Boys soccer: Despite loss, Bartlett upbeat about the experience

The Bartlett boys soccer team's first trip to the IHSA Class 3A state finals didn't exactly end the way it had hoped.

The Hawks dropped Saturday's third-place game to Morton 2-0, and concluded its 2015 season with a record 17-9-2.

But make no mistake - the journey was more important than the destination, at least in the minds of first-year coach Vince DiNuzzo and seniors Oliver Saile and Tim Riordan.

"They broke most shutouts in a season by Bartlett High School, first conference championship, first sectional championship, first supersectional championship, first state appearance," DiNuzzo said. "If you watched us throughout the season, this is a special group. We knew it after Game 1 at St. Charles North - even though we lost, we knew we had a special group. We knew they were capable of playing with anyone."

And how. Bartlett won its own regional with 1-0 wins against West Chicago and St. Charles North, then seized the Wheaton Academy sectional with 2-1 victories over Glenbard North and Wheaton Academy, before dispatching McHenry 1-0 in the Barrington supersectional on Tuesday.

And then came state, at Hoffman Estates High School - and a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching 3-2 loss to Quincy in two overtimes Friday in the semifinals. The Hawks had a 1-0 lead until the 76th minute before giving up the equalizer, and then one goal apiece in each overtime period.

All that led to an anti-climactic third-place game Saturday against Morton, which fell to Libertyville 2-1 in Friday's other 3A semifinal.

The Mustangs, who finished 27-3, got a goal in the 10th minute from Steven Tovar and another in the 57th from Rigo Lozano, with both assisted by Leo Delgado. Lozano's was a breathtaking line drive from about 25 yards out that landed in the upper right corner of the Bartlett net, past goalkeeper Jake Hasenstein's outstretched hands.

The best the Hawks could manage was 3 shots Saturday, and just 1 on goal. The best scoring opportunity the entire game came from Saile early in the first half, on a blast from 30 yards out that flew over the crossbar.

Meanwhile, Bartlett gave up 13 total shots, 5 on goal, thanks to a Morton offense that stayed up-tempo all evening, especially after the first goal. Hasenstein, who was peppered with shots all night, ended with 4 saves.

True, it was a loss for the Hawks, but DiNuzzo insisted there was a higher purpose to consider - the future. For example, every member of Bartlett's roster got into Saturday's contest, including two key building blocks for the future, freshman defenders Rudy Reyes and Kevin Nava.

"It's a good thing for our program - it puts us on the map," said DiNuzzo, a 2008 Bartlett graduate and goalkeeper. "I've been telling people for a very long time that Bartlett has good soccer, and they are always like, 'Yeah, what have you guys ever done?'

"Now we have something to show for it. We have good kids that come in and out of Bartlett High School. We haven't had any results and now these guys got results for our program and have set the tone for years to come. It's awesome."

Saile and Riordan were aware of their legacy and see bright things on the horizon for the program they elevated to an unprecedented level.

"I think that was a main thing we were looking to do, is set the bar high," Saile said. "We did a good job of doing that this season, getting all the way to state, and winning conference, I think those are two big things that are setting the bar high or the program, that's the kind of legacy we want to leave."

"The four or five underclassmen we had, they're going to have to step it up, and I think having them learning from us, just having them on the team, will help out next year's varsity team," Riordan added. "I can't be prouder for them. Rudy stepped up, Kevin stepped up at the end of the season. They're going to have a fantastic year next year, and I'm just happy we were able to put Bartlett on the map."