Boys soccer: Wheeling's wait and wish for second chance pays off

It had been three weeks since Wheeling saw its hopes dashed for a second consecutive Mid-Suburban East title after rival Buffalo Grove beat the Wildcats 1-0.

There hasn't been a day coach Kevin Lennons' men didn't think back to that faithful day, knowing the time may come when the two could meet in the postseason.

On Saturday morning in Lincolnshire, the Wildcats avenged that bitter loss with a comprehensive 2-0 victory to lift the Stevenson regional trophy and advance into sectionals next Tuesday at Fremd.

"That loss devastated this team at the time," admits Lennon, whose club will meet top-rated Libertyville (16-0-2) in the day's first semifinal. "We took a big step back that day, so the guys have had their eyes on this regional final. They haven't stopped working in order to get that second chance against Buffalo Grove."

Both coaches admit the tactical move of switching Wildcats; top goal-scorer, Jose Mariscal, from his usual spot up top and into the midfield was key. His presence hampered the Bison (15-6-1) ability to create and distribute while also having little success winning 50-50 balls at the same time.

"Mariscal was the difference out there as far as I am concerned," said Bison coach Brad Abel. "He was a handful out there, as was (Vicente) Castro, Jared (Urueta) and their back line, which was in top form, on a day when we were not at our best."

BG's inability to deal with the Wildcats' five-star midfield, which provided Lennons' club numerical advantage in the center of the park, still was unable to break down the press-resistance system the Bison work so well.

So it wasn't a great surprise when the intermission arrived at 0-0.

But deeper movements from the trio of Mariscal, Castro and Urueta compensated for the Bison's well -organized pressure.

And with the wind at their back and the attack becoming more dangerous with every touch, it would soon lead to the opener.

Robert Cruz' tightrope carry along the end line ended when the senior played a inch-perfect ball onto the foot of Jason Rivas at the near post. The sophomore one-timed his left-footed attempt the other way in the 48th minute.

"Robert gave me a great ball, and I just put my foot on it," Rivas said.

The Bison opened up its attack after the Rivas strike but was unable to connect with its star target up top, Kyle Adams. He pushed higher, while the other offensive force, Kevin Eloiza, was deployed as the chief playmaker.

Rivas doubled the Wildcats (14-5-1) when he went up to meet a Mariscal corner before driving in his header at 59 minutes.

Miguel Rodriguez rattled the post four minutes later, but his near miss didn't matter as the Wildcats did well to shut down the Bison. BG pushed numbers forward but was unable to put anything of quality at keeper Brian Arambula.

"It wasn't our day," said Abel, who along with his lads surprised the league with its division crown, fueled by a 7-0-1 run down the stretch to close out the rest of the MSL East. "Wheeling was the better team today and so much credit goes to them.

"I told the guys afterward today result doesn't underscore what they've accomplished this season, and to remember how difficult it is to get the MSL Soccer Cup, and how proud all of them should be with that (alone) as well as the entire season as well."

"We knew we had to go through Buffalo Grove to stay alive in the postseason," Lennon said; "And when we came out with so much energy, a great work rate and the desire to compete and win, I knew we had a very good chance of getting the result we needed."

St. Viator 2, Prairie Ridge 1 (PKs): David Petrovich said he deserved all the criticism heaped upon him by coach Mike Taylor during a dreadful start for St. Viator's boys soccer team in its regional final against No. 1 seed Prairie Ridge at host Vernon Hills.

Luckily for the affable Petrovich, he would have the chance to make amends for his trouble when he saved 5 of 8 spot kicks to help the Lions earn a 3-2 shootout advantage and a 3-2 victory.

With their win at Rust-Oleum Field, the Lions advance into the sectional semifinals on Tuesday at Grayslake Central to play Freeport (14-6-3) immediately following the first contest Woodstock and Lakes.

"We were awful in the first half, and a lot of that was on me," Petrovich said. "I couldn't catch a ball when I had the chance to and I really didn't command my box like I know I should and can.

"We played so well the other night in our win over Wauconda, but we came out really flat. We couldn't possess or do much of anything. But I knew when it was only 2-0 at the break that we had the chance to get back in the game and win it."

The Wolves' inability to take advantage of a strong wind at its back in the first half eventually came back to haunt coach Colin Brice and his club, who struck early, then late but got nothing in between.

"It was 2-0 at the half, but it could have been 4- or 5-0, and it would have likely been the game at the point," said the Wolves coach. "When we didn't score, I knew we would have to manage the second half and the wind that St. Viator now had. But we just were not able to, and when you go to PKs anything can happen."

Indeed.

Disaster struck at two minutes when the Wolves (18-3-0) swarmed the box after a deep throw and scored. Prairie Ridge kept up the pressure, getting several more quality chances on frame with a half-dozen throws, free kicks and a handful of wind-aided long-range shots.

All the momentum the Wolves got from a Noah Smeja strike in the 38th minute quickly evaporated after the restart. The Lions (7-14-2) threw everything forward with the same tactical approach, only with more purpose coming from Zaul Perez and Will Hartman, who both had chances during the first 20 minutes of the second period.

Prairie Ridge felt the Lions caught a break on a foul call inside the box which allowed St. Viator's Michael Tangredi a spot kick in the 74th minute, and he converted.

Unable to get out of their own end, the Wolves conceded the equalizer with two minutes remaining in regulation. This time it came from Perez, who punished his opponents for not clearling the ball out of their own end.

Two ten-minute extra sessions produced just a few half-chances, sending this final in kicks.

Both sides were betrayed by their touch from the spot early, with only Kentaro Lim and Cristian Castro finishing for St. Viator and Lucas Reitz and Smeja doing likewise for Prairie Ridge in the first six rounds of kicks.

In the seventh round, Tangredi smashed his chance off of the post. But Petrovich stopped Michael Thompson and then Luke Wolf after Brady Mulligan buried his chance just moments before for the eventual game-winner.

"My teammates baled me out at the start, so it was only right that it was my turn to do so at the end," said Petrovich

Barrington 2, Palatine 1 (PKs): The Mid-Suburban League champions earned a spot in the Fremd sectional, but regional host Palatine didn't make it easy for the Broncos.

Barrington won in penalty kicks 2-1 to earn a spot against Waukegan at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Class 3A Fremd sectional.