Chicago Academy Boys Soccer Makes History, Secures School’s First-Ever IHSA State Trophy

By Joey Gelman

Photos By Joey Gelman & Chicago Academy Student Photography Team

No matter the obstacle in front of it, Chicago Academy was determined to make history in Boys Soccer. And the Cougars did just that as the school of only 500 + students made history, bringing home their first-ever IHSA state trophy across all sports in school history.

“It feels amazing,“ said head coach Raudel Damian. “It does feel great that the program has got this far, it’s the first time in school history that we have made it to state in any sport, so we feel really good about ourselves.”

“Honestly, I just wanted all my boys to work as hard as possible,” said senior Anthony Dominguez. “We’re a small school in 1A, we had to do everything possible to come where we are now.”

The Cougars finished the year with an impressive 17-6-3 record, despite many injuries along the way, including to their starting goalkeeper, freshman Ameer Zidani. But that did not stop the team, as its high-scoring junior striker Bryan Juarez (36 goals) and senior full-back Nathan Salgado (12 assists) helped propel the team all the way to the state third-place game.

The support was palpable onsite and in the Chicago Academy community, as fans along with the cheer and dance teams rooted on their fellow Cougars while the school had a standing-room-only watch party in their auditorium, watching and supporting their classmates and students.

And while the storybook ending of a state title was not meant to be, after falling to Columbia and Coal City in the semi-final and third-place games, the team and community were tremendously proud of the historic achievement of finishing 4th in state.

“It means a lot, it means the world to us,” said Damien. “The school is going to be proud of them, just making it this far in history is huge.”

“It’s been a journey to come here and just be here with the boys, “ said Dominguez. “ I’m just proud, through all the injuries, we stuck it through and made history.

The toughest part of any end to a season is the graduation of a foundation-setting senior class. And while Chicago Academy will be primed once again next year to compete at this level, they know just how important the veteran leadership was in helping them accomplish this unforgettable season and the legacy they have set for future generations.

“A lot of the seniors that are leaving are great. They’ve had this mentality of never stop running, they just would not stop, they wanted to play their hearts out there, they’re going out with a great season,” said Damien.

“I’m excited to bring it [the trophy] home, we’ve set the bar high for future generations,” said Dominguez. “ We encourage them [the underclassmen] to get better as soccer players so if they want to continue playing in college, coaches can come look at them. I want them to become as great as possible.”

Chicago Academy will look to continue their history-making year as it enters the winter sports season, before turning the page to the spring when girls soccer begins.

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