Larkin, Bartlett advance to regional final
If you are a boys soccer fan, the Class 3A St. Charles East regional final will not dissapoint.
The Larkin Royals and Bartlett Hawks will meet on Saturday at 5 p.m. at St. Charles East High School for the regional championship. The third-seeded Royals (14-6-4) advanced by defeating the St. Charles East Saints by a score of 2-0 on Tuesday evening. It was a triumphant return for Larkin forward Erik Rodriguez, who notched a goal and an assist in his first game back after missing 6 games with a suspension from the IHSA.
Larkin will meet 11th seed Bartlett (10-10-2), which advanced with a 2-1 win over Elgin.
“It was very exciting,” said Rodriguez. “It was my first game back, and I wanted to help the team any way I can and try to win.”
The lone goal for the Royals in the first half was put in my Tony Escamilla after Rodriguez found him in front of the net.
“I tried to look for the right timing to pass the ball,” said Rodriguez. “I tried to find the right time and the right space. Then it just took a small touch to beat (St. Charles East’s goalkeeper) because he was already on the ground, and I just passed the ball and luckily we got the goal.”
The Royals secured the 2-0 victory with a goal by Rodriguez with 25 minutes to go in the game as the ball found him in front of the net this time.
“I thought the ball was going to go out of bounds and I just touched it,” he said. “The rest was just out of adrenaline, I can’t really describe it.”
The Saints (6-10-1) had several scoring chances throughout the game, but Larkin goalkeeper Santiago Guerrero shut them down.
“Santiago is a good keeper,” said Royals head coach Ken Hall. “He’s been with us for three years now, and he does a very solid job. Sometimes he gets a little over anxious, but he’s very solid for us back there. ”
“We’ve been well aware of our weakness this year, and that’s finishing,” said Saints head coach Paul Jennison. “We create the opportunities, but we just can’t put them away and that’s what it comes down to.”
In the second of back-to-back regional semifinal games at St. Charles East, it was the Bartlett Hawks who defeated the Elgin Maroons (9-9-7) by a score of 2-1. The Hawks got on the board first midway through the first half when Diego Ramirez scored on a breakaway after a pass from Anthony DiNuzzo. The Maroons answered 10 minutes later, when Juan Flores scored on a penalty kick.
“(Ramirez) got past our sweeper,” said Elgin head coach Dave Borg of Bartlett’s first goal. “We knew that might happen; we were playing four across and one behind. We took that chance and they beat us ... That’s it. Wait ‘till next year.”
The Hawks’ second half goal came from midfielder Ramiro Arroyo on a shot into the upper corner of the net just out of the Elgin goalkeeper’s reach. That would be all the Hawks would need to secure the 2-1 victory and advance to the finals.
“I had the ball and I took on (Bartlett’s) right defender,” said Arroyo. “I just cut in, and our forward moved to the open space so I tried to pass it in but their defender moved so I just cut in and took a shot.”
Bartlett head coach Ben Beary knows that he will be up against a tough team in Larkin, but is confident that his team can make a statement against the Royals.
“Larkin is a very very good team,” said Beary. “The good thing is that we’re playing some of the best soccer we’ve played all season, so we’re meeting them at the right time. It’s going to be a huge test for us, and we’ll be ready ... Larkin better watch out.”