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Boys soccer: Gibault thwarts Wheaton Academy in state semifinals

There has never been a concern about whether Wheaton Academy would score goals this season.

The only real questions were, when would the Warriors score them, who would get them and how many?

During, Friday's IHSA Class 2A semifinal game against Gibault Catholic, the Warriors dominated possession in the first half, creating numerous scoring opportunities. Only one of them found a home in the back of the net, however.

That spelled doom for their chances of advancing to Saturday's championship game. The Hawks rallied in the second half for a 2-1 victory.

“We just couldn't get it all the way through and we've done a good job of putting up goals and creating the opportunities,” Warriors coach Jeff Brooke said. “You're waiting for it to hit the back of the net and it just doesn't, and then they get one late off kind of a broken play, which is tough, so it's hard to lose this one.”

The equalizer was even more difficult to accept as it came on a penalty kick.

“I thought we got a bad call on the penalty,” Brooke said. “I don't even know (what happened). I just thought we got a bad call, but obviously we've got to fight back and be resilient and that's part of the game and part of the tournament.”

Gibault Catholic (18-6-3), which was making its 11th state appearance, but first in 2A after winning four Class 1A titles since 2000, scored the equalizer on Karson Huels' penalty kick with 21:31 remaining. The Hawks then took the lead for good with 5:12 left in the game when Ryan Swindle took advantage of a ball that was bouncing around in front of the net.

“I just took a touch to make myself a shooting lane and put it on frame,” Swindle said. “It's very exciting because I'm not much of a goal scorer (3 goals this year).”

Wheaton Academy goalkeeper J.D. Gunn got a hand on Swindle's shot, but it caromed off the cross bar and sneaked into the net.

“That's just one of those thing that you look back on and wonder if you could've done something differently,” Gunn said. “I honestly don't know if I could have. I got my hand on the second shot and it's just devastating to go in off the crossbar. I thought I just got it enough to keep it out.”

Wheaton Academy (23-5) had a couple of chances in the final five minutes to draw even, including a header from Luke Holwerda that sailed just wide left. But the Warriors saw their hopes for a second state title come to an end.

The Warriors had outscored teams 95-20 coming into play, including 65-5 during their 16-game winning streak. They outshot the Hawks 24-8 in this game and took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half on Seamus Kilgallon's goal.

“They possessed very well,” Hawks coach Darryn Haudrich said. “They are very technical and technically sound. They move the ball and they're quick. They're dangerous and they were coming in flows. There's no doubt that in the first half they outplayed us, for sure.”

But the Warriors couldn't outscore their opponent for the first time since Sept. 16.

“I was proud of the guys,” Brooke said. “They worked really hard but just fell short. I hold my head high about this group. It's tough, but credit Gibault for getting it done because it's tough to do.”

Images: Wheaton Academy falls to Gibault in a Class 2A State Soccer Semifinal

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