BURBANK — The wrong kind of lightning struck twice against Reavis.

The Rams were riding high after storming back from a two-goal deficit to beat Mount Carmel in overtime Friday.

Saturday featured another overtime thriller in the Windy City Ram Classic — except with a different conclusion. Midfielder Connor Pate, of Lincoln-Way Central, turned the tables.

“We played well in our game with Mount Carmel,” Reavis forward Galileo Figueroa said.

“We just couldn’t get the result today.”

Pate smashed home a short ball inside the box less than a minute into overtime for a 2-1 Knights’ victory in consolation play of the 32-team tournament on Saturday morning.

Forward Reilly Follet broke down the host Rams’ back and delivered the service for the game-winner.

“Late in the first half, we had some success getting the ball at our feet in the final third,” Pate said.

”I think in the second half, we continued that. Reilly got the advantage. I was just excited by the opportunity. It’s one of those things where you always want to score.”

By finishing the game-winner and registering his second goal of the season, Connor Pate earned a share of the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor with teammate and keeper Josh Demik. 

At the start of extra time, Lincoln-Way Central caught the Rams a bit off-rhythm and flat-footed.

The quick switch of the field turned into a game-changing action.

“We had an attack going, and they played it out to a winger. He got it one-on-one, and he had a little burst of energy,” Figueroa said of the heartbreaking sequence.

The bang-bang play spelled doom under the Golden Goal format of the tournament; it gave Reavis no chance for a comeback.

The result was not necessarily reflective of the balance of the game. The Rams (1-2-0) had arguably the better play and more dangerous chances.

Lincoln-Way Central’s Demik posted eight saves, and the Rams watched a header by Krystian Paluch glance off the bar late in the second half.

Playing its third game in four days, Reavis showed no ill-effects or tired legs.

The Rams pushed the ball in space and used the dynamic play of midfielder Diego Ochoa in the middle as the orchestrator of the attack.

Reavis struck first in the 21st minute. Off a service into the box, Juvenal Padilla played a first touch that Demik blocked.

Trailing the play, Ochoa got to the loose ball and hammered home a half-volley inside the near post from close-in.

It was his first goal of the new season. He posted the game-winning assist against Mount Carmel.

“The whole summer we have been focusing on working on the details and the little things, like our formation,” Ochoa said.

“Our first game against DeLaSalle, things didn’t really click. We probably had some first-game nerves. I feel like since that first game, we’ve been picking it up.”

The lead was brief, indicative of early season play where volatility and reversal of fortune are commonplace.

Lincoln-Way Central (2-1-0) required little time to apply pressure and eventually pull even.

In the moments after the Reavis score, Pate got free at the top of the box and smashed a low-liner that required Reavis keeper Bart Obrochta to make a superb diving stop.

Pate came back seconds later and hammered another shot that just skipped over the top of the bar.

The Knights struck back in the 24th minute on a gorgeous restart goal.

From the right flag, midfielder Jamison Stockrahm perfectly curved his left-footed shot in for the equalizer.

“This team is very similar to last year, minus a couple of the seniors who graduated,” Pate said.

“We’re a pretty tight-knit group, and we have a lot of experience, especially in the areas we need, like the back and the midfield.”

Reavis lost its opening tournament game 3-0 against the Meteors, who eventually reached the quarterfinal bracket.

“We’ve got a lot of guys with experience,” Reavis coach Mark Gniadek said.

“Unfortunately the little mistakes have cost us, and turned into goals for the other teams.”

The team had a productive summer.

“From my three years here, I felt like we had the best summer this year,” Figueroa said. 

“Everybody was showing up in training, and every single day we showed a whole bunch of intensity.”

Losing two out of its first three games in its own tournament was disappointing, but not the end of the world for Reavis.

“We haven’t been disciplined enough in fixing all the little things,” Gniadek said.

“The big picture — the talent, the speed, the skill, the formation, the substitutions — is all there if we can just clean up the little things.”

The early transition is likely to require some time and patience as the Rams incorporate a new look and deal with the ramifications of a significant offensive absence.

One of the state’s top players, two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater Ahmed Dhalai, transferred from Richards and scored 40 goals and registered eight assists as the Rams reached the championship game of their tournament.

Reavis also won the South Suburban Conference Red Division and reached the regional final against Young.

They won four times as many games as the year before.

The new iteration is eager to sustain that level of achievement.

“Honestly we have to think back to our roots, before he came here,” Ochoa said. “Obviously with Ahmed on the team, he was incredible. 

“When you lose a goal-scorer like that, the whole team has to step up. We might not have someone who scores all the goals, but we have a very good dynamic in the front three.”

The Rams have speed and athleticism at the top of the attack with Figueroa, Daniel Garcia and David Garcia (not related).

Padilla has the ability to play all over the field. He started in the back, and repeatedly pushed deeper as the match went on.

The Rams have a skilled and disruptive backline with Tom Wojtaken and centerbacks Blake Stefanek and Krystian Paluch.

Reavis also has a unique weapon on set pieces with the huge throws of defender Blake Stefanek.

His tosses created repeated pressure and dangerous opportunities against Lincoln-Way Central.

Reavis dictated the pace, and controlled the flow of the action. 

The header off the bar in the 67th minute showed how narrow the difference was between success and failure for the Rams.

If not for the inspired play of Demik, the result was likely a different story.

“None of this is going to be easy work,” Ochoa said. “Every single journey you go on is going to be tough.

 “I think we’re putting up good performances. As soon as it starts to click, we’re going to be scoring a lot of goals. We just have to make our day every single day.”

Starting lineups

Lincoln-Way Central
GK: Josh Demik
D: Luca Stevens
D: Kent Nelson
D: Matt Bettenhausen
D: Tommy Masloroff
MF: Aiden Wojtczak
MF: Connor Pate
MF: A.J. Lambert
MF: Jamison Stockrahm
F: Reilly Follet
F: Derrick Rafacz

Reavis
GK: Bart Obrochta
D: Tom Wojtanek
D: Blake Stefanek
D: Krystian Paluch
D: Juvenal Padilla
MF: Diego Ochoa
MF: Issa Muthana
MF: Nikolas Lara
F: Daniel Garcia
F: David Garcia
F: Galileo Figueroa 

Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Josh Demik, jr., GK, Lincoln-Way Central; 
Connor Pate, jr., MF, Lincoln-Way Central

Scoring summary

First half

Reavis—Diego Ochoa (Juvenal Padilla), 21’
Lincoln-Way Central—Jamison Stockrahm (corner kick), 24’

Second half

No scoring

Overtime

Lincoln-Way Central—Connor Pate (Reilly Follet), 71’