mats and playing soccer this summer with Steel City FC, a Joliet-based semipro team, Gonzalez feels he has done a ton to prepare him for this soccer season.
“Coach recommended that I join wrestling so that I would think more about what I was doing and have more discipline,” Gonzalez said. “Then I’ve gotten experience playing with Steel City.
“I feel like I’ve gotten tougher and more confident and throughout this season, I’m just going to keep getting better.”
