Elgin’s Omar Saldana is the kind of malleable player every great team requires.
The senior midfielder fits his versatile game to the available situation.
“Everybody has their own talent or special skill,” he said. “Controlling the game and being a leader is what I am best at. That is what I always try to do when I am out there.”
Elgin’s top facilitator, Saldana also knows how to score when the opportunity arises.
Saldana showed all facets of his game Wednesday as the Maroons maintained their torrid level of play with a 2-0 win over Dundee-Crown in a Class 3A Hampshire Sectional semifinal.
The night belonged to Saldana, who had a goal and an assist as Elgin (19-0-3) won its fourth straight game. The Maroons have a 58-5 goal differential in that streak.
“Our attack throughout the season has always been great,” Saldana said. “I think the difference now is that we are really bonding as a team.
“We’re very good at keeping possession and we’re breaking teams down.”
Elgin advanced to play at 5 p.m. Friday in the sectional final against Larkin (16-8), a 2-1 overtime winner over Jacobs. Anthony Cordova and Atlai Gutierrez scored for the Royals.
For the Maroons, Saldana’s goal in the first half Wednesday off an assist by senior forward Miguel Navarro built a 1-0 halftime lead.
“Our ability to create the high pressure just gives us a lot more opportunities,” Saldana said after scoring his seventh goal of the season. “We never give teams time to set up.”
In the 45th minute, junior forward Eduardo Nava scored on a header for his team-best 23rd goal. Saldana delivered the perfect service for his team-leading 17th assist.
“The more chemistry we have, the more everything’s coming together,” Saldana said. “Nobody can hold Nava down.”
Nava sustained a pattern that has marked an undefeated season for the Maroons.
“The majority of our goals have come in the first five minutes of a half,” Nava said. “Why is that? Everybody is always pushing up.”
Nava scored five goals in the Maroons’ first two games, creating momentum the Maroons have turned into a dream season.
The creativity and pressure he creates off movement puts the opposition under a constant state of duress.
“We know what we like to do and how to play, working off the long balls or the set pieces,” Nava said. “And guys looking to find me high has been great.”
For a team that has not been on the wrong side of the scoreboard the entire season, Nava confirmed that winning is now an expectation.
“I’d be surprised if another team beats us this year,” he said. “Moving forward, I think we are going to do well. We don’t get distracted and we don’t worry whether it’s a semifinal or final.”
Senior forwards Miguel Pena and Alex Martinez created solid chances for Dundee-Crown (13-9-4) in defeat, but the Maroons always had the answer.
Senior goalkeeper Kleber Rodriguez made five saves in posting his 13th shutout for Elgin. He has allowed just eight goals in 1,566 minutes for a scintillating 0.41 goals-against average.
“Even though this is my first year playing varsity, I have played with all the guys on our back on various club teams,” Rodriguez said. “We know how to play together.
“I like coming off the line and being aggressive. Playing that style when you are the goalie is really good because you are going to intimidate the other team.”
And this Elgin team, at this time, believes that winning is contagious.
“We have been playing together since the summer,” Saldana said. “We knew the talent we had, and it was just a matter of putting the pieces together.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
