Libertyville wins in 4th OT
It was another magical moment for Libertyville's boys soccer team, and it required extra time to get it Saturday afternoon.
It took 4 overtimes before the Wildcats' Jose Ibarra-Luna scored the game-winning golden goal and a sectional championship.
All the Wildcats went into wild celebration, even before it was clear it was Ibarra-Luna who'd scored.
“It's amazing to get a goal like that in a sectional final,” Ibarra-Luna said. “The ball was coming (off Sam Kaplan free kick) and it might have hit a couple of people. The ball goes crazy all the time, bouncing, and it hit off the top of my leg.
Thus, is somewhat crazy fashion, top-seeded Libertyville beat No. 7 Highland Park 1-0 in its own sectional.
The Wildcats (19-3-2) meet Maine West (14-4-7) in the Loyola supersectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“My heart skipped beats,” Libertyville coach Andy Bitta said. “We scored a couple of goals and they said we were offsides.
“Finally, I said to Sam (Kaplan), ‘Let's not shoot; let's play it up someone.' So we chipped it up there and got a goal. That's all it takes one time, and a golden goal.”
Kaplan set up the kick outside the box from the left and sent it forward.
“I meant to hit it far post,” said Kaplan, who also set up the tying goal in the final seconds of regulation in the Pepsi Showdown championship game earlier this season. “It just kind of went down the middle and it bounced through a lot of people.”
The game was a back-and-forth battle featuring stellar goalkeeping. Both made 14 stops, including plenty of spectacular ones.
Highland Park's Aaron White snatched a Miles McNeir shot out of the top corner and made another diving save on a Marshall Hollingsworth shot in the second half. White also had 2 stops in a matter of seconds in the second overtime as he somehow got a hand on a McNeir header and followed up with a body save on a one-time Austin Bitta shot.
Wildcats keeper Andrew Bitta made a couple quick saves in the final minutes of regulation, once when the Giants' Endy Marban initial kick went off the hands of Bitta, and again on Benji Schwartz from close range.
Giants coach Dave Bene ended a great run as Highland Park's coach. He is retiring after 32 years in boys soccer and 21 as a head coach His team ended with a 14-6-6 record.
“It was a great honor being there, coach,” said Bene, who once had a team lose to Libertyville in the sectional final on the same field in kicks. “Our kids played and gave everything they got out there.”