Round Lake goalkeeper Gio Ayala finally had a chance to relax.

Elgin had been peppering Ayala with shot after shot throughout the Class 3A Round Lake Sectional championship game on Friday.

But for the final six minutes, Ayala could watch the action unfold on the other side of the field, look at the large home crowd or just think. Quite a moment for a freshman.

“Since the beginning of the season, maybe in training camp, all my teammates started telling me I could be the starting keeper if I really tried hard,” Ayala said. “From that first moment I stepped onto the pitch as a freshman, I started trying hard. I knew I had to get work done to earn that spot.”

The top-seeded Maroons gave Ayala another opportunity to show what that hard work has done for him and the sixth-seeded Panthers, who recently won their first regional title in 13 years. He finished with nine saves in Round Lake’s 2-0 loss to Elgin.

Those goals came after more than 61 scoreless minutes and were the only ones that Ayala allowed in the playoffs. The goal scored against the Panthers during their 5-1 win over Harlem in a regional semifinal came when Ayala was on the bench.

“Gio has been great all season,” Round Lake coach Hugo Tellez said. “He’s gained more confidence every game.”

Nonetheless, Round Lake’s loss on Friday stung.

“I was speechless at the end of the game,” Ayala said. “It breaks my heart we couldn’t bring this home.”

But Ayala’s stellar play kept the Panthers (16-6-1) in the game against the Maroons (16-3-3), who will play Glenbrook North in the Barrington Supersectional on Tuesday.

Elgin was held in check for more than 61 minutes before scoring twice. Star forward Eduardo Nava, who was given a red card in the 79th minute and will have to sit out the supersectional, was shut down.

“Our defense did a great job, especially Iroel Velazquez and Anthony Acosta, who were man-marking (Nava), and he wasn’t able to get anything going,” Ayala said. “I just tried not to get scored on and tried to make saves.”

Tellez said he’s looking forward to watching the 5-foot-11 Ayala develop over the next three years. Ayala follows four-year starting goalkeeper Jerry Perez, a Judson freshman who attended the game.

“Coming in, I had heard of Gio,” Tellez said. “I watch kids coming in, but I wasn’t able to watch him since he was playing state to state. He came here in the summer, and I was blown away. He’s a great kid. He’s got what Jerry has. I’m blessed I probably have him for the next three years.”

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Ayala said he understood the challenge he faced as he followed in the footsteps of Perez, who recorded 38 shutouts during his Round Lake career.

“I’ve known (Jerry) since I was about 7 or 8 years old,” Ayala said. “I always played in the Round Lake soccer league. I knew he was all-state here and I had big shoes to fill.

“I learned a lot this year. I know I can’t take anything for granted. I need to keep on working for the next three years.”

Round Lake junior forward Jorgie Morales said Ayala displayed immense potential.

“(Gio) is stepping up and looking like he can replace Jerry,” Morales said. “Jerry was spectacular for four years. He left a big mark. A lot of people weren’t expecting another goalie to fill his boots, but (Gio) has really stepped it up this year as a freshman.

“He’s a big reason we were able to play in a sectional final. This was a special year, winning the first regional in 13 years. We said we wanted to do it, and we did.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.