Boys soccer: Goalie Fabela scores on 59-yard free kick as East Aurora shuts out O’Fallon in supersectional

In the heat of the moment, East Aurora’s Carlos Fabela didn’t defer to his teammate.

The senior goalkeeper is consistently assertive and definitely knows how to play all the angles between the posts. But when it comes to taking a free kick, that’s right up Fabela’s alley as well.

“As soon as I saw we got the call, my player was about to take it and I called him off,” Fabela said, recalling a key moment at the end of the first half. “I told him that was my shot.”

Was it ever.

Fabela scored a goal on a 59-yard blast off a free kick in the 45th minute Tuesday night, sparking the Tomcats to a 2-0 victory over O’Fallon in the Class 3A Normal Community Supersectional.

Sophomore midfielder Emanuel Rodriguez added a rebound goal in the 64th minute for East Aurora (14-6-3), which will now make its state debut in a 5:30 Friday night semifinal against Evanston (15-6-1) at Rockford Guilford.

It was the fourth shutout of the playoffs for Fabela, who made three saves. He has allowed only one goal in five postseason games. And none of his teammates were surprised by his goal.

Just ask junior defender Kenneth Montano.

“I’ve been playing with Carlos my whole life,” Montano said. “I always knew he had a rocket shot. As soon as I saw the ball go into the air and how hard it was, I knew it was going in.”

Rodriguez confirmed Fabela elevates all parts of the Tomcats’ game.

“He has height and he’s a great decision-maker,” Rodriguez said. “He plays very smart and has that long kick. Seeing that amazing goal just fired everybody up.”

Fabela demonstrated considerable prowess with his punting, typically drilling the ball 65 or 75 yards into the air. The goal was the fourth of his career and the first this season.

“I just aimed at the goal, knowing it would most likely skip,” he said. “I got an amazing bounce.”

The Tomcats also continued their remarkable turnaround from a year ago. Fabela was a rare bright spot on a team that won just five games.

“We had a lot of freshmen last year and now they’re a big part of our team,” Fabela said. “There is a lot of talent we’re developing. We all play at one club or another, so we have great chemistry.”

Fabela, a three-year varsity starter, began playing soccer at age 8. His father was his earliest coach and mentor who taught him the skills and technique to stand out from the crowd.

“Honestly, I wasn’t very good in the field,” Fabela said. “My dad threw me in the net and I’ve stayed there ever since.”

Fabela is so immersed in the game that he’s a licensed referee who officiates youth games. He shatters the typical norms as an offensive threat at goalkeeper.

It’s part of his strategy to see how much trouble he can cause.

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that my main object is stopping goals and not trying to score them,” Fabela said. ”It’s just part of my mentality and makeup.

“Whenever we’re losing a tight game, I just think, ‘Put me at forward.’”

His breakthrough as a player occurred around age 12 when he recognized his natural talent.

That drive carried over to this summer. Fabela felt the intensity while playing top-level club tournaments where his team fell just short. He was determined to reverse that outcome.

Outgoing and communicative, he has a habit of talking to the center official in the course of a game. But in the end, his game speaks the loudest.

“There are a lot of people looking up to me and I have to set an example for the younger guys,” Fabela said. “My favorite is just making a great save.”