Boys soccer: Carmel Catholic grabs third-place trophy

After a first-ever visit to the Class 2A boys soccer final four, the future course for Carmel Catholic seems clear.

The Corsairs missed a chance at winning a state championship by falling in Friday's semifinals, but they sure finished on a positive note Saturday.

Carmel topped Chicago Washington 4-2 to earn a third-pace finish in the state tournament at Hoffman Estates High School.

"Third place means the bar is set for all future years," Carmel Catholic coach Ray Krawzak said. "We have to see if we can do third place or better. Now we've got to see if we can climb higher on the ladder in the future."

The Corsairs sure climbed a few rungs quickly against Washington, getting all their scoring in a 15-minute span as Ryan McKernan, Braco Lasso, Michael Alemu and Austin Ehren scored.

"Third isn't all that bad," Krawzak said. "We had a good season. We've always have been like that - once we get the first goal we're always fired up and then get the second, then the third. It's always easier to win the game when we start scoring."

The Corsairs (19-8-1) got the first goal in the 25th minute when a corner kick from Reed Wilson was redirected by Ryan McKernan. Patriots keeper Jose Soto tried to make a leg save but the ball was ruled past the goal line.

Just four minutes later, Robert Rao set up Lasso with a short pass. Lasso did the rest, beating two defenders and keeper Soto for a 2-0 lead.

Then Alemu converted on a rebound for the third goal, finishing a sequence where Justin Ehren had the initial shot on Soto.

Ehren finished the flurry by scoring his 28th goal of the season on a breakaway follwing a service from Lasso.

"We had a different level of play here in this one," said Lasso, comparing the victory to the Corsairs' semifinal loss to Waterloo. "We had nothing to lose and put everything on the line."

Chicago Washington (12-8-3) got both its goals in the second half from Raul Garcia.

Corsairs keeper Kyle Knauer allowed 1 goal but made 8 saves in the victory.

Waterloo held off Peoria Notre Dame 4-3 in the championship game to claim its first-ever boys soccer state title.