Lisle headed to state
Weird bounces, odd kicks, funny flailing legs.
Abnormal gusting winds can do strange things to an otherwise equal soccer match. No. 1 seed Lisle rebounded from an early mistake, getting 2 second-half goals from junior Grant Fitzgerald in a 2-1 comeback win over No. 3 Chicago Latin to claim the Class 1A Lisle sectional title Tuesday afternoon at Wilde Field.
“The weather had something to do with that,” Lions coach Paul Kohorn about how his team looked different from one half to the next. “We didn't really follow our plan in the first half and played the ball in the air, and the plan was not to play the ball in the air. That's what we talked about at halftime start getting the ball down, play our game and relax and don't panic because there was a lot of time left.”
Romans forward Alexander Dago corralled a ball two minutes before halftime that could not be cleared by Lions defenders, pushing the ball left and striking a left-footed shot off Lisle goalie Kazim Khan's hands and into the right-side netting, giving Latin (15-8-1) a 1-0 lead that looked like it might stand up with the tentative style of play.
“Lisle's a pretty potent offensive team,” Romans coach Thomas Bower said. “I didn't think that was going to do it.”
Lisle (15-9-1) to Bower's chagrin would not be denied in its quest for the school's first boys sectional title. Fitzgerald's penalty kick in the 63rd minute talked about for several minutes between the referee and assistant referee tied the score and gave the Lions the confidence needed to keep fighting.
“I'm not much into second-guessing referees,” Bower said. “They call what they see and it's fine with me.”
Said Fitzgerald: “We knew it was our game from that point on. We needed to score one more and we knew we had the best chance with the wind in our favor.”
With just more than four minutes remaining before an overtime period, sophomore Eric Osika made a long run up the middle of the field with the ball before making a trusting pass to Fitzgerald on the right, just outside the box.
“It's hard when there's that much wind,” Osika said. “You can't get it on your foot and play with it. Right when I got it at (midfield), I knew I had to beat (the defender) and right when I saw Grant we knew there was going to be a goal.”
Fitzgerald, who was stopped by Latin goalkeeper Justin Kaplan on successive tries from the same spot early in the game, made good on his last attempt, sending the Lions to Friday's state semifinal game against Stillman Valley at North Central College.
“I had to find the far post,” Fitzgerald said. “I had to find the corner.”
Lisle, whose girls team went to state in May and whose soccer programs have only existed since 2003, could not contain their joy, and the players were happy their new haircuts were not in vain.
“This was our first year winning regionals and now to win sectionals, it's huge,” Fitzgerald said. “I know the guys are excited. Last night we all went out and got mohawks. We did that to give us a reason to not lose. We didn't want to look dumb losing after getting mohawks. It gave us a little extra edge to go out there and play as hard as we could.”
The Lions were also playing for one more person responsible for their crescendo.
“It's been a crazy year with the girls in the spring and now here,” Kohorn said. “I can say it now; this is my last year coaching the boys here at Lisle. It's a great sendoff. I appreciate that from the guys.”