St. Laurence’s Matthew Suchecki is ready for another busy fall.
Suchecki, a senior defender, will be a key leader on the Vikings’ soccer team, which is looking for another big season after finishing third in Class 2A in 2023.
When he’s not on the soccer field, however, you can catch him on the golf course as he’s also playing that sport for St. Laurence in the same season.
“There are some days coming up where we have morning practice for soccer and then a golf match in the afternoon, so I’ll be out the whole day,” Suchecki said. “It’s a long day, but these are just the sports I love to play.
“I enjoy going out and having fun playing with different people.”
Suchecki also plays volleyball in the spring, earning honorable mention all-area honors. He said volleyball helps him most with conditioning for soccer.
As for golf? That’s all about mental preparation.
“I think the positive mindset for both sports, golf and soccer, is huge,” Suchecki said. “Even if we’re down 1-0 in soccer, I have that mindset that we can come back and score.
“It’s the same thing for golf because if you have a bad shot, you’ve got to come back on the next hole. So, being a golfer helps me stay positive with soccer.”
Suchecki is one of just three returning starters for the Vikings, who are skilled but young. So, coach Jaime Alonso has been pleased to see one of his stars embrace an unfamiliar role.
“Matthew showed his quality last year, anchoring our back line,” Alonso said. “It’s just been a pleasure seeing him come out of his shell and be a little more social and be that vocal leader that we’ve been needing.
“He’s definitely, in the past, been someone who has led by example, but now he’s taken charge of certain aspects that he hadn’t in the past.”
Junior goalkeeper Vin Diesi, another returning starter, feels a major level of comfort from having Suchecki playing in front of him.
“He’s definitely saved me a lot,” Diesi said. “I’m very confident having him in front of me. He wins every head ball. He’s always there to stop the ball. He’s always ready.”
Suchecki has been following St. Laurence soccer for years. His older brothers, Jacob and Thomas, both played for the Vikings.
Jacob was a senior the only other time the program made it to state, finishing fourth in Class 2A in 2019.
“Seeing my brother going to state in 2019, that really changed me and motivated me to want to be a better soccer player so I could get there,” Matthew said. “Going down last season was awesome.”
Matthew has always looked up to his older brothers, especially following in the footsteps of Thomas, who also played volleyball and golf for the Vikings.
Matthew and Thomas got to play together for one school year, when Matthew was a freshman and Thomas was a senior in 2021-22.
“My brothers always pushed me just to try to be better than them,” Matthew said.
Senior Frankie Martinez played on the back line last season with Suchecki and is expected to play “all over the field” this season, according to Alonso.
Martinez knows Suchecki always has his back.
“He’s really calm and collected,” Martinez said. “Under pressure, he knows what to do. He can get out of sticky situations that we might put ourselves in. He’s there whenever I need help.”
Suchecki is ready to go all-out this fall as he pulls double duty again. In soccer, his ultimate goal is to take the Vikings back to state.
“Last year, the energy and the vibes for the whole team were just awesome,” Suchecki said. “We were able to get third, which wasn’t bad, but hopefully we can do better this year.”
