Wheeling keeps hope alive, meets Hersey for East title
Wheeling was a forgotten team during the first half of the Mid-Suburban League boy ssoccer season as others in the division stormed ahead of the reigning conference champs.
But five straight victories have put the Wildcats (11-5-4, 7-2-1-22 points) on the brink of a second consecutive trip the MSL Cup, with only Hersey standing in the way.
Frankie Estrada broke a goal-less match with a spectacular 68-minute free kick, then set up teammate Alan Mantilla with a brilliant assist as the Wildcats grabbed a 2-0 triumph over Hoffman Estates on Thursday night to set up a 4:30 p.m. Friday contest for the East title with Hersey.
The Huskies' 1-0 defeat of Barrington means Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn's club, now 5-1-4 (19 points), must beat the Wildcats at home in order to gain the tiebreaker. A draw would be enough to send Wheeling through.
"It's kind of hard to believe we're playing for the title on Friday when you consider were we were at a few weeks ago," said Uhrik, who last played in Hoffman Estates for a 3A state title last November. "We've been playing do-or-die since our loss to Barrington to put us at 2-2-1, but the guys have found their form to get us one game away from returning to the MSL Cup."
After three solid efforts in a row against Conant, Buffalo Grove and Barrington, the host Hawks (3-12-0, 2-9-0) failed to match that level of play. Hoffman Estates was unable to match the pace and speed of play from Wheeling.
"It's disappointing to see us revert back to the way we played early on, especially after our last three games where we went 1-1-1," said Hawks coach Matt Sriver.
Wheeling created several half-chances during the first 40 minutes but never testing keeper Christian Peralta with anything of quality thanks in part to the Hawks' back line, which bent but never broke.
"We did just about everything but score," said Estrada, "but we knew it would come if we kept working and didn't panic."
Wildcats keeper Jose Castillo, and Uhrik were both booked at 28 minutes when each felt the center official missed a foul on Castillo during a Mark Hauser free kick. Uhrik eventually sent Juan Salgado between the sticks, were he worked flawlessly the rest of the way to preserve the shutout.
In the second half, Jose Garcia, Fabian Acosta and Estrada each missed on good scoring chances. Finally, after Acosta was hauled down on his way in on a run, Estrada stepped up and unload a 22-yard blast high into the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Sixty seconds later, Estrada sent Mantilla through. He shed a pair of defenders before finishing with a sublime touch past Peralta, who'd come off his line to challenge.
"The guys kept working, and never got frustrated when we couldn't finish, so it was good to see them get those two quick goals after working so hard," said Uhrik.