The G-force: Giovanni Magana connects on free kicks as Marmion gains revenge on Rockford Boylan in sectional. ‘It was a mindset change.’

Sophomore midfielder Giovanni Magana is the modest type. He’s almost embarrassed by the outsized reputation he has gained playing for the Marmion boys soccer team.

He prefers to let his actions define his image.

“People say I have a flair about me when I am out there playing and I just make the game look easy,” Magana said. “I would never really say that myself. I don’t want to sound cocky.”

Magana had a couple of things to brag about Tuesday night.

He scored a goal and contributed two assists as the Cadets knocked off defending state champion Rockford Boylan 4-0 in the Class 2A Glenbard South Sectional semifinals.

Marmion (9-8-5) will play Lemont (14-3-7) at 10 a.m. Saturday in the sectional championship game.

With Magana orchestrating the attack, the Cadets avenged a 5-0 defeat against Rockford Boylan in last year’s sectional championship game.

All three of Marmion’s goals in the first half were generated off thrilling free kicks expertly initiated by Magana. Each scoring play topped the previous with the scale and beauty.

“We practice a lot on restarts,” he said. “As we showed (Tuesday), we’re good at them. I don’t know if it’s a skill or anything like that, but it’s something I have worked on a lot.

“I just try to place them.”

Magana created a perfect service that senior forward Harley Karner finished in the 20th minute. Magana followed quickly with a goal on a gorgeous free kick in the 23rd minute.

Then, Magana helped build the 3-0 lead with a free kick just inside midfield that junior defender Mactzil Uriel Lopez smashed home with a header in the 34th minute.

With 16 goals in three games, Marmion has averaged more than five goals a game in the state playoffs.

In that regard, the Cadets have flipped the script, where goals tend to be tough to come by and much more scarce during the postseason.

The Cadets had been seeking answers about how to optimize their attack after they finished just 1-3-1 during the final five games of the regular season.

They were shut out twice and averaged just one goal a game during that stretch.

Senior defender Ricardo Saucedo addressed those concerns.

“At the end of the regular season, we had a team barbecue at the coach’s house,” Saucedo said. “Everybody reflected on what happened. It was a mindset change.

“Our team always had the ability to score those goals. We instilled in everybody to put your body on the line — get that last touch or final shot on the goal. Those little moments lead to big moments.”

Boylan entered the game with a 0.77 goals-against average, but a confident Marmion shattered that in upending the Titans’ nine-game playoff winning streak.

“We said everybody is good in the postseason,” Saucedo said. “It’s do or die.”

Uriel Lopez said the Cadets acquired a downhill momentum that never let up.

“I always think in every game, the first 10 minutes is going to determine how we are going to play,” he said. “We started the game with energy.

“The first shot that Harley took, even though it missed, left us with the feeling this team was beatable.”

Sophomore forward Patrick Fitzgerald punctuated the victory with a goal in the 77th minute for the Cadets, who are seeking their first sectional title since 2018.

“We’ve been talking about and waiting to play a game like this all season,” Magana said. “We wanted to get back at Boylan and we did that.

“Now, we are looking for the next step.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.