Boys soccer: Glenbard West wins on PKs, Addison Trail notches shutout in sectional semifinals
When Tuesday night’s Class 3A sectional semifinal game between Glenbard West and Conant headed to penalty kicks, Hilltoppers coach Phil Wicyk said his mind went back to the recent past, where his team had opportunities to advance but had fallen short.
“I thought, not again,” said Wicyk. “We’ve been in this situation a couple of times before. Two years ago, we were up 2-0 and lost in double overtime.”
The coach also thought it would be a shame for either his side or the Cougars to fall short, considering how well each team played in the first 100 minutes.
“When I went over to (Conant coach Jason Franco) prior to penalty kicks to shake his hand, he said ‘can’t we just both go through?’ I wish that could be the case, it was such a fun game.”
The final result turned out to be much more enjoyable for the Hilltoppers. Senior midfielder Angel Garnica had the game-winning penalty kick shot for Glenbard West in a 4-3 shootout victory at West Chicago after the teams finished regulation and two overtimes tied 1-1.
Garnica also scored the only goal for the Hilltoppers in regulation.
“All props to Conant,” said Hilltoppers senior forward Alex Ginder, “but I think our preparation for penalty kicks was big. We practice PKs a lot, and we look out for each other.”
After Garnica scored early, Conant junior Pavel Ivanovski tied the game in the 17th minute with a blast from 16 yards.
It remained 1-1 through two overtime periods, setting the stage for the shootout heroics.
“I’m speechless,” said Wicyk. “Just a great battle between two teams who were mirror images of one another.”
Addison Trail 4, Elk Grove 0
A few chants of ‘MVP’ came from the Addison Trail fans late in the first half of the Blazers’ sectional semifinal match against Elk Grove, the game that proceeded Glenbard West’s victory.
The chants were directed toward Blazers senior goalkeeper Omar Teran, and he sure looked the part Tuesday against the Grenadiers.
Teran made nine saves, five in the latter stages of the first half alone, as Addison Trail defeated Elk Grove 4-0 to advance to the sectional final.
The Blazers face Glenbard West at 6 p.m. Friday for the sectional title.
The postseason magic ran out for Elk Grove against the Blazers. The ninth-seeded Grens had taken down two higher seeds, including top seed Maine West, in the regional to advance.
“Our boys have shown a lot this season,” said Elk Grove coach Chris Melecio. “They’ve had resilience, grit and fight. They’re such a young team, and tonight was just not our night. Addison Trail capitalized on a lot of our mistakes.”
Junior winger Alexandro Tinajero scored twice for the Blazers. Teammates Enrique Merino and Rafael Arellano had the other two goals.
“This win means a lot to us,” said Teran. “There was pressure tonight, but I was relaxed and calm.
“I see great things for the future of our team. Amazing. We’re in the sectional finals.”