Boys soccer notes: South Elgin surging after Nicely Tournament title
South Elgin’s (14-4-3) boys soccer team won the round-robin Kyle Nicely Memorial Tournament with victories over East Aurora, Sycamore and Batavia.
The event, which took place Oct. 1-8, raises money for Ronald McDonald House and is named in honor of Kyle Nicely, who played soccer for the Bulldogs. Nicely died in 2019. His brother, Nathan Nicely, is a senior defender for Batavia.
“We're used to playing for causes in my time here at South Elgin, specifically in the PepsiCo/BODYARMOR and our own rivalry games with Bartlett on the boys and girls sides,” said Storm coach Jerzy Skowron. “But to participate and contribute to something like the Kyle Nicely Memorial hits a bit different.
“(Batavia coach) Mark (Gianfrancesco) and the community over at Batavia do a nice job of commemorating a former player who lost his battle at such a young age. It hits home. I can't imagine having to go through something like Mark, Batavia, and the Nicely family have. I'm just proud that we were able to contribute to something that could hopefully benefit another family that will have to endure something like this in the future. Participating in something like this certainly puts life in perspective as it hits so close to home.”
The Storm, who defended their tourney title from a year ago, have won seven straight games.
“Last year, we had a team that finished with 22 wins,” Skowron said. “This year, we're on track to get close to those same totals, but this year's field at Batavia was stronger than last year and we've given up less goals. It's a testament to our group of guys and their commitment to elevating their personal profiles as players, as well as our program's as a sleeping giant amongst the top teams in our area.”
Alan “Pelon” Munoz continues to tear it up for the Storm. His latest hat trick moved him up to 27 goals on the season, five which came during the Nicely.
Skowron believes Rodrigo “Momo” Gonzalez is arguably the best midfielder in the state.
“His numbers aren't flashy (four goals, six assists), but what he does for us in between the shutouts and Pelon's monstrous offensive season can't and shouldn't be overlooked,” Skowron said. “He dictates the tempo for us, plays everywhere on the field with the freedom he is given to roam the field. He is just as important to what we've been doing as Pelon is.”
Defender Chris Patino’s efforts aren’t going unnoticed either.
“He's a dominant one-on-one defender, has a very high IQ, and is so comfortable with the ball at his feet,” Skowron said. “We can literally put him anywhere on the field and he will be more than capable of being a dominant force.”
Patino is leading the backline with Javy Orjuela, Adam Kiel, David Tyka, and Jayden Robelo.
Lastly, the Storm are seeing Joaquin Vega rise toward stardom.
“He's learning from some of the best players South Elgin has ever had, and will be incredibly dominant once he gets to his senior year,” Skowron said. “He’s second on our team in goals (seven) and third in assists (three). He's an incredible 1-v-1 player. He was solely responsible for the three goals we scored against Sycamore.”
The Storm, who were a win away from the program’s first state appearance last year, will host a regional, squaring off against Larkin in a Class 3A regional semifinal on Oct. 20. If the seeds stick, the Storm will get Elgin (12-6-1) in a regional final on Oct. 24.
Knights in top spot
IC Catholic Prep coach Miguel Garcia wasn’t sure what kind of team he would have this fall, but it’s shaping up to be one of the finest ones in his seven seasons at the school.
“We have a combination of seasoned starters, newcomers and a few existing players trying to battle for a starting position which may or may not make the difference on the field,” Garcia said. “Now we’re in our homestretch and we plan to have all our starters back healthy and ready to play for the playoffs.”
Garcia was well aware of what Alan Salgado was capable of doing after he scored 14 goals last season. He’s already scored 25 this year as a senior. What he may not have known was how prolific junior Szymon Gibes would be as a playmaker in the midfield nor how freshman goalkeeper Ryan Braniff would fare.
Gibes leads the Knights with 12 assists. He’s also scored eight goals. Braniff has posted five shutouts.
IC Catholic Prep (9-5-1) earned a No. 1 seed and will host a Class 1A regional. The Knights went 7-6-3 last year, losing in the regional finals.
If the top seeds win their respective regional semifinal games, the Knights would host St. Francis (5-7) in the regional title game on Oct. 24. The Spartans defeated the Knights 3-0 on Sept. 22.
Munguia sparks Glenbard North
Glenbard North has not had a winning season since 2023, but the Panthers have had their most successful one since then, improving to 7-13 with a 4-2 win over Young on Saturday. The seven wins are the most since the 2023 squad went 13-9-2.
Collin Munguia scored twice while Andrew Collins and Aaron Zinn also scored in the victory. The Panthers led 3-0 before Young clawed to within 3-2. The Panthers got some insurance when Munguia flicked in a Tyler Hesik free kick from midfield.
The Panthers snapped a five-game skid on Thursday with a 2-0 win over Glenbard South. Adriel Ruvalcaba and Munguia scored.
Glenbard North wraps up the regular season Tuesday at Wheaton North (7-7-2).