As St. Laurence’s backup goalkeeper, senior Danny Leahy doesn’t get a ton of playing time.
But Leahy always stays ready for his moment. And it came in one of the Vikings’ biggest games of the season Tuesday night.
“As a backup, you’ve kind of got to get used to taking advantage of your opportunity,” Leahy said. “I think I did that. It felt great.
“I’ve finally got something to go back to school and talk about.”
Leahy can tell everyone about his heroic performance.
Entering the game early in the second half after an injury to starting goalkeeper Vin Diesi, Leahy made seven saves — including two huge stops down the stretch — as visiting St. Laurence rallied for a 2-1 Catholic League Blue win over De La Salle in Chicago.
Kris Caravantes and Pauly Rzadkosz scored for the Vikings (14-2-4, 3-0-3), with Rzadkosz providing the game-winner on a penalty kick. Jesus Salazar and Alonso Gonzalez each tallied an assist and Diesi made two saves.
Alex Panduro scored for De La Salle (16-3, 5-1), while Jahir Anaya finished with four saves.
Leahy, meanwhile, does his best to stay locked in when he’s not on the field.
“I try to get a good warmup before the game,” Leahy said. “When you’re on the bench during the game, you’ve just got to stay mentally ready. It’s one of those things where you get called on and you’ve got maybe a minute and a half to go in and then it’s time for the show.”
Showtime came for Leahy after Diesi collided with a De La Salle player in the opening moments of the second half, taking a shot to the head that left him with a bloody nose.
Rzadkosz said the Vikings were not worried about the change in net.
“Right when Vin got hurt, we already knew Dan was going to step in and do great,” Rzadkosz said. “We were already confident in him. We know his ability and what he’s capable of doing.
“We didn’t really have any negative thoughts about it. We knew he could carry us through this game.”
Leahy didn’t have much of a chance on Panduro’s perfectly placed free kick from 20 yards that hit off the bottom of the crossbar and in to give the Meteors a 1-0 lead with 34:22 to go.
But the Vikings answered right back with Caravantes’ goal off a pass from Salazar with 19:52 left.
“We were down one,” Caravantes said. “I got the ball at the top of the box and that’s normally where I’m good at. I just hit it on a one-timer and it was in. I think that gave us momentum.
“We were down a little bit before that goal, so we needed that to push through.”
After Rzadkosz came through on the penalty kick with 10:48 to go, it was Leahy’s time to shine and protect the lead.
Leahy, who also kicks for St. Laurence’s football team, stopped Panduro on a good look from 20 yards and then denied a point-blank effort from Christian Edwards, blocking the shot with his body.
St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso was certainly impressed by Leahy.
“It showed his focus and his professionalism,” Alonso said. “He understands his role. The last two years, it was kind of Vin and Dan splitting time, but this year it’s been mostly Vin.
“But it’s a testament to Dan’s work ethic and focus and just the type of kid he is. He’s always ready for his opportunity and he stepped up.”
Of course, Leahy would like to play more. But he’s embraced the team concept and is always cheering on Diesi when he’s in the net.
“It’s frustrating not playing, but I feel like me and Vin always have friendly competition,” Leahy said. “There’s never any beef with me and him or anyone on the team.
“We’re a family, so you just have to do your part and step up when you have to.”