Morton survives PKs with Warren
Getting the ball to bounce the right way had happened for Warren's boys soccer team for the entire postseason — until Friday night.
Warren couldn't hold back Morton and fell 2-1 after a penalty kick shootout in which the Blue Devils lost in 6 rounds of kicks, 5-4, in the Class 3A boys soccer state tournament at Lincoln-Way North.
Warren (22-4-3) will face Fremd in the third-place match at 5 p.m. Saturday. Morton (23-3-1) meets Naperville Central in the championship game at 7 p.m.
“Anytime you go to penalty kicks, it's a coin flip,” said Warren coach Jason Ahonen. “I thought we played extremely well in the second half. I thought we dominated in the overtimes. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way, and you don't get those opportunities. All we can ask for was to fight back to tie, and see what happens. I feel bad for everybody, but we've got another game here.
“We can sit and sulk, or come back and go from there. It's not the prize the boys wanted, but it's still a game to be played.”
The Mustangs captured the game in the sixth round of kicks. Morton keeper Miguel Chacon (16 saves) made a stop and teammate Mario Romeo, a freshman, scored the game-winning kick.
“I looked at his eyes and read his foot,” Chacon said. “I dove to my left and made the stop. All game long I didn't want to let (Warren) score.
“I was pretty worried about Warren — they were a fantastic team and one of the best teams we've played in the state.”
Morton's Alonzo Torres scored the first goal in the 38th minute taking a loose ball off a Blue Devils defensive mistake.
Warren tied it in the 52nd minute, when Ryan Friend tallied a goal after a few deflections from an indirect kick in the box.
Both teams played scoreless through four 10-minute overtimes before the penalty kicks.
“Both teams deserve that game,” Morton coach Mike Caruso said. “It was back and forth action offensively. We were able to outlast them in a shootout.”