Boys soccer: Riordan scores twice, sends Bartlett to sectional final

Bartlett senior Tim Riordan got the message loud and clear from coach Vince DiNuzzo.

Riordan scored both Bartlett goals in the Hawks' 2-1 overtime victory against Glenbard North in Wednesday's Class 3A Wheaton Academy sectional semifinal. The Hawks will challenge the host Warriors for the sectional championship Saturday night.

“In the first half every time I would touch the ball he would get on me,”Riordan said. “I'm kind of used to it after a few years of him coaching me. But he knows how to feel me, and I guess he just felt me for the second half and I was able to get a couple of goals to have our team get on top.”

“I've been on Timmy,” DiNuzzo added. “Me and him go way back, so I've been on him about where's Timmy. He's an all-sectional player. I expect big players to step up in big situations and he did today. He put in 2 great goals.”

The Panthers (14-5-2) surprised Bartlett (15-7-2) with a 13th-minute goal when Gio Duenas knocked in a shot from close range for a 1-0 lead.

“Soccer can be a cruel game, but when you get to this point in the season, the games are going to be close,” Panthers coach Gregg Koeller said. “It's going to be decided on one turn, one slip.”

Riordan evened the game in the 42nd minute with a volley from 18 yards out. The game started two 10-minute overtime periods tied at 1, but Riordan broke the deadlock in the game's 86th minute.

“I guess I was just in the right spot at the right time, and the players who had the ball found me,” Riordan said. “We played it quick and I was able to get two easy goals for me.”

Bartlett outshot Glenbard North 20-5 and had a wide edge in possession time in the game.

“Yeah, but, you know what? Possession is irrelevant without penetration, isn't it?” Di Nozzo said. “I'm not saying the game could have gone either way because I thought we played much better than the opponent, but at the end of the day it was (1-1) with 20 minutes left in the game in overtime. We put ourselves in that position because we can't score on so many chances inside the box. It's been an ongoing issue. We can't hit the net.”

The Panthers were without all-state goalkeeper Nathan Chalus because of a weekend training injury. Jose Retana made 3 saves in his place.

“I thought Jose came in and did a real good job,” Koeller said. “We're fortunate to have depth at that position.”

The loss ended one of the best seasons in Glenbard North history, including the first regional title since 2004.

“We said we wanted to be a factor in the conference race before the season,” Koeller said. “We were that. We said we wanted to see if we could make a run in the postseason and we did that. A lot of positives, but right now it's just hard for them to put their arms around that.”

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