Tough playoff exit for Wheeling
A marathon shootout sent Wheeling's boys soccer team crashing out of the postseason after Deerfield converted all 9 of its spot kicks to outscore the Wildcats 9-8 and capture the Class 3A regional title at Grayslake North late Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors (16-4-2) next face No. 8 Waukegan in a sectional semifinal at Stevenson on Tuesday after the Bulldogs stunned No. 1 Warren in the Mundelein regional final.
"It was the ultimate defensive battle in the rain, wind and cold, and luckily for us, we were able to put one more penalty kick than Wheeling to get through," said Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig, who earlier in the week watched his club prevail in penalty kicks against St. Viator to advance into this final.
"Penalty kicks never seems the way to decide things, and I am not a big fan but it's just the way it is. And it's a tough way to go out," said Wheeling coach Ed Uhrik, whose club finished a sparkling 14-3-4 this fall.
It was clear from the early stages this would not be soccer at its best.
A strong crosswind roared nearly every other minute and was later joined by a fine mist which became a steady rain - much to the delight of Hurtig, whose defensive posture played well in this dreadful conditions.
"We have an incredible back line that just refused to give in, especially of late," Hurtig said. "And they knew they had to be at their best because of the two front-runners Wheeling had, and a couple of other dangerous players in their attack."
The Warriors' unit of Will Schmetterer, Evan Gerke, Michael Such and Levi Goldstein were watertight.
They won nearly every ball in the air sent in by the Wildcats, who targeted leading scorer Nick Janulis and his running mate, Elias Cisneros. Janulis, Cisneros and Dennis Gavrila combined for 38 goals this season.
"We came in with a game plan of playing the ball high to Nick, with the hope of Elias and Dennis running off him in deep to get some good chances," said captain Josh Prindle. who in the final match of his career was pure class in his postgame interview despite the obvious disappointing defeat. "But the Deerfield defense was very good, and we never were able to get much going in their end for most of the day.
"The ball was up in the air a lot today because of the conditions, we didn't keep the ball at our feet very much or possess it like we can. Maybe it was a case of nerves but some credit had to go to Deerfield as well."
Chances were in short supply from both clubs.
Senior Allen Mancilla and Wildcats keeper Juan Salgado were each superb in their final match. But moments after Seth Bornstein was brought in the 56th minute, the senior made his mark on the match.
Bornstein ran onto a serve from the right side and sent his one-timer into the corner, well out of Salgado's range.
The Wildcats' big three flooded forward along with Vicente Castro, Jose Mariscal and others joining the effort in hopes of prying open the Warriors, who sat back as a way to manage the lead for the final 24 minutes.
When Deerfield was just four minutes from victory, Mantilla's long free kick from near the midline met his teammate, Jonathan Sanchez, and keeper, Leo Kolodkin, with the 50-50 ball going favorably into the back of the net.
After two ten-minute periods yielded nothing, it was a shootout to decide the team to advance.
Each side was perfect through the first eight rounds with Hurtig spotting midfield, Nick Klabjan in for Kolodkin after all five shooters went 5-for-5.
"We've done that before because Nick is a great shot-stopper," Hurtig admitted. "And we were hoping we could maybe get them out of rhythm or something."
Salgado was forced out after suffering a back injury. He was replaced by Jose Castillo for the final three attempts.
After Mantilla went high with his spot kick, Such buried his to give Deerfield its first regional title since 2011.
"It's tough for Allen right now," Uhrik said. "But I hope later he realizes he was part of our championship team two years ago, which went on to finish second in the state. "Sometimes it takes a little luck to win these games, and today we didn't have it. But good for Deerfield, and I hope they have a long run in them from here on."
Fremd regional: Third-seeded Libertyville ended the season for No. 11 seed Palatine with a 3-0 decision.
The Wildcats advance to a 6:30 p.m. Wednesday matchup at Stevenson against Highland Park.
Leyden regional: The Eagles topped Lane 2-0 to earn a spot in Tuesday's 7 p.m. Glenbrook North sectional semifinal against Niles North.
Lake Park regional: Mid-Suburban League champion Schaumburg eliminated Willowbrook 3-0 Saturday evening. The Saxons next compete on Wednesday in sectional semifinal play against host Wheaton Academy at 4:30 p.m.