Antioch dresses to salute Wade
Antioch’s appropriately attired boys soccer team honored Andrew Wade for its game against Lakes on Tuesday.
Wade played for the Sequoits’ soccer team, graduating in 2007. He lost his life in Afghanistan 18 months ago.
In the fallen soldier’s honor, Antioch chose Sept. 11 to wear camouflage uniforms. The Sequoits couldn’t protect a 2-goal lead and settled for a 2-2 tie against host Lakes in the North Suburban Prairie Division match, but the final score didn’t seem all that important.
“I thought it was a great idea and it was really special,” Antioch keeper Tommy Tritschler said. “It’s not just for us to look good, but for us to remember Andrew Wade because he was a good player, and he died for our country.”
Antioch’s players came up with the idea of wearing the special uniforms.
“(The uniforms) were approved by the IHSA,” Antioch coach Marni Polakow said. “It was the boys that got together with the idea to honor him on 9-11.”
Wade wore jersey No. 14, which Iven Hernandez sports for the Sequoits. Hernandez scored the opening goal and assisted on the second, giving Antioch (5-3-1, 1-0-1) a 2-0 lead in the opening 11 minutes.
“We played really hard out there,” Polakow said. “We were taking it to (Lakes) in the first 15 minutes. We had a huge start. We took advantage of two mistakes and put two balls in the back of the net.
“I knew (Lakes) would come back because it’s a rivalry game. I thought we should have scored more and taken care of our opportunities.”
Hernandez opened the scoring in the sixth minute off a feed from John Bohmann. Hernandez assisted five minutes later on Nick Brito’s sixth goal this season.
Lakes (6-2-1, 1-1-1) rallied with a pair of second-half goals. Brian Werchek scored on a penalty kick after a Sequoit was called for a hand ball in the box in the 62nd-minute.
Trevor Ray tied the game for Lakes three minutes later off a long service from Werchek.
“It’s always a benefit to have the speed up top,” said Ray, who has 8 goals. “In games like these, when we have trouble possessing, all it takes is a simple through ball to make it happen.”
Tritschler made 5 of his 8 saves in the first half.
“It’s disappointing because we dug ourselves a hole,” Lakes coach Kevin Kullby said. “We didn’t play either goal very well. We came out a little flat.
“Just like the Round Lake game, we did everything right to create the chances at the goal. Their keeper (Tritschler) did a good job to save them. We got back into it. I give credit to our team that we didn’t fold the tent.”