Four-year starting varsity goalie Alexander “Bubba” Gomez is not always happy about being the only senior on the Riverside Brookfield High School boys lacrosse team this season.
“The best year we’ve ever had. I wish I was a junior,” Gomez said. “The team’s so good. I’m so excited. Next year, it’s going to be great. I wish I could stick around and watch.”
In the program’s third varsity season, the Bulldogs (11-5) already have exceeded the two previous four-win seasons and enter the St. Rita Sectional by winning six of their last seven regular-season contests.
The No. 9-seeded Bulldogs, who play at No. 8 Lemont Wednesday, are going for their first state playoff victory. No. 5 Lyons Township (9-6) opens at No. 12 St. Laurence Thursday.
The 2022 Bulldogs lost their playoff opener in overtime.
“(We hope to go) as far as we can,” Gomez said.
The 5-foot-9 Gomez has come a long way in goal. His senior success includes his first shutout (12-0 over St. Laurence, March 26) and four other victories with three goals or fewer allowed. Gomez said he’s benefitted from the program’s overall improvement and increasing lacrosse IQ.
“I’ve definitely settled down a lot more [as a senior]. A lot more trust. The defense as a whole has become so much more responsive, intelligent,” he said. “The defense will make plays. Whenever I make a save, I know I can dump it off.”
Gomez has 164 total saves this season with a .656 save percentage.
“Bubba has dialed in all season in the net,” RBHS coach Joe Urbanski said. “He has shown incredible mental and physical toughness all year. His communication with his defense has helped put the guys in the best position possible for success.”
Gomez has been nicknamed Bubba for as long as he can remember. His father began it because he was a “very fat, heavy baby.”
“It was kind of ironic because when I was little, I was very, very skinny, but they just kept calling me Bubba,” he said. He also grew up with aspirations of being an ice hockey goalie. His parents gave him the choice of playing hockey or football and Gomez chose football. The only other goalie option was to play lacrosse.
“I thought it looked decently similar and I really liked the idea of being a goalie,” Gomez said. “I always thought it was really satisfying to save things.”
Gomez had great lacrosse mentors with older brother Sam, a 2018 RBHS graduate, and Ella, currently the starting women’s lacrosse goalie as a sophomore at NCAA Division II West Virginia Wesleyan.
“She is much better than me,” Gomez said.
While Gomez plans to play club lacrosse at Alabama and study electrical engineering, sophomore goalie Patrick Galloway has been gaining experience mostly on junior varsity to take over. Junior midfielder Max Strong is in his third varsity season.
“We have a great goalie [in Galloway]. He’s going to be good,” Gomez said.
Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus is making the most impact among the 10 sophomores on varsity. The transfer from Fenwick only played defense in 2023 but has shown great versatility on both offense and defense, contributing 30 goals, 12 assists, 85 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers.
“I’m still getting used to the offense but I think I’m doing pretty well,” Mrozik-DeJesus said. “Just really [appreciate] these guys allowing me to come and being able to play my game.”
In the girls Sandburg Sectional, No. 9 RBHS (1-11) plays at No. 8 St. Laurence Wednesday and No. 5 LTHS (10-9) visits No. 4 St. Ignatius Monday.
