Vazquez's back-to-back shootout saves lead Cristo Rey over Joliet Central
Heroics gain Cristeros first Windy City Ram final
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — Tony Vasquez hardly looks like a typical keeper. He is lean and quick rather than tall and rangy. Appearances deceive. His instincts are sound and his sense of anticipation is uncanny.
"I'm happy we have him," Cristo Rey coach Manuel Chavez said. "He has a lot of good years left."
The dynamic 5-foot-7 sophomore keeper blocked back-to-back shots in the penalty kick shootout as the 541-student Chicago Prep Conference school bested another Goliath, 3,113-student Joliet Central in a shootout after a 1-1 tie in the Tuesday semifinals of the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis.
The Cristeros (3-1) edged the Steelmen 5-4 in PKs.
Typical of the closeness that defined much of the action, both sides converted their first four penalty kicks. Joliet Central appeared to gain the upper half on the fifth shooter as keeper Francisco Espinoza made his own brilliant lunging stop of a Cristo Rey shooter.
Advantage Joliet Central. Vasquez, who is the second half keeper for Cristo Rey, was momentarily confused about the significance of the moment.
"I wasn't sure if I didn't stop it, if we'd keep on playing," he admitted.
No worries. Taking his position, he anticipated correctly and blocked the ball with his left hand to keep Cristo Rey's chances alive.
Ulises Maldonado, Jesus Garibay, Ivan Diaz and Osbaldo Garcia converted for the Cristeros in the shootout.
Nayib Martinez, Noel Ruiz, Issael Martinez and Juan Vazquez converted their shots for the Steelmen.
With both teams having exhausted their five shooters, the next phase was sudden death. Cristo Rey junior Noel Ruiz stepped up and drilled a low liner into the right corner, setting the stage for Vasquez's final act.
He again instinctively veered right and smothered the ball.
"After I blocked the first one, I just felt that we did very well," the Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match said. "I was just trying to get my team to the next game. The guys that shot, shot very well.
"On penalty kicks I just choose one side, and I just go."
Cristo Rey (3-1) lost its first game of the year against city rival Little Village on penalty kicks. Now the team from a 541-student school enters new territory. The Cristeros advance to the Windy City Ram Classic title game against Bremen on Monday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.
"This is really exciting," Chavez said. "We've never been this far in any tournament. We got to the sectionals three years ago. This is pretty amazing, and it's great for the guys and their parents."
The sense of family was strong. Tony Vasquez's brother, senior Andres Vasquez, staked the Cristeros to the 1-0 lead when he created space and drilled a left-footed ball in the 19th minute.
"Every play has teamwork behind it," Andres Vazquez said. "I wouldn't have been able to score that goal without teamwork.
"Enrique Fonseca sent a great ball to me. He got it behind two defenders, and he hit it back behind them and I was able to go one-on-one. That early goal really set the pace we wanted to play at," he said.
Joliet Central (3-1) created the equalizer with less than a minute in the first half but it cost them. Midfielder Ivan Estrada angled his body between two defenders and drilled a shot from the right wing just inside the box. He collided with Cristeros' starting keeper Rodrigo Maldonado just after making contact with the ball and suffered a right shoulder injury. He never returned to the game.
"It came off a rebound, and I was able to get to it before the goalie," Estrada said of his third goal of the year. "I made good contact, but I landed on my shoulder."
The second half regulation play and the two five-minute minute overtimes were defined more by near chances. The shootout appeared inevitable.
"We had a couple of good chances, but we just couldn't capitalize on them," Joliet Central coach Eduardo Contreras said. "They're a good team. They possessed, and we possessed. Nobody cracked.
"In penalty kicks, it's a wash. It just comes down to whoever stops one or makes one. We couldn't make that fifth one, but that's how soccer is."
Joliet Central plays Bolingbrook in the third-place game on Thursday. The tournament has been a strong one for the young Steelmen.
"We're starting seven juniors. We knew we were going to make some mistakes. We're also missing two starters that we hope to have back next week. It looks really good for us," Contreras said.
The Cristeros look to make another leap on Monday.
"It's a great experience because we're playing these top tier schools three times bigger than us, and we are able to beat them," Andres Vazquez said. "When we play these big big schools we take it as a challenge. If we lose we learn from our experience. If we win we take it from there and we keep learning.
"To be in the final at Toyota Park makes it all the best."
Starting lineups
Cristo Rey
GK: Rodrigo Maldonado
D: Crosby Estrada
D: Alexis Garcia
D: Jesus Garibay
D: Jose Garola
M: Enrique Fonseca
M: Jose Nava
M: Eliseo Chavez
M: Osbaldo Garcia
F: Noel Ruiz
F: Andres Vazquez
Joliet Central
GK: Francisco Espinoza
D: Brian Castillo
D: Missael Martinez
D: Jorge Vega
D: Anthony Gaytan
D: Jessie Salazar
M: Nayib Martinez
M: Antonio Arredondo
M: Guillermo Escobar
M: Ivan Estrada
F: Luis Villagomez
Man of the Match: Tony Vasquez, GK, Cristo Rey
Heroics gain Cristeros first Windy City Ram final
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — Tony Vasquez hardly looks like a typical keeper. He is lean and quick rather than tall and rangy. Appearances deceive. His instincts are sound and his sense of anticipation is uncanny.
"I'm happy we have him," Cristo Rey coach Manuel Chavez said. "He has a lot of good years left."
The dynamic 5-foot-7 sophomore keeper blocked back-to-back shots in the penalty kick shootout as the 541-student Chicago Prep Conference school bested another Goliath, 3,113-student Joliet Central in a shootout after a 1-1 tie in the Tuesday semifinals of the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis.
The Cristeros (3-1) edged the Steelmen 5-4 in PKs.
Typical of the closeness that defined much of the action, both sides converted their first four penalty kicks. Joliet Central appeared to gain the upper half on the fifth shooter as keeper Francisco Espinoza made his own brilliant lunging stop of a Cristo Rey shooter.
Advantage Joliet Central. Vasquez, who is the second half keeper for Cristo Rey, was momentarily confused about the significance of the moment.
"I wasn't sure if I didn't stop it, if we'd keep on playing," he admitted.
No worries. Taking his position, he anticipated correctly and blocked the ball with his left hand to keep Cristo Rey's chances alive.
Ulises Maldonado, Jesus Garibay, Ivan Diaz and Osbaldo Garcia converted for the Cristeros in the shootout.
Nayib Martinez, Noel Ruiz, Issael Martinez and Juan Vazquez converted their shots for the Steelmen.
With both teams having exhausted their five shooters, the next phase was sudden death. Cristo Rey junior Noel Ruiz stepped up and drilled a low liner into the right corner, setting the stage for Vasquez's final act.
He again instinctively veered right and smothered the ball.
"After I blocked the first one, I just felt that we did very well," the Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match said. "I was just trying to get my team to the next game. The guys that shot, shot very well.
"On penalty kicks I just choose one side, and I just go."
Cristo Rey (3-1) lost its first game of the year against city rival Little Village on penalty kicks. Now the team from a 541-student school enters new territory. The Cristeros advance to the Windy City Ram Classic title game against Bremen on Monday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.
"This is really exciting," Chavez said. "We've never been this far in any tournament. We got to the sectionals three years ago. This is pretty amazing, and it's great for the guys and their parents."
The sense of family was strong. Tony Vasquez's brother, senior Andres Vasquez, staked the Cristeros to the 1-0 lead when he created space and drilled a left-footed ball in the 19th minute.
"Every play has teamwork behind it," Andres Vazquez said. "I wouldn't have been able to score that goal without teamwork.
"Enrique Fonseca sent a great ball to me. He got it behind two defenders, and he hit it back behind them and I was able to go one-on-one. That early goal really set the pace we wanted to play at," he said.
Joliet Central (3-1) created the equalizer with less than a minute in the first half but it cost them. Midfielder Ivan Estrada angled his body between two defenders and drilled a shot from the right wing just inside the box. He collided with Cristeros' starting keeper Rodrigo Maldonado just after making contact with the ball and suffered a right shoulder injury. He never returned to the game.
"It came off a rebound, and I was able to get to it before the goalie," Estrada said of his third goal of the year. "I made good contact, but I landed on my shoulder."
The second half regulation play and the two five-minute minute overtimes were defined more by near chances. The shootout appeared inevitable.
"We had a couple of good chances, but we just couldn't capitalize on them," Joliet Central coach Eduardo Contreras said. "They're a good team. They possessed, and we possessed. Nobody cracked.
"In penalty kicks, it's a wash. It just comes down to whoever stops one or makes one. We couldn't make that fifth one, but that's how soccer is."
Joliet Central plays Bolingbrook in the third-place game on Thursday. The tournament has been a strong one for the young Steelmen.
"We're starting seven juniors. We knew we were going to make some mistakes. We're also missing two starters that we hope to have back next week. It looks really good for us," Contreras said.
The Cristeros look to make another leap on Monday.
"It's a great experience because we're playing these top tier schools three times bigger than us, and we are able to beat them," Andres Vazquez said. "When we play these big big schools we take it as a challenge. If we lose we learn from our experience. If we win we take it from there and we keep learning.
"To be in the final at Toyota Park makes it all the best."
Starting lineups
Cristo Rey
GK: Rodrigo Maldonado
D: Crosby Estrada
D: Alexis Garcia
D: Jesus Garibay
D: Jose Garola
M: Enrique Fonseca
M: Jose Nava
M: Eliseo Chavez
M: Osbaldo Garcia
F: Noel Ruiz
F: Andres Vazquez
Joliet Central
GK: Francisco Espinoza
D: Brian Castillo
D: Missael Martinez
D: Jorge Vega
D: Anthony Gaytan
D: Jessie Salazar
M: Nayib Martinez
M: Antonio Arredondo
M: Guillermo Escobar
M: Ivan Estrada
F: Luis Villagomez
Man of the Match: Tony Vasquez, GK, Cristo Rey