Boys soccer: West Aurora, 18-0 last season, has a tough act to follow

Even after 30 years as a high school coach, West Aurora's Joe Sustersic still likes surprises.

The Blackhawks are going to need a few if they expect to come anywhere close to the unprecedented spring they enjoyed after winning all 18 of its games in an abbreviated season that concluded without a state playoff series.

"The biggest thing is we don't have the firepower up front with the speed of a Zack Thompson and the smoothness of a Jaziel Enriquez," Sustersic said. "But two years ago Jaziel Enriquez didn't even know if he was going to be a starter. He played all junior year and had three goals and he had that in our first game (this spring). And that's what it is - he stepped up, next man up. Kids are going to surprise you, they always do."

Those kids are what keeps Sustersic going and he's been through a lot with a lengthy list of ailments that includes prostate cancer, multiple sclerosis, hernias and the remove of his gallbladder. He also recognizes that the lives of many players, fellow coaches and their families have been threatened by various diseases so he's scheduled 11 health awareness games.

"It's all about making kids aware of what is going on," he said. "I want kids to be conscious that the world isn't as well as they are."

Alzheimer's, ALS, breast cancer, lupus, lymphoma, muscular dystrophy and pediatric cancer are among the games where awareness will be shared, including the first of two ALS awareness games on Aug. 25 when the Blackhawks travel to Kaneland.

"I'm 52 and I'm not sure how many years I'm going to coach, but this has been the most satisfying thing I've ever done," Sustersic said. "Coaching the soccer games, the Xs and Os are there and the wins come, and the losses do hurt, but at the same time you see you can help kids. It's great to win games and play well on the field but I'm most proud of them becoming great young men than anything that I have every done on a soccer field."

And that includes last spring's perfect season. The Blackhawks' last loss was a 4-3, double OT thriller to Naperville North in the Class 3A Lockport sectional final on Nov. 1, 2019.

The Blackhawks theoretically only return three starters, although juniors Isaac Romero and Jose Acevedo were on the cusp of starting in the spring and will play critical roles. Senior goalkeeper Carlos Garcia, junior forward Matt Lopez-Martinez, who is transitioning to forward, and junior midfielder Loretto Lopez return.

"We have the same mentality of being the best team we can be even if we don't have the nine seniors that graduated," Garcia said. "The thing I like about this team is we touch the ball more. Our back line is pretty solid, the same with the midfield, but on top is where we're going to lack a little bit."

Some really talented players last year simply didn't get as many minutes in the spring because others were ahead of them on the depth chart. Now's their chance to shine.

"We had a lot of great defenders sitting on the bench last year with a lot of talent," Lopez said. "It's tricky with a lot of new players, but we're getting used to it. We have a good team."

Juniors Hector Huerta, Omari Rashidi and Nathan Zombe and freshman defender Pas Ndayishimye are among the team's top additions while Ndayishimye is one of the team's many World Relief Refugee students.

"I'm bringing up my first freshman in 15 years and when I talk to him, his mom is from Uganda, his dad is from Burundi and he was born in Tanzania," Sustersic said. "You look at yourself like 'Wow, OK, we take things for granted here.'"

And that's another reason why Sustersic makes sure his players are aware of how blessed they are to play a game they love this fall.