Last season, the Caravan soccer team fell short early in the playoffs in a loss against Hinsdale Central for the Regional Championship. Yet their response this season could not have been stronger.
Their captain and head coach both won the Lawless Award, in addition to the team winning the Catholic League. The Tony Lawless Award is given to the best player or coach in the Catholic League. It is a very prestigious honor in Illinois high school athletics, as the Chicago Catholic League is one of the most competitive conferences in the state.
Coach Antonio Godinez picked up his third Lawless Coach of the Year Award, and senior captain Brandon Razo became the first player to win it since Marco Antonio Valencia ’22. The team finished the regular season with a 16-5-1 record and secured their spot as CCL champions after beating the Ramblers from Loyola Academy.
Seniors Julian Rodriguez, Aiden Sauseda, and Erik Sanchez were also named All-Conference. With twelve seniors, the battle-tested team is now looking to make a deep run in the playoffs, starting with regionals coincidentally at Hinsdale Central this Saturday.
Upon the conclusion of the regular season, it was clear to the team that Brandon Razo was the best player in the Catholic League.
“He’s Razo,” said Rodriguez, the team’s starting goalkeeper. “He’s scored in every Catholic League game. We look for him to score, and we know as long as he gets the ball, he can make something happen.”
Razo is also known for being a good teammate and having high character.
“He is one of the best players to ever come out of Mount Carmel,” Coach Godinez said. “He’s a great soccer player, and I think that he’s a great person. He’s one of the most humble players I have ever coached. If you saw him walking through these halls, you would never think that he’s the number-one player in the state.”
Razo’s determination as an athlete and humble personality can be attributed to his family upbringing.
“I think that comes from his mother and father,” Godinez said. “There’s guys that weigh themselves too much on the [athletic] side, and when [things] don’t happen, they don’t have anything to fall back on. His parents have done a tremendous job in helping him understand that.”
Razo had a good season last year, but it was nothing compared to the 44 goals he has had in 22 games of 2024.
“From last year, I’ve seen a lot of improvement in myself,” Razo said. “I’ve been getting faster, believing in myself more, and the team has been believing in me more. They see me as the player I have always wanted to be.”
He has had this award in mind since he first came to Mount Carmel and was introduced to the soccer program.
“I’ve had it as a goal,” he said. “I remember my freshman year when Tono (Marco Valencia) won it, and I wanted my name to go down in history.”
Razo believes the success he has found individually and collectively for the team can largely be attributed to the dedication of their head coach.
“Coach Godinez is the reason we’re one of the best programs in the state,” Razo said. “I feel like it’s going to continue to grow with him as our head coach. He’s always here, and he’s consistent.”
Rodriguez, who had 10 shutouts in goal this season, shares a similar view.
“He’s very honest,” Rodriguez said. “He prepares us for the games and treats us almost like we are his sons. He wants us to get better and be better than he was.”
Coach Godinez has built a culture that focuses on more than just soccer, though. He always takes the time to remind his players that there is more to life than scoring goals or winning games.
“He prepares the mindset that it’s more than just the game,” Rodriguez said. “The game is just a small part of our lives, but it’s what we do after that counts the most.”
Head basketball coach and Athletic Director Phil Segroves admires the culture Godinez has built.
“Coach Godinez has made Mount Carmel soccer not just a team or program, but a family,” said Coach Segroves. “He preaches family values and togetherness, and I’ve seen that without a doubt. It just seems that the soccer families are so close and sown together within their own community, and it’s pretty special knowing that [he] built that.”
Coach Godinez has coached over 50 players who have gone on to play at the next level, with nine of them being captains for their collegiate teams. He has had much success in the last fourteen years, but he also focuses on teaching life lessons to the young men on his teams.
“It’s not just a soccer player and not just a student,” Godinez said. “It’s a person who’s a man of service and a leader. I’m looking at long-term projections, not just short-term wins in the game.”
He credits winning the Lawless Award to his family and community.
“When I get honored like that, I think of all the people who helped me become who I am,” he said. “I think about my parents, especially my mother, and the leadership she’s shown me. Then I think about the group who helped me get that award. I can’t do it by myself. I need a great coaching staff, and I need the players to be able to execute a game plan. I get to do what I love because of them.”
While Coach Godinez and his players are confident in their abilities for the upcoming postseason, they cannot do it without the support of the school community.
“Go out and support our guys and cheer them on,” Coach Segroves said. “I think it means a lot to them to see not only parents and friends, but their classmates and teachers as well.”
