COLLINSVILLE – Rodrigo Hernandez-Mendoza scored in the first half, then Jake McIntyre and Marvin Chacon scored their first-ever varsity goals in the second half as Collinsville won their regular season finale over Granite City 3-0 in the second annual Paz Cup charity testimonial match at Kahok Stadium,
The game’s traveling trophy is named for former Granite City South goalie Alex Paz, who had a liver transplant after being diagnosed with liver cancer last year, with all money raised donated to the family for the ongoing care and treatment of him. In a pregame ceremony, players, alumni and cheerleaders posed for a group picture taken by Pas, a prominent and popular photographer in both communities, and the family presented the game ball to the officiating crew prior to the kickoff.
In the opening half, Hernandez-Mendoza took a deflected pass from T.J. Carter and slotted the ball into the back of the net to give the Kahoks a 1-0 lead, which stood up for the remainder of the half, thanks to stout Kahok defending, wiping away any chances the Warriors could muster.
In the second half, McIntyre opened his varsity account in the 52nd minute, when he took a nice pass in the box from Hernandez-Mendoza, and scored to double the Collinsville lead 2-0. Chacon also opened his varsity account in the 68th minute to make the final 3-0, the same score as the Kahoks won the first Paz Cup match by last year at Gene Baker Field.
The Kahoks end the regular season 8-9-1, while the Warriors conclude the campaign 11-9-1. The two sides will meet again Tuesday in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A Granite regional Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Gene Baker Field, with the winner going on to the final against either Belleville East, Alton, or top-seeded Belleville West next Friday, Oct 25, at 5 p.m.
The winner plays in the Alton sectional at Public School Stadium on Oct. 28 against the Quincy regional winner in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. The final is set for Nov. 1 at 6 p.m., with the winner going to the Normal Community super-sectional on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. The state finals are set for Nov. 8-9 at Hoffman Estates High School in northwest suburban Chicagoland. 
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
