For Damian Gal, it’s his third and final season on the varsity for Andrew. And the senior midfielder wanted to give his coach a parting gift before he left.
True, usually the person graduating gets a gift. And it’s true, Gal and his teammates all celebrated his game-winning goal Thursday night. But it probably benefited coach Loren Zolk the most.
“Coach has never beaten Stagg,” Gal said. “None of us has, so it was our turn to take over.”
Zolk had a 0-9 record in eight years against Stagg. His brother, Randy, is an assistant coach for the Chargers.
But thanks in part to Gal, Zolk will have some bragging rights for a while as the Thunderbolts rallied in the second half for a 2-1 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory in Palos Hills.
Gal scored with 4:46 left in the game, producing the winning goal for Andrew (11-3, 4-1).
Stagg (6-5-2, 0-4) struck first with 30:59 left on a goal by Hubert Turek. But Andrew forced a 1-1 tie on a free kick from Kian Delaney with 15:00 left.
That set the stage for Gal to do his thing on a pass from Caden Fuller.
“Caden got on the ball and played me through,” Gal said. “I had a one-touch finish around the keeper.”
Zolk said Gal moves around to different spots on the field during the course of a game but he always can be found at the right place at the right time because of it.
“He’s extremely versatile,” Zolk said of Gal. “As a sophomore, we had him paying defense, and as a junior, we moved him in the middle.
“He’s one of those kids you could pretty much put anywhere. His IQ of the game is higher than most, so he pretty much adapts to what position needs to be played.”
However, it goes beyond what position Gal plays, according to senior defender Erick Mietus.
“He’s a leader on our team,” Mietus said. “And with that winning goal, that brought our passion up and brought our confidence up. We think we can go far this season.”
Gal, who has been playing soccer all of his life, wants to leave a legacy at Andrew.
“I grew up around this team,” Gal said. “I played for the (Tinley Park) Bobcats, and we all grew up playing together. It’s all clicking this year, and hopefully we can make a run.”
Mietus played a big role in keeping Stagg off the scoreboard late in the first half with two saves in a back-to-back sequence of events, with senior goalkeeper Luke Herzic scrambling to get back into position.
If Stagg scored, it would have changed the complexion of the game.
“That was huge,” Zolk said of Mietus’ saves. “His open-net foot save was huge. They were coming at us. And they were coming at us hard at that moment. It felt like they were getting momentum.
“Him stepping up and making those saves took a little bit out of them and gave us a little boost.”
Mietus said he was tying to cover the space while the ball was pinballing around.
“One save hit off my shin, and they got the ball back and our keeper came back, and I saved one off the line,” he said. “I think it saved the game.”
Gal, meanwhile, is receiving interest from Lewis. His college playing career is hazy because he wants things to fall into place both athletically and academically.
But there’s no questioning the amount of love he has for soccer.
“I have a passion for it,” he said. “I love the intensity and the chaos.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
