With Marmion’s Alvaro Alanis, it’s almost now you see him and now you don’t.
The junior midfielder prefers to play in the soccer equivalent of the shadows — making moves off the ball or constantly lurking in the background, waiting for his moment.
“I am a pretty calm player,” Alanis said afterward, agreeing with the assessment. “I just find a pass and distribute the ball. I am not a very loud player on the field.”
Alanis’ shot came across loud and clear Saturday morning.
In the 73rd minute, Alanis delivered the shot of the year for the Cadets, a laserlike strike that stood up for a 1-0 victory over Lemont in the Class 2A Glenbard South Sectional final.
Marmion (10-8-5) ended a 12-game unbeaten streak by Lemont (14-4-7) — which went 7-0-5 during that stretch — in capturing its first sectional title since 2018.
The Cadets advanced to play at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Sterling Supersectional against Peoria Notre Dame (20-3-1), a 1-0 winner over downstate Morton.
“We knew it was going to come down to a moment,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “We had two good chances, and their keeper made a great save on the one.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Adam Ozsvath made a spectacular diving stop for Marmion off a shot by junior forward Franco Calcagno in the 59th minute.
Lemont lost for the first time since Sept. 22, but senior forward Lukas Rabianski credited the winning streak for energizing the team.
“We really learned how to play together at the end of the season,” Rabianski said. “We committed to each other. It showed how much we cared.
“The state playoffs came, and we really knew how to play together as a team.”
Junior goalkeeper Amir Biba kept Lemont’s hopes alive with a brilliant save in the 77th minute.
A final header in the closing seconds by senior forward Mahmoud Yacoub just skipped over the top of the crossbar for Lemont.
“Down in a sectional final and our keeper is still making great saves,” Rabianski said. “We took any chance we could take.”
The 6-foot-5 Rabianski makes for a striking presence. His play characterized the rapid improvement.
“I really felt like I picked up my game in the playoffs and felt a lot better on the field,” he said. “I felt a lot better on the ball.”
Ozsvath posted his second straight shutout and his fifth of the season. He flashed athleticism and a key presence inside the box for Marmion.
Every time Lemont threatened, he was ready to sacrifice his body.
“That shot they had was one of the most crucial moments, their best chance at a goal, and I just made the play,” Ozsvath said. “As long as I see the ball, nothing is going to pass me.”
Marmion also went through growing pains early in the season with injuries and struggling to find its shape.
Playing a largely 3A schedule, the Cadets went just 1-3-1 in their last five regular-season games.
“The most important part is that these guys have found something that has nothing to do with soccer,” Marmion coach Gerardo Alvarez said. “You see it, but you don’t quite know what it is, the ‘it’ factor.
“They have a swagger about them, a confidence and a commitment to one another.”
Marmion dominated in the first half, only to come up short in finishing. Finding himself free late in the game, Alanis knew it was now or never.
“I do my stuff and create as many chances as I can on the field,” he said. “I just knew we needed to put some balls on target. We were getting super close to scoring.
“We just needed to put that extra little nudge at the end.”
Now, the Cadets are one step away from the state finals.
“We always had a pretty good defense,” Alanis said. “We just needed to improve on finishing.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
