Boys soccer: Walter DelaPaz, St. Charles North shoot past West Chicago

ST. CHARLES – The innate soccer talent is visible for anyone to see once Walter DelaPaz steps on the pitch.

It’s the little details most of the public doesn’t get to see on a regular basis that has molded the St. Charles North senior midfielder into the all-around player he has become.

“He’s the type of kid who will put work in when nobody is looking,” St. Charles North coach Eric Willson said after the North Stars’ 3-1 victory over West Chicago on Aug. 30. “He’s getting all kinds of touches on the ball as much as he can. He does things that look effortless in a game. That’s because he puts so much work into how often he touches the ball.

“The other part of him is he’ll be the first one to start cleaning up the field. He’ll be the first one to grab the bag of balls. He’s not above any of it. He is a part of the group and I think that goes a long way for unity, leadership and team morale.”

DelaPaz put the North Stars (3-1) on the board first with a strike with 15:16 left in the first half. West Chicago (3-1) tied it 1-1 on a goal from Aldo Alfaro three minutes into the second half, but the North Stars had two quick answers from freshman Oliver Longosz and DelaPaz within about a minute and a half apart to ensure the victory.

“He, since his freshman year, fit right in and played at an extremely high level,” Willson said of DelaPaz. “Every year I’ve watched him play the game, progress and get a little bit better at all kinds of different aspects of the game of soccer.

“I think what I love most about him is he’s a really good leader. The boys like having him around. He’s a fantastic human being and he just approaches the game the right way with his work ethic. At the training field, the stuff you see at the game doesn’t just come naturally in some aspects. It comes from his really hard work with how he practices, how he approaches the game. ... He’s just an all-around fantastic player to have.”

DelaPaz sees the hard work carrying over to his teammates.

“Everybody could look up to me and see, ‘If he wants it, we’re all going to want it’ and everybody is going to support each other from there,” DelaPaz said. “That’s just pretty much the team and my mentality: work, work, work and pretty much try and get a win and keep playing forward.”

North Stars senior goalkeeper Alex Curtis was excellent with six saves, including three highlights. With 17:15 left in the second half, Alfaro had a golden chance, but a clean diving save from Curtis to his left turned away the attempt. Curtis later had to use his vertical jump ability to extend his hand and knock another Wildcats shot wide of the goal.

Curtis finished the game with a save in the final seconds near the far post to complete the strong effort.

“The kid has got all kinds of tools,” Willson said. “I think he’ll be the first one to tell you he was upset at the goal he gave up the other night [Aug. 28 vs. Leyden] and wanted to make amends for that. I think he did that and some tonight, right? West Chicago is a phenomenal team and can really do some things offensively. They’re going to create chances. Sometimes, you want to be strong defensively. Other times, you know that your keeper is going to have to come up big.”

Alfaro, a senior midfielder for the Wildcats, has showcased his talent and leadership capability.

“I think people see his skill level and his ability,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said. “But I think he also just fires up other guys. I think he fires up his teammates. He is a great leader and he talks to his teammates and pushes them. Even when someone makes a mistake, he’s just right there supporting them. So I think people see that on the field, which obviously is exceptional. But I think an attribute that maybe doesn’t go as noticed is that leadership ability to be able to guide the other guys.”