Frankie Martinez was a starting defender for St. Laurence each of the last two seasons and a key part of the back line for the team that finished third in Class 3A in 2023.
In fact, he’s played defense his whole life. But Martinez doesn’t define himself as a defender. He doesn’t want to pin himself down to one position.
“I’m an athlete,” Martinez said. “I can play wherever.”
Martinez has certainly shown as a senior that this fall. He has made the switch to forward, becoming a top scorer for the Vikings.
That trend continued Tuesday night as Martinez scored two goals in lifting host St. Laurence to a 3-2 Catholic League Blue win over Mount Carmel in Burbank.
Matthew Suchecki also scored for the Vikings, while Alonso Gonzalez added an assist. St. Laurence (10-2-4, 2-0-3) has not lost since August, going 9-0-4 in its last 13 games.
Brandon Razo had both goals for Mount Carmel (11-4-1, 4-1). Julian Rodriguez made five saves.
The Caravan led twice, but St. Laurence battled back both times. Martinez then came through with the game-winner with 8:31 left on a terrific individual effort, beating a defender down the right side of the field before ripping a shot inside the left post.
It was the ninth goal of the season for Martinez, who also scored on a header off Gonzalez’s cross to tie the game 1-1 earlier in the second half.
So, it’s safe to say the switch to forward has been going well.
“It’s been pretty fun,” Martinez said. “I kind of miss playing with Matthew (Suchecki) in the back, but now he’s sending me the ball, getting the assists, being the reason I score the goals.”
Suchecki is thrilled to see his former defensive partner getting the job done on the other end of the field.
“He was great with me last year in the back,” Suchecki said. “I miss him in the back, but I feel like putting him up top this year. He’s been huge for us. He can hold the ball for us, he’s got the pace, and he can finish the chances.
“That’s what he did (Tuesday). We won the game because of Frankie.”
Martinez said the toughest challenge of becoming a top goal scorer has been avoiding missing out on chances by not knowing how to get to the right spot.
“It’s little mistakes,” he said. “You have to know how to finish the goals, get easy tap-ins. Those little things can really push you over the edge and give you confidence.”
Martinez’s first goal came with 29:13 to go — just 22 seconds after Razo gave Mount Carmel the 1-0 lead.
Suchecki answered Razo’s second goal, tying it 2-2 when he put in his own rebound after Rodriguez stopped his penalty kick.
“We just stayed composed as a whole team,” Suchecki said. “We knew if we went down, we just had to keep our heads up. We kept fighting and we came back.”
Martinez then delivered the knockout punch. It was the exact kind of play St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso envisioned Martinez making when he moved him to forward.
“Frankie started on the lower levels as a forward when he was a freshman,” Alonso said. “I feel like this year for him has been like a full-circle moment.
“In previous years, we needed him to defend. This year, one of the necessities we needed was a striker up top and he’s done a great job.”
St. Laurence graduated its top seven scorers from last season, so Martinez came into the season knowing it was on him to become the go-to guy. He was ready.
“We needed it,” he said. “Early in the season, we were struggling. People doubted us as a young team, but I think we’re a pretty great team now.”
