HOFFMAN ESTATES — The last three minutes of Thursday’s first Class A state semifinal didn’t feel like 180 seconds to Cristo Rey coach Manuel Chavez.

“More like a day and a half,” he said with a laugh that doubled as a sigh of relief after his Cristeros — in the program’s first state finals appearance — tallied a breathtaking goal in the 72nd minute and hung on for a 1-0 victory against Columbia.

Liam Tapia had a day to remember.

The Cristo Rey senior back elevated alertly to record a non-goalkeeper header save just before halftime and 32 minutes later thumped a 40-yard-plus assist on senior forward Miguel Puntos’ goal at Hoffman Estates High’s Garber Stadium.

“I didn’t jump that high,” said Tapia, who fittingly shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with another defender named Liam, Columbia senior Bivins. “I have an ankle injury.”

Give timely Tapia adrenaline an assist on that clutch play. Puntos made a sharp run and collected the lengthy lined service over the Columbia players’ heads and sprint-dribbled for about 30 yards on the breakaway before executing a deft deke to the left of Columbia’s Brady Hemminghaus (four saves) to create just enough space to poke an eight-yard shot between the near post and the keeper’s outstretched right mitt.

“The hardest part of the goal was making sure I put the ball in the net as I saw him prepare to dive,” Puntos said.

“We poured our hearts into this game,” he added.

Cristeros sophomore back Joel Valdez said, patting the decoration on the upper-left portion of his jersey: “We played for the badge — the Cristo Rey badge.”

The Chicago school will play University (Normal) for the state championship at 2:30 p.m. Saturday; Columbia (24-3-1) will now seek to earn its second-straight third place trophy when it faces Mendota at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

University (Normal), which is ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, defeated no. 8 Mendota (24-3-1) 1-0 in Thursday’s second Class A semifinal.

Columbia coach Jamey Bridges’ Eagles, who are ranked third in the Illinois 10 poll, enjoyed the run of play for most of the first half and booted six of their nine corner kicks in the first 40 minutes. 

He had a reason for the unhappy result.

“Missed opportunities,” he said. “That sums up the match for us. Four, maybe five goals, that’s how many we were close to scoring in the first half.

“(Cristo Rey) adjusted to our corner kicks and long throw-ins and gained more confidence (as the score remained scoreless) in the second half. Our incredible season will not be defined by this result. We’re going to give it our all (in the third place match), especially for our 12 seniors.”

Columbia entered the semi on a roll, having won its previous 13 games and outscoring its five playoff opponents by a combined 19-4.

The Eagles, who started the season 0-3-0, hadn’t lost since falling 1-0 to Ballard (Ky.) on Aug. 31.

Cristo Rey (21-4-2) extended its winning streak to seven and playoff shutout string to six. Cristeros senior keeper Giovanny Vega made five saves Thursday, including one off the dangerous foot of Columbia senior forward Hayes VanBreusegen in the 64th minute.

VanBreusegen had made a couple of nifty moves on the left — none better than a spin move near the top of the box — that put him in an ideal spot to notch his 34th goal of the season. But Vega made a mega stop, using his left leg to deny the laser-esque straight-on shot.

“Their keeper was right there,” VanBreusegen said. “Like coach said, missed opportunities. We had a lot of shots today.”

Valdez turned in a heroic effort off the bench, disrupting perilous rushes and banging numerous clears in both halves.

He collided with an Eagle in the waning moments, resulting in what appeared to be a bloody lip.

Valdez then popped up and ran to his sideline, knowing the injury would heal in no time and the ensuing celebration would last for hours.

Footnotes

Cristo Rey’s mascot did its thing late Thursday afternoon and early evening, dancing and bouncing and energizing the Cristeros’ boisterous and very large contingent of student fans from a spot in the first row of bleachers. “That’s our Lion — our fearless Lion,” an ecstatic supporter said minutes after the match. Added Chavez: “We’re grateful for our fans. They were loud, so loud that our coaches practically lost their voices while coaching from the sideline.” … After the PA announcer announced Columbia’s Crawford Bryant as a non-starter in the pre-game introductions, Eagles seniors Nathan Rein and Jack Fromme raised a frame containing Bryant’s no. 5 jersey at midfield to honor their teammate. The sophomore defender died in a car accident on Sept. 1. … Puntos’ goal Thursday was his team-leading 11th, and Tapia’s assist upped his season total to five. … With the win, 14th-year coach Chavez — the Chicago Prep Conference’s Coach of the Year in 2024 — improved his record to 193-87-23 at Cristo Rey. … Chavez, on what he said to his club after a scoreless first half against what he described as the “massive players” of Columbia. “I told them, ‘Stay true to the game plan. Don’t deviate. Stay cool and calm.’” … Columbia’s Bivins was a force all night at both ends of the pitch, stymieing forwards and midfielders and heading corner kicks that must have made Cristo Rey’s supporters think, “Uh-oh,” each time. … Unfortunately, a dust-up occurred immediately after the game ended and the referees struggled to get the teams separated. It resulted in red cards to Columbia coach Bridges and Cristo Rey defender Marcelo Munoz.

Starting lineups

Cristo Rey
GK Giovanny Vega
D Marcelo Munoz
D Jorge Lopez
D David Gomez
D Jovani Guzman
D Ian Sastoque
D Liam Tapia
MF Diego Gomez
MF Omar Rodriguez
MF Juan Garcia
F Miguel Puntos

Columbia
GK Brady Hemminghaus
D Jack Fromme
D James Thebeau
D Elliot Nelson
D Liam Bivins
D Sully Bonaldi
MF Drew Elliot
MF Luke Dewilde
MF Micah James
MF Quentin Frentzel
F Hayes VanBreusegen

Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Liam Tapia, sr., D, Cristo Rey; Liam Bivins, sr., D, Columbia

Scoring summary

First half
No scoring

Second half
Cristo Rey — Puntos (Tapia), 72’