The first thing that crosses Adrian Smakowski’s mind is the sense of privilege and honor he takes in being the last line of defense.

Of all the qualities that separate the goalkeeping position from those on the field, the most important are supreme confidence and the guts to do battle in the most inequitable of situations with the crushing pressure of a result on the line.

The Hersey senior has absorbed many possible scenarios via first-hand experience to thrive in that environment.

“I think what I love the most about playing the position is just having that impact on the rest of the team,” he said.

“There’s an incredible influence and power in knowing you’re the reason that your team either wins or loses.”

At 6-foot-4, Smakowski looms large in most encounters, regardless of the consequence.

“When I was younger, and I first started playing, I loved the opportunities and versatility of playing in the field,” he said.

“I got older, and I realized playing one half in and one half out of the net, I was actually cheating myself. I had this genetic advantage, and I saw I really enjoyed playing keeper, and I was pretty good at it. I had to stick to that.”

Even with his full-time move to the goal, Smakowski was too good and gregarious to keep on the line. He saw some action in the midfield for the Huskies. 

He recorded three assists on the season: two as a keeper; and one as a midfielder on a free kick.

“From the time I first started playing keeper, the game has evolved and changed so much,” he said.

“The keeper now has to be the very fit and very dependable fifth defender. The extra man in the back who is reliable and can make passes and perform with his feet as well for the team. Having that offensive training really paid off.”

The three-year starter has ascended to a level of distinction, purpose and meaning impossible to overstate.

On a rain-swept and windy night at Hoffman Estates in the final game of the season, Smakowski dug deep and propelled the Huskies to an unforgettable achievement.

After 100 minutes of scoreless soccer, his highlight-reel, breathtaking-consecutive saves of Lane’s first two penalty shooters propelled Hersey to its first state championship.

To put his final stamp on the title match, he converted the clinching spot-kick in the Huskies’ 4-2 shootout victory.

He finished with nine saves, including several alert and quietly spectacular stops at the end of regulation and during the two overtimes. Lane was stymied.

“Adrian took himself to a different level in those two state games,” Hersey coach Mike Rusniak said. 

“He was the exceptional keeper we had seen all season with his skill, but his command as a leader stood out the most.”

Coupled with the shutouts of Hinsdale Central in the state semifinal and Elgin in the supersectional, Smakowski punctuated his remarkable senior season with 260 minutes of pure Elite Eight bliss.

For the season, he played 2,180 minutes over 26 games, posted 12.5 shutouts and allowed just 18 goals for a 0.661 goals-against average. 

For his many achievements, leadership and impact in Hersey’s unexpected state championship, Adrian Smakowski is the Chicagoland Soccer 2024 Player of the Year.

He becomes just the second keeper in the eight-year history of the boys award, joining Naperville North’s Tom Welch, who was the first winner of the honor in 2015.

Smakowski earned the distinction over three players who were selected to play in the prep All-American game in Charleston, South Carolina, on Dec. 14 —Naperville North forwards and two-time all-staters Noah Radeke and Jaxon Stokes, and three-time all-state forward Kayden Hudson of Notre Dame (Peoria).

Rounding out the distinguished group of finalists for the Player of the Year award were DeLaSalle forward Alex Panduro, who scored 13 of his 35 goals in the state playoffs for the Class AA runnerup, and forward Noah Molitor (48 goals, 11 assists) of Class A state champion University (Normal), who scored all four of the Pioneers’ goals in the Final Four.

Hersey beat five ranked teams in the final six games of its championship run.

After a 2-1 win over Buffalo Grove in a Barrington Regional semifinal, Smakowski earned the first of four tournament shutouts with a penalty shootout victory (4-2) over Libertyville in the championship game. The win earned the Huskies first regional plaque since 2016 and seventh overall.

“It was like all he had to say was ‘Trust me,’ and they did,” Rusniak said. “He convinced his teammates that they would win each game and everyone followed and trusted his confidence.”

In the emotional and dramatic aftermath of the state championship shootout victory, All-State defender Nate Mabry told Chicagoland Soccer writer Dave Owen: “During the game we were confident that if we didn’t get a goal, we had the best goalkeeper in the state. He saved more than half the penalties taken on him this year.

“So, we trusted him completely.”

Hersey was seeded third behind top-seed Glenbrook South and Rolling Meadows in the 18-team Stevenson Sectional. 

The Huskies advanced with victories over sixth-seeded Libertyville (0-0, 4-2 PKs) in the regional title game, seventh-seeded host Stevenson (3-2, 2 OT) in the sectional semifinal and four-seed Glenbrook North (3-1) in the championship.

The Huskies stamped their ticket to the finals with an upset win over top-Streamwood Sectional seed Elgin in the Barrington Supersectional.

Hersey had the best player on the field, and the team rallied behind him.

Smakowski led the way in the 3-0 win Nov. 5.

The first Elite Eight match in Huskies history was the third-consecutive trip to that round for Elgin.  The experienced Maroons took it to Hersey.

“In that Elgin game, we were just getting hammered, with side crosses, shots and passes,” Smakowski said. 

“It was an incredibly difficult game. I don’t think we played a game with more shots, with more attacking opportunities against us, and we held it down.”

The offense found itself in the right places at the right times and took advantage.

“We got the counterattacks, and we ended up putting three through,” he said. 

“Somebody who just looked at the score probably thought we destroyed them. The reality was completely different.”

The moment was illuminating and demonstrated to the Huskies that they belonged on the biggest stage.

From there, they merely finished taking care of business.

“Winning in a penalty shootout turned out to be a theme for our season,” Smakowski said. “I think everyone on the team was almost waiting to get there.

“That has been our structure and where we always pull through. We haven’t lost a single penalty shootout this season (4-for-4). During the regular-season (two) or playoffs, we always won them.”

The best keepers intertwine the technical with the emotional, yoking together balance, footwork, timing and anticipation with a necessary inner sereneness.

That final part is not easily measured. It’s the kind of emotional intangible that can achieve a certain expressionistic elegance.

“You have to be level-headed and that means staying calm,” he said. “You also have to want that pressure, even enjoy it.

“It’s the most pressure you could possibly have.”

The next part of Smakowski’s soccer life is finding the right fit for college play. Elmhurst, Augustana and Benedictine and Harper are currently in the running.

A rulebook stipulation crystallized Smakowski’s season. Under the scoring rules of shootouts, the player who converts the deciding goal is formally awarded the winning goal.

Smakowski goes down in history as the state championship winning keeper who shutout his opponent, saved two penalty kicks and was recognized as the game-winning goal-scorer.

Scoring had been something that was on his mind earlier in the season.

“Honestly there were moments when I was in the field where I thought I’d have a chance to score, and I was just waiting for corners to get my head on the ball,” he said.

In the playoffs, it was all about goalkeeping.

“In the Lane game, I remember thinking when there were about three minutes left, I was just waiting for the clock to hit all zeroes. I knew then, I’d be going for that last shootout.”

That final PK session finished with two saves, the game-winner, a state title storybook ending and a final honor, the Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year award.

Past Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year honorees

2023 
Aidan O'Neill, sr., MF, New Trier

2022
Chase Adams, fr., MF, Naperville Central

2021 fall season
Kacper Janowski, sr., MF, York

2021 spring season (no playoff)
Ishaan Shah, sr., MF, Warren

2020 
No season, COVID-19

2019
Alex Canfield, sr., F, Crystal Lake South

2018
Colin Iverson, sr., D, Naperville North

2017
Tom Welch, jr., GK, Naperville North