Shooting Star

My neighbor just broke his high school's record for goals in a season. Here's my breakdown of the special soccer moment--and how it was part of a much broader team effort.

Last night, my neighbor Easton Bogard set the local high school’s new single season soccer record for goals in a season. In generations past, such a feat would have garnered extensive attention. Not anymore, unfortunately, amid major cutbacks in local media coverage.

To honor and mark this particular achievement, what follows is my first rough draft of this little slice of local sports history.

For nearly 38 minutes last night, neither the Glenbard West Hilltoppers nor the Oak Park and River Forest (OPRF) Huskies could score.

Though undefeated and ranked first in the state of Illinois through its first 20 soccer games, the Huskies found themselves in a first-rate dogfight. Atop a steep hill (hence the host’s nickname) and on an unusually narrow field, Glenbard West resolutely defended its home turf.

Then, with barely two minutes till halftime, a Hilltopper tried clearing the ball near midfield. OPRF’s Nate Day stepped in and poked it ahead five yards to his teammate, Easton Bogard.

Bogard turned and dribbled the ball toward the net, all the while warding off a defender who shadowed his right side for 30 yards. That defender peeled away when one of his teammates, lying in wait about 20 yards in front of the goal, stepped forward.

The new Hilltopper on the scene lunged forward to kick the ball away. In that moment, Bogard shifted the ball from his left to right foot as he maneuvered toward the middle of the field. The defender’s cleats crashed into Easton’s left ankle, knocking him to the turf.

Trailing the play, the referee’s whistle pierced the brisk night air.

A collective groan rose up from Hilltopper fans; Huskie fans applauded. Everyone knew what was coming: a free kick. When any player has a free kick, suspense builds. But it ratchets up a notch with not-to-be-denied scoring artists like Bogard.

On top of all that, this moment came with another dramatic layer: as a sophomore two years ago, Bogard tied OPRF’s single season record for goals with 29. He got there with a stunning three-goal (“hat trick”) performance against Evanston Township that led the Huskies to their first Sectional championship at the Class 3A level.

Alas, the team lost its next game, 1-0, on a late, heartbreaking goal.¹

After three games last week, with a blizzard of six goals by penalty kick, header, left foot and right foot, Bogard—who shattered the school’s career goals record last season—had again run his season’s total to 29 goals.

This, then, was something Bogard and his teammates had been working toward. It’s not the main thing, mind you. Winning a state title is the ultimate. But for that to happen, then they need to win—and winning comes from scoring goals.

So, yeah, this was a moment, an eagerly awaited subplot in the larger narrative of a season that has gone so well, so far.

As Bogard positioned the ball slightly on the field’s left side and adjusted his shin guards, five of the 10 Glenbard West players (other than the goalie) formed a wall directly in front of him. This made a shot to the near side of the goal all but impossible. Three of those defenders draped their arms over their faces, a precaution in the highly unlikely event that Bogard booted the ball right at them.

A Metra train, somewhere behind the trees, rumbled past. Forty-nine seconds after his prior whistle halted play, the referee sounded it again. That was the go-ahead for Bogard to make his move.

He scanned the array of Hilltoppers in front of him, noting the goaltender’s position in the middle of the net. Revving his body up with a flurry of foot fires, Bogard took two small steps and smoothly swung his right leg forward.

Right foot met ball. Ball lasered toward the upper right corner of the goal. Sprawling to his left, the Hilltopper goalie’s right fingers touched the ball, but it wasn’t enough to keep it from whizzing past and into the net.

A roar went up from the OPRF fans, consisting mostly of the players’ parents. This included the Bogard brood: parents James and Raya, as well as grandparents who had traveled from the downstate Springfield area.

Bogard jogged to his left, then turned back toward his teammates. Day, the one who got this all started with the steal near midfield, was the first to reach him in celebration. As he did so, Bogard flipped both hands up in a gesture that seemed to declare, “What did you expect?”

(The seven-second video of his goal is below.)

The 1-0 lead at intermission helped trigger a wave of Huskie scoring opportunities in the second half. By the end, their 4-0 win was a fair reflection of their dominance all over the field.

A pair of teammates each scored their 10th goals of the season (the second-highest total on the team), and the goaltender made a great save when it was still 2-zip. Good vibes all around.

There’s one more regular season game tonight, then next week is the start of the playoffs.

Expectations are high, as you might suspect of a group that has won 19 times, had two draws (or ties), and has yet to lose. This team very well could become the first boys’ soccer team at OPRF to take home the state championship.

But nothing is guaranteed. Meantime, they are truly embracing that well-worn sports cliche: “Taking it one game at a time.”

Each match since they first attained the #1 ranking in the state, the Huskies have been highlighted on the schedule of opponents, each with extra motivation to be the ones to spoil their undefeated status.

Likewise, Bogard has drawn extra on-field attention since he suited up on the varsity during his COVID-curtailed freshman season, when he led the team with nine goals in 11 games. A short while earlier, just as he enrolled at the high school, the Bogard family became neighbors.

Back then, once in a while I’d see him shooting at the portable basketball hoop that I’d set outside on our cul-de-sac. He was a little guy, but clearly athletic. When we met, I could see he had some decent basketball skills, but he told me that soccer was his main sport. I took his word for it.

Since then, it’s been a blast to see him, and the soccer team, accomplish so much.

Also the school’s all-time assists leader, Bogard twice has been selected All-State.

He has racked up 88 career goals with finesse and guile, on repeated occasions somehow maintaining possession amid a flurry of defenders before burying a shot past the goaltender. He’s done it with ambidextrous force, powering shots with either foot from 25 yards away or more as goaltenders flail helplessly in the ball’s wake.

And, of course, he’s done it with outstanding teammates. In their own ways, all of them have made contributions that have been vital not only to the team’s success, but to Bogard’s.

Congratulations to all…Easton Bogard’s record is your record, too.

1. The links in this paragraph are to stories that I wrote in 2021 about the team’s Sectional triumph and subsequent season-ending loss in the state quarterfinals. As you can see, I have been following the team closely.