Known by his middle name, Jett, Adan Gutierrez stands out to his St. Laurence colleagues. The unique name resonates with his energetic style on the soccer field. Gutierrez recounted, “In the hospital, my dad wanted to name me Jett at the last minute, but my mom had some doubts because it’s a little unusual, so it’s my middle name. I hope I live up to the name.”
He did precisely that on Thursday night. Coming in as a substitute, Gutierrez scored two decisive goals in the last 25 minutes. His performance secured a thrilling 3-2 win over De La Salle, keeping his team, the Vikings, undefeated. Jesus Sanchez also added a goal for St. Laurence, improving their record to 16-0-2 overall and 3-0-2 in the Catholic League Blue. Josue Garcia and Pauly Rzadkosz contributed assists, while Noah Mendez made four saves.
For De La Salle, Joshua Lawson and Kevin Gates found the net, with goalkeeper Kobe Ibarra making three saves. Despite the challenging weather, including heavy rain, the contest between De La Salle, the reigning Class 2A state champions, and St. Laurence, last year’s Class 3A runner-up, was intense. De La Salle led twice before Gutierrez’s impressive comeback.
“We knew if we didn’t win this game, it didn’t look good for us in the CCL,” Gutierrez explained. “We needed that win. We needed two goals and I luckily stepped up. I found the balls near the net, a little bit like a poacher, and we got the win.” Gutierrez was active and alert, seizing a rebound to equalize the score at 2-2. With 3:30 left on the clock, he delivered the winning goal by connecting with a long cross from Garcia.
Gutierrez’s seventh goal of the season made a significant impact. Sanchez acknowledged his contribution, stating, “Adan plays a big role on our team, coming off the bench, starting in the second half. He’s just a dog. That’s kind of our motto around here, ‘You’ve got to have that dog in you.’ Adan has that. He’s always willing to find that first ball and compete out there.”
Last season, Gutierrez had a limited role as a sophomore but still managed to score five goals. He used his time to learn from his more experienced teammates. “Playing with that incredible team, I had some great seniors and this whole big junior class who are seniors now,” Gutierrez said. “Learning from them as a sophomore helped me become the player I am now.”
St. Laurence coach Jaime Alonso recognized the need to integrate Gutierrez more into the lineup despite having nine returning starters. “He’s taken tremendous strides,” Alonso remarked. “With us having so many returning starters from last year, I feel like a good headache we’ve had this year is figuring out where to plug him in. He’s been a jack of all trades. He’s played different positions. When we need to find a goal, we throw him up top. He has a nose for the goal. He puts himself in great positions and when he gets his chances, he buries them.”
Gutierrez is focused on maximizing his opportunities. “I like to think of myself as a super sub,” he commented. “I try to make as much of an impact as I can, whether it’s goals or assists, and just help my team when I get in there.”
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