BURBANK — Reavis was on the lookout for a false sense of security, expecting that uninterrupted success was always going to be theirs for the taking.

After an impressive 2-1 road victory over Class AA Super 7 pole-sitter Lemont on Tuesday (Sept. 17), the Rams seemingly continued their momentum with an early two-goal lead over T.F. United (co-op) on Thursday (Sept. 19). 

Through the balance of play, Reavis was reduced to backtracking in a somewhat dispiriting performance that ended in a 3-3 tie.

“That Lemont win was very special,” forward Diego Ochoa said. “They’re always a good contender, always a good team. Then we played T.F. United, and that was a disappointing tie. 

“We were up 2-0 in the first five minutes, and we should have put them away.”

“That (T.F. United) game just showed us mentally you always have to be locked in,” defender Krystian Paluch said. “You can never underestimate your opponent.”

A first-minute goal against Crete-Monee created the possibility of two distinct paths, either putting the hammer down and the Warriors away or allowing them to hover.

Somehow, Reavis managed to do both.

The Rams finally learned their lesson, offsetting a lackluster 30-minute stretch with a three-goal first half-closing punch that powered the eventually commanding 7-0 Homecoming victory Saturday morning.

Paluch scored two goals, Ochoa added a goal and assist and midfielder Dante Meza shined off the bench with two assists for the Rams (5-2-1).

For their excellent performances, Paluch and Ochoa shared the distinction of the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.

“This is high school soccer,” Paluch said. “It’s not professional. Everybody can always make a comeback. We wanted to put the game away. Coach wanted us to attack the ball. 

“If nobody else wanted to do it, I was going to do whatever was necessary. Scoring goals is also fun. “

The game’s final tally marked the Reavis’ second-highest scoring output since an 8-0 victory over Tinley Park in South Suburban Conference play Sept. 10.

The early morning game was part of a doubleheader of Homecoming festivities in which centerback Blake Stefanek was the busiest player of the day.

As their set piece specialist and most physical defensive presence, he helped the Rams secure their third shutout of the season on the soccer side. He then switched to a football uniform to kick a 23-yard field goal and two extra points in Reavis’ 23-20 comeback league victory over Eisenhower.

The Reavis futbolers played aggressively off the opening whistle, and quickly deployed numbers into the final third. That forced Crete-Monee to retreat. 

Paluch, also a Rams centerback, flashed down the left edge and punched a ball into the box from about 19 yards.

The ball took a sideways bounce and deflected off a defender for the opening goal. 

The fortunate play seemed to suggest the Rams had almost direct and constant access to Crete-Monee’s defensive third. The home side followed through with dominant possession -- play was conducted almost exclusively in the Warriors’ final third. 

A peculiar kind of listlessness fell over Reavis. The goal was too easy, and the team appeared to fall out of its shape and off-rhythm for the next half hour of play. 

Connections were off, and the team was called for repeated offsides infractions that nullified promising scoring runs.

“At the start it was really slow,” Ochoa said. “I was definitely feeling the slowness from it all, because of how we were playing. The start was kind of disappointing, to be honest. 

“We know how they are. We went about just kind of going through the motions, having a lot of offsides. I’m happy we got to click it in and started to get the goals rolling late in that first half.”

Crete-Monee keeper, Caedman Vanderhoogt, was under near constant siege and made four saves in the first half. His play enabled his side to settle in and make things messy and sometimes uneasy for the Rams.

The nature of the game finally changed in minute 30.

Reavis wore out the Warriors with waves of players. Reserve midfielder Xavier Arroyo was among the bench players who brought a different energy and look.

Operating from almost the same location as the early Paluch goal, he challenged Vanderhoogt from about 20 yards from the left wing. Arroyo put just the right amount of English on the ball. In concert with a misplayed block on the ball by the keeper, it turned into the second goal.

The Rams felt emotionally relieved and out of the doldrums. Ochoa and Paluch took over the final stretch of the first half. Making a deep run, Ochoa caught a through-ball from Meza and finished from five yards in the 32nd minute.

Moments later, Ochoa drove down the right edge and delivered a gorgeous cross that Paluch finished in front of the goal off his chest.

With the 4-0 halftime lead, the Rams could ostensibly dictate the final score. Crete-Monee (3-7-0) failed to generate any shots during the first half.

“I think it comes down to our mentality and focus,” Ochoa said. “You have to be focused. Sometimes we lack it, but I think it has to do with our mentality.”

From its season-opening game in the Windy City Ram Classic against DeLaSalle, which is currently ranked 12th Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, Reavis has taken on a range of high-quality teams and shown range, versatility and speed on the ball.

“We started off the season with a really tough schedule after going through DeLaSalle, St. Laurence, Lincoln-Way Central and Lemont,” Reavis coach Mark Gniadek said, “That’s why you play those hard teams in the beginning. Hopefully when you get to this point, you start connecting, and you’re working as one. 

“Everyone is still figuring out their roles at the beginning of the season. I think we have a good idea of our identity now. I think we have a good idea of how we want to play. I think the guys are starting to buy into it, and now the guys are seeing the results because of it.”

Reavis played its entire roster, and only two starters saw any action in the second half. Just like the late first half flurry, the second half scoring was concentrated to a five-minute burst.

David Garcia converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute, followed by a sharp left-footed Andy Garcia blast in the 61st minute.

Midfielder Issa Muthana ended the scoring with a sharp strike from about 12 yards from the right wing in the 64th minute. It gave Meza his second assist.

“We started off pretty strong with the fast goal, and we were just trying to keep the momentum going,” Meza said. “We wanted to stay on them with the high pressure. 

“I just tried playing every ball I could.”

Reavis starting keeper Bart Obrochta played about 50 minutes and had one save. Yahir Garcia came in to make two saves. 

A free kick outside the box in the 71st minute by Omar Romo accounted for Crete-Monee’s only serious scoring chance.

Reavis is 4-0-1 since its 1-1 tie at no. 17 Stagg on Sept. 9.

“It’s a different feeling when you start off playing against (tough) teams,” Ochoa said. “Those teams we played at the start woke us up. DeLaSalle woke us, so did Mt. Carmel.

“I think it’s really important to play difficult teams at the beginning of the season so you know the road won’t be as easy as you think it is.”

Starting lineups

Crete-Monee
GK: Caedman Vanderhoogt
D: Diego Martinez
D: Jojo Poku
D: Dieker Rondon
D: Carlos Aguilar
MF: Wisner Merilien
MF: Ricardo Nava
MF: David Flores-Vazquez
MF: Mark Azarte
F: Omar Romo
F: Joncarlo Corona

Reavis
GK: Bart Obrochta
D: Daniel Garcia
D: Krystian Paluch
D: Blake Stefanek
D: Andy Garcia
MF: Issa Muthana
MF: Dawid Witkowski
MF: Nikolas Lara
MF: Galileo Figueroa 
F: David Garcia
F: Diego Ochoa

Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Krystian Paluch, sr., D, Reavis; Diego Ochoa, sr., F, Reavis

Scoring summary

First half
Reavis—Krystian Paluch (unassisted), 1’
Reavis—Xavier Arroyo (unassisted), 30’
Reavis—Diego Ochoa (Dante Meza), 32’
Reavis—Paluch (Ochoa), 35’

Second half
Reavis—David Garcia (penalty kick), 59’
Reavis—Andy Garcia (Javier Solis, Jr.), 61’
Reavis—Issa Muthana (Meza), 64’