HOFFMAN ESTATES — It was the same place and time for another monumental game. This one came with a very crucial difference for Noah Molitor.

Playing on the final Saturday in November of the season in northwest suburban Chicago felt deeply familiar.

Now, the versatile star of University (Normal) has touched all sides. 

A year ago, he started at centerback in the Pioneers’ 2-0 Class A state championship loss to North Shore Country Day.

However, perspectives and positions on the field can change.

“Last year I was a defender, and I never really got any credit,” he said. “This year all I’m doing is putting the ball in the back of the net.”

He effectively flipped the field as the offensive focal point at forward, and rewrote the University narrative while setting a title game record in the meantime.

Molitor punctuated his remarkable offensive year with three goals in the Pioneers’ emphatic 3-0 victory over Cristo Rey for the Class A state championship here Saturday afternoon.

His goal total one-upped the previous record for the small-school division in the three-class system, which started in 2008. The mark was previously shared by: Alex Rinella, Notre Dame (Quincy), 2011; Steven Peuterbaugh, Marquette (Alton), 2012; John Harrell, Columbia, 2014; Nathan Clay, University (Normal), 2016; and Chris Hartrich, Marquette (Alton), 2017. 

University (25-5-1) also set a new program record for victories in a year that brought its first state championship since 2016. The Pioneers also own the hardware from the runnerup finish last season and a third place finish in Class A of the two-class system in 1998.

Molitor broke open a scoreless match with devastating goals less than a minute apart at the start of the second half.

“That was a 1-2 punch right there, which is always difficult in any game,” Cristo Rey coach Manuel Chavez said. “It really hit our morale.”

In powering the Pioneers’ second state championship, Molitor made a sterling case as the best small-school player in the state.

He finished with 48 goals and 11 assists and accounted for all four of the Pioneers’ goals in the two-game state finals.

“I always wanted to score, but getting a hat-trick was pretty nuts,” Molitor said. “Nothing really changed at the start of the second half, but I think we knew exactly what we needed to do.

“For the seniors, this was our last 40 minutes. So why not go out and give it our all?”

Molitor was one of four returning players who started in last year’s title game. Keeper Noah Grieshaber, centerback Bryce Nicolas-Penn and midfielder Owen Pacetti completed the quartet.

With 14 seniors back, the cool, savvy and experienced University team clearly had an edge against the Cristeros (21-5-2), who made their first Final Four appearance.

Unlike the title match a year ago, the Pioneers dictated the shape and rhythm of the contest and forced Cristo Rey into a reactive mode.

“I felt like last year the moment got to us,” coach Jeremy Stanton said. “We played tight, and mentally we were not there at the beginning of the game and got scored on right away.

“With the number of guys we have back, I felt like that wouldn’t happen again, and we’d have a good start.”

Pacetti is an elite playmaker who finished with 25 assists. He orchestrated the attack.

Throughout the first half Pacetti and midfielder Keaton Ash established a momentum and offensive activity that effectively destabilized the Cristeros.

Molitor was like a private cheat code on a video game. The tall, rangy and athletic player displayed excellent instincts, footwork and the ability to put Cristo Rey under constant duress.

Even if the first half did not yield any goals, the manner and style of play proved an eerie foreboding for the Cristeros. University was searching for a way to break through.

“We thrive on positive energy and building people up,” Pacetti said. “I felt like we did that in the first half, even if we didn’t score a goal.

“I felt like as a team, we knew what we needed to do, and we came out of the second half full of energy and ready to go.”

Molitor was a force of nature.

“No matter where I am on the field, I think I’m going to try my hardest,” he said. “When I was at centerback, I was focused on not getting scored on.

“The coaches felt that was the best place for me last year, and that was a good decision. This year they decided striker was the best position. I think no matter where you put me on the field, I’m going to do perfectly fine.”

Cristo Rey posted a 1-0 victory over downstate power and return Final Four member Columbia in the semifinal Thursday, never succumbing to consistent pressure.

Like University, Columbia returned a lot of experienced returners.

Cristo Rey battled on. Keeper Giovanny Vega had permitted just four goals the entire season, and was riding a six-game state tournament shutout run.

“We never made it this far in history,” midfielder Juan Garcia said. “Our goal this year was to get to a supersectional, and we made it to a state championship final.”

Cristo Rey hung tough, bending but never truly breaking and creating the occasional counter or combination action in the final.

At the top of its formation, Miguel Puntos and precocious freshman Armando Salinas showed excellent instincts and the ability to create their own chances.

Juan Garcia had the best scoring chance of the first half in the 38th minute.

Awarded a free kick after a Pioneers’ foul, Garcia had a clean-and-open look from 26 yards.

His attempt skipped high over the bar. In retrospect, that turned out to be a significant moment.

University escaped, and the Cristo Rey saw a prime chance disappear.

“I think we were all frustrated toward the end of the first half,” Garcia said. “We felt like we could have scored multiple times.

“In the second half we let down, and we kept playing from the back. We hesitated, and the mistakes and errors caught us.”

Molitor showed off his defensive background by intercepting a ball at the start of the second half.

He pushed into the Cristeros’ penalty box and was clipped from behind.

His penalty kick goal in the 41st minute opened the door for the Pioneers, and ostensibly slammed it shut for Cristo Rey’s upset bid.

Less than a minute later, Molitor returned with a vengeance. 

Operating from the right wing, defender Connor Evans played a beautiful cross from about 25 yards that Molitor finished from inside the box.

“The halftime break is always a difficult one,” Chavez said. “We felt like we had the momentum going toward the end of the first half.

“That break cools everybody down, and they lose a little bit of focus. We tried keeping that focus. We lost a little bit, which is when the mistakes came through, and they capitalized.”

Stanton did something very shrewd and smart to prepare University for the state tournament run.

He scheduled five elite games to close out the regular-season. University went 1-3-1 in that stretch of games. The teams included Notre Dame (Peoria) and Dunlap, the top two programs in the final Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll.

University closed out the season with games against Notre Dame (Peoria) and Glenwood, two Class AA supersectional qualifiers.

Putting Molitor at the top of the attack was the defining masterstroke.

“We tried a little bit his sophomore year of putting Noah there, but I just felt like it wasn’t the right time,” Stanton said. 

“Last year we definitely needed him in the back. We felt like we had enough at forward to help us get goals. This year, we lost a lot of that scoring power. We have some talented players, but they’re younger, freshmen and sophomores.”

Even playing centerback last year, Molitor showed off his offensive possibilities with 10 goals.

“Noah is so versatile, we knew we could put him anywhere on the field, and he would thrive there.”

Molitor put the finishing touches on his bravura performance in the 68th minute.

Freshman midfielder Jaxen Maubach controlled the ball on the right wing and found the streaking Pacetti in the middle.

Pacetti drove hard and slotted the ball on the right wing to Molitor. His smash from about 21 yards ended any hope of a late Cristeros’ comeback.

Noah Molitor earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his fantastic play.

The Pioneers were the only Class A team ranked in the First 50, the exclusive Chicagoland Soccer preseason survey identifying the best teams in the state.

“Losing the state championship game last year really helped us,” Molitor said. “We knew exactly what we had to do.

“It was energy, work hard and do what we’ve done the entire season. I think last year when we came out, we didn’t really play our game. 

“We have 14 seniors, and about half of them started, and I think we executed perfectly today.”

Cristo Rey did not go down quietly and worked exceptionally hard until the final moments.

University keeper Noah Grieshaber made a couple for excellent saves, including trapping one shot off the bar.

During the season Cristo Rey beat St. Ignatius, a Class AA sectional finalist, and lost two one-goal games against much larger Chicago Catholic League powers Brother Rice and St. Laurence.

Puntos was the team’s only double-figure goal scorer. The team showed toughness, chemistry and solidarity.

“It wasn’t our day, which is perfectly fine,” Chavez said. “They say how this was the farthest our school has ever gone.

“As bittersweet as it is, it’s a lot more sweet than it is bitter.”

Starting lineups

University (Normal)
GK: Noah Grieshaber
D: Kadin Rayford
D: Bryce Nicolas-Penn
D: Paul Isaacs
D: Connor Evans
MF: Reed Kawakita
MF: Myles Parola
MF: Keaton Ash
MF: Owen Pacetti
MF: Aidan Dozier
F: Noah Molitor

Cristo Rey
GK: Giovanny Vega
D: Christ Carrera
D: Liam Tapia
D: Jovani Guzman
D: Joel Valdez
D: Jorge Lopez
MF: Diego Gomez
MF: Omar Rodriguez
MF: Juan Garcia
MF: David Gomez
F: Miguel Puntos

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Noah Molitor, sr., F, University (Normal)

Scoring summary

First half
No scoring

Second half
U: Noah Molitor (penalty kick), 41’
U: Molitor (Connor Evans), 42’
U: Molitor (Pacetti), 68’