Max Gral may need to ‘save the day’ for Vernon Hills less often. But he intends to save his best for last

Vernon Hills senior Max Gral is not a typical goalkeeper.

The 6-foot-2 Gral also wrestles for the Cougars.

“Goalie is the most mentally challenging position on the soccer field,” he said. “It’s 70% mental and 30% physical, so the wrestling mentality has really helped me.

“Wrestling is one of the hardest things I’ve done. It’s a lot of suffering and hardships, and it really affected me and helped me think and persevere as a goalie.”

Vernon Hills (3-13-2) struggled last season as younger players adapted to new roles, but Gral kept the team in games. Six one-goal losses included a 1-0 defeat to highly ranked New Trier on a late penalty kick.

It was an eye-opening experience for Gral, an all-conference pick in the Central Suburban North.

“I learned sometimes I have to be our team’s last resort,” he said. “I had to step up and save the day, especially on a one-on-one.”

This season, Gral is one of the key returnees for a team that lost just three players to graduation.

“Max has excellent size for a goalkeeper,” Vernon Hills coach Mike McCaulou said. “He’s super technical in terms of right and left foot and playing out the back, his distribution is really strong and he is great out of the air.

“He gets to high balls on set pieces and is able to hold onto difficult shots. The coaches are wowed by how strong he can hold onto balls instead of punching them to help maintain possession for our team.”

Gral has impressed senior defender Lucas Cox too.

“The amount of top corner and cross goal saves he makes is astonishing, and it is a great feeling to have someone with that ability behind me,” Cox said. “He’s just as good with his feet as he is with his hands. This is extremely useful when we are looking to keep the ball as much as possible, as it effectively allows us to be up an extra man on the field.

“His fearlessness makes him a presence in his goal box. Whenever a ball enters Max’s goal box, he is always the first to it. This allows him to be successful at challenges in the air and on the ground, making him an even more valuable asset to the team.”

Vernon Hills senior midfielder Connor Finn agrees with Cox and also highlighted Gral’s leadership.

“Max’s reflexes, reach and bounce are all things that make his shot-stopping elite,” Finn said. “But it’s not just shot-stopping that makes Max so good. He’s technically sound with the ball at his feet, and being able to have him as a passing option on the field helps our team out greatly.

“On the field, he’s a leader and constantly communicates with our team. I expect big things from Max this year, building off the great year he had last year, and he’s going to be a key part in us making a deep run in the playoffs this season.”

Gral believes he has put in the work in the offseason to make that happen, and he has a more experienced back line supporting him.

“I want to prove that I’m not a one-season goalkeeper,” he said.