St. Laurence’s Juan Hernandez collected the ball around midfield, made a defender miss and saw nothing but green turf ahead of him as the clock ticked inside the final minute of overtime.
That left the senior forward with 45 yards of dribbling and plenty of time to think about his golden opportunity to send the Vikings to state. Pressure? It was no sweat for Hernandez.
“I thought, ‘I got this,’” he said. “I was like, ‘This is my own show. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.’ I just put the ball in the net.
“I do have a little swagger. My coach always says that the games come down to the little moments and you just have to take it. You have to have some swag with it. That’s what I did.”
Hernandez delivered with what he called “the biggest goal of my life” Monday night, finishing on the breakaway with 56 seconds left in OT to give St. Laurence a 2-1 win over Lincoln-Way Central at the Class 3A Lyons Supersectional in Western Springs.
Pauly Rzadkosz scored on a penalty kick and provided the assist on Hernandez’s game-winner for the Vikings (23-2-4). Senior goalkeeper Vin Diesi made six saves.
St. Laurence’s Juan Hernandez (14) celebrates after scoring the winning goal in OT against Lincoln-Way Central in the Class 3A Lyons Supersectional in Western Springs on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
St. Laurence sealed the third state trophy in program history — and first in Class 3A — and will play in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday at Hoffman Estates against the winner of Tuesday’s supersectional game between Glenbrook North (19-2-3) and South Elgin (22-3-1).
“I think this is bigger than when we went to state my sophomore year,” Hernandez said. “This is 3A, the hardest division in high school soccer. It’s a great feeling.
“With this team, I never doubted that we could get this far. We have a great team.”
Connor Pate scored off an assist from Derrick Rafacz for Lincoln-Way Central (18-5), while Josh DeMik tallied three saves.
St. Laurence goalkeeper Vin Diesi (88) holds up the championship plaque after defeating Lincoln-Way Central during the Class 3A Lyons Supersectional in Western Springs on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Hernandez, meanwhile, grew up dreaming of scoring big goals in high school. He just never imagined it would be for the Vikings.
That changed after he met St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso, who won the Hernandez family over with what Hernandez said was a two-hour talk with his mother.
“It was all last minute,” Hernandez said. “I honestly didn’t want to go to St. Laurence. But now I love it. It’s a great school. There’s so much pride in it.
“You see the amount of people out here who came to support us. It’s a great feeling.”
St. Laurence’s Maxx Figueroa (9) dribbles up the field against Lincoln-Way Central’s Carter Krynski (20) during the Class 3A Lyons Supersectional in Western Springs on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
The Vikings started slow Monday night as Lincoln-Way Central dominated the first 20 minutes and took the lead on Pate’s goal in the 13th minute.
St. Laurence answered when Hernandez was fouled in the box and Rzadkosz converted the penalty kick with 35:09 to go.
That set the stage for Hernandez, who has been clutch throughout the playoffs. He scored the lone goal Saturday in a 1-0 sectional final win over Morton, his hometown school.
So when Diesi saw Hernandez on a breakaway, he was confident.
“I just held my breath and hoped he’d make it, but I knew he would,” Diesi said. “There was no way he was going to miss that. He’s just got this spunk to him.
“He’s just got that extra, I don’t know what it is, but just a swagger that helps him break barriers.”
St. Laurence’s Juan Hernandez (14) heads the ball as Lincoln-Way Central’s Najeeb Ejaidi (6) defends during the Class 3A Lyons Supersectional in Western Springs on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Alonso also knew Hernandez was the right player for the situation.
“I think this moment was literally made for him,” Alonso said. “You have a kid sprinting for 60 yards in the 99th minute of the game and then he has the legs and composure to slide that in.
“The moment was very big. The lights were very bright. There were a lot of people here. But he was made for these moments, man.”
And Hernandez left the field with a souvenir.
“I get to keep the ball I scored with,” he said. “These are going to be memories forever, of course.”