After missing most of last season with a hip injury, Eisenhower’s James Acevedo was worried when a concussion sidelined him earlier this fall, leaving him uncertain when he would be able to return to the field.
But the junior midfielder was cleared to come back to the team after missing just one week. And that was a huge relief.
“I hate being out,” Acevedo said. “I love being on the field with my boys. The concussion, that was scary, but the doctor reassured me a lot. I was so happy to get back.
“I just love playing soccer. That’s all I want to do.”
Acevedo saved his best soccer for the perfect time. He recorded the first hat trick of his high school career Monday night, leading the host Cardinals to a 5-2 win over Bloom in a Class 3A Eisenhower Regional semifinal in Blue Island.
Andres Uribe and Sebastian Santos also scored for eighth-seeded Eisenhower (12-7). Felipe Arriaga and Aldo Ramirez each chipped in an assist, while Alex Garcia made five saves.
The Cardinals will take on second-seeded Lincoln-Way Central (15-4) — which escaped with a 2-1 overtime win over 15th-seeded Brother Rice — at 5 p.m. Friday in the regional final.
Diego Munoz and Nate Renteria scored for 10th-seeded Bloom (9-11).
Acevedo, meanwhile, came into this season fired up to make a difference after last year’s disappointment.
Not only did his season-ending hip injury hurt the Cardinals, who struggled to a 6-6-5 finish, it took away what Acevedo expected to be some special moments with his older brother, Jacob, who graduated in the spring.
“It was my last year playing with my brother,” Acevedo said. “I really looked forward to it and I only ended up getting to play in four games. It was heartbreaking.
“I was definitely motivated to come out strong this season.”
Acevedo has definitely done that. He’s now up to 10 goals for the season, and Eisenhower coach Iran Rodriguez knows his team plays at a different level when Acevedo is in the lineup.
“James is definitely our best player and he really stepped up (Monday),” Rodriguez said. “The whole team stepped up. But whenever you have a player like James that can just take over a game, it’s nice.”
Acevedo scored his first goal in the ninth minute, responding just 27 seconds after Munoz had given Bloom a 1-0 lead.
Then, Acevedo put the finishing touches on the victory, ripping in a free kick from 20 yards to give Eisenhower a 4-2 edge with 7:21 to go and tacking on another goal with seven seconds left.
“There’s not always a lot of opportunity to score from the position I’m playing since I’m kind of a defensive mid right now,” Acevedo said. “But I found a lot of chances to go forward in this game and I found the net three times.
“It feels great.”
As for that position, Acevedo is used to playing forward or attacking midfielder, but he’s bought into the new role.
“I think I really help defensively,” Acevedo said. “I try to win the ball a lot. I’m willing to do whatever I can for the team.”
In between Acevedo’s heroics, Santos — a sophomore midfielder — delivered a huge goal on a penalty kick to cap a wild first half with the Cardinals ahead 3-2.
“No pressure, you know,” Santos said. “It was just like a walk in the park. You can’t score if you’re under pressure. You have to stay calm and collected.”
Big situations certainly don’t rattle Acevedo, either.
He believes he owes his dad, Moises, for that. In fact, he thanks his father — who played in the Chicago Latin American Soccer Association — for all of his skills in the sport.
“My dad was really good at soccer, too, and he always told me that I was going to be great at soccer,” Acevedo said. “He always motivated me and pushed me. Everything came from him.”