Hinsdale Central outlasts
Morton in early-September classic
4-2 shootout win allows hosts to regain Red Devil Cup
By Dave Owen
HINSDALE- The calendar said Sept. 5, but the caliber of play, intensity and drama screamed late October.
Saturday’s Red Devil Cup championship match between defending Class 3A state champion Hinsdale Central and powerhouse Morton featured amazing shots, last-second regulation drama, and a decisive versatile performance in the penalty kick session.
When the heavyweight battle ended between second-ranked Morton and the third-ranked Red Devils, the hosts survived a last-minute Mustang goal in regulation (which tied the match 2-2) to take the PK session 4-2, claim the Red Devil Cup and make a huge early-season statement.
“We talk about what the preparation is for the end of the season, and how important it is to put ourselves in these situations,” Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins said. “I certainly didn’t want to put ourselves in that situation with 37 seconds left (a tying goal by Morton’s Leo Delgado), but the best part about that is you can’t create that type of thing. So for us it’s something we can draw upon.
“Our season’s just beginning, so it’s beneficial to be able to play a team like this that’s one of the best in the country in Morton. We continually find ourselves in situations that we will benefit from at the end of the year.”
The big beneficiary of Saturday’s experience was senior goalkeeper Ethan Gama.
Playing behind all-stater Wes Bergevin in goal last fall, Gama made the most of his first big moment as the Red Devils’ starter.
Not only did Morton (6-1) convert on just 2 of 4 PK tries against Gama, but the senior experienced a dream back-to-back sequence in the session.
As a shooter, he scored to put the Red Devils up 3-2. Moments later back on his line, a diving save to his right set up teammate Rigo Rojas’ win-clinching PK finish.
“I’ve been in that situation (shooting PKs) before in club and had that confidence,” Gama said. “I’ve always been looked to for that, and I was confident.
“It’s definitely credit to them (Morton) for pulling that (late tie) off. Leo went down the line and tucked it in. After that we (the Red Devils) got together, kept composed and knew the things we needed to do.
Gama continued the Red Devils’ mastery of PK’s that Bergevin (now playing at Penn State) perfected in last year’s amazing postseason run to a state title.
“That guy (Bergevin) is my mentor,” Gama said. “A big shout out to him. We’re good friends, we still stay in touch, and I got so many helpful tips from him with all his knowledge that he passed on to me.
“I’ve been in that situation in the past as a goalkeeper,” Gama added, “now with three years on varsity. Being behind Wes Bergevin, I’ve had my practice.”
So much so that Gama mirrored Bergevin, who made a last-minute PK stop to save Hinsdale Central in a thrilling 3-2 sectional upset win over Morton last November 1.
After seeing Gama in practices this season, Wiggins had total confidence.
“I think that (PK save) changed things,” Wiggins said. “We know what Ethan’s got, and we practice this stuff, and he has so much fun stuffing our own guys that it gets to the point that we kind of worry about the confidence of our own shooters because he’s so strong in practice.”
Red Devil PK shooters Bryan Loebig, Louis St. John, Gama and Rojas all scored in the session against Morton. Besides Gama’s save, the first Mustang shooter missed over the net.
“Obviously in PKs anything can happen,” Morton coach Mike Caruso said. “We didn’t hit our best ones, they hit some good ones, and their keeper made some nice saves there.
“Two great teams, and at least it was entertaining for the fans. I thought it was a great all-around game, and that’s what you get with top-ranked teams.”
The marquee matchup exceeded its high expectations from start to finish – although Morton endured its share of early frustration.
While Morton goalkeeper Billy Castro made a diving save to deny Loebig’s rebound attempt off a Rojas shot nine minutes in, the Mustangs generated several of their own great chances.
In quick succession, a Malik Jones 8-yard header on goal, a Jones shot just over the net and a Danny Sanchez shot deflected inches wide were near misses.
“I thought we came out strong and we left a couple of goals on the field in the first 10 minutes,” Caruso said, “and you probably figured it would come back to bite us. If we put two easy ones away early that we mistouched or whatever, it puts us in better shape.”
The Mustangs finished a chance with 19:45 left until halftime when quick and elusive Baltazar Duran slipped between defenders to line a 15-yard shot inside the post for a 1-0 lead.
“The first half they had us quite a bit in our half, and we had to deal with it,” Wiggins said, “so we grew up a lot tonight.”
The decision by elite club players Rojas and St. John to join the Red Devils this season has certainly aided the team’s post-championship rebirth. And St. John made two huge offensive plays to put Morton on its heels.
After Mitch Collins was fouled left of the box with 8:42 left in the first half, St. John lined the ensuing 22-yard direct kick just inside the far (right) post for his fifth goal of 2015 and a 1-1 halftime tie.
Then with 27:11 left in regulation, St. John turned a literal long shot chance into a great set-piece finish.
This time lining up a free kick from 61 yards, St. John rocketed a high shot that Castro had to leap to deflect near the crossbar. Hinsdale Central's Michael Usher gathered the deflection in the crease and booted in the rebound for a 2-1 Red Devil lead.
“That’s kind of our go-to play,” said St. John, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. “I try to dump it in there, and we have a huge team obviously. We try to get guys on the ball and do everything we can to put it in the back of the net.”
That goal came 10 minutes after a great early second-half Red Devil chance. Off a Rojas send to the net with 37:35 to play, Collins’ point-blank header was somehow blocked by goalkeeper Castro. Morton’s Rigo Lozano then controlled the rebound.
Hinsdale Central remained on the attack up 2-1, as a St. John 25-yarder off a Loebig pass with 17:50 left went over the net.
Morton upped its forward push with 10:50 to go, mustering three elite chances in six minutes. First, a Nikash Tejpal clear denied Duran’s run into the box.
Then after the big scare of a Duran 25-yard rocket off the crossbar with 9:45 left, the Red Devils rose to the test with 4:30 to go with Gama’s leaping catch of a 31-yard Duran free kick.
“We came out obviously to bring up the intensity and go at them as hard as we could,” St. John said of Morton, “because we knew they were going to be good. They were on the ball, moving fast and going to goal.”
The Red Devils answered with their own huge threat with 3:30 to go. Off Edgar Astorga’s cross from left of the goal, Rojas was robbed on a 6-yard blast by a one-handed Castro save. St. John again initiated that chance with a 35-yard direct kick.
“They’re dangerous with 15 (St. John) and 7 (Rojas) up top, so they have firepower,” Caruso said of the Red Devils. “Hinsdale Central’s usually more methodical, but with those two weapons they’re very dangerous this year. Hinsdale played a great game, but we kept working and got one at the end. We didn’t panic.”
Just when the back-and-forth attacks seemed to be ending on a nice Stephen Coan steal with 1:05 left, Morton made its last ditch threat count when Mercado lined a 20-yarder left of the goal just inside the right post to tie the score 2-2.
The game went directly to penalty kicks – and the Red Devils were ready. After beating Morton 3-2 in last year’s sectional finals, Hinsdale Central again narrowly got the best of the Mustangs.
“This is definitely big,” Gama said. “Morton’s one of our biggest rivals every year. They always have a powerful team. Credit to them for playing a good game.”
To Wiggins, a great learning experience came with a huge win.
“A lot of guys who weren’t part of the group last year now understand what the level is that we talk about,” he said. “And it sets us up for a good showing next weekend in Peoria (at the Notre Dame tournament).”
St. John is no stranger to high-level matches, but the dramatic experience added an element of school pride was new territory Saturday.
“(The Red Devils’ state title) was a pretty big motivation,” St. John said of his shift to high school soccer. “My plan before the team was able to win state was to come back and join some of my buddies senior year. I was glad they were able to get that (title), that’s for sure.”
Helping his new team win the Red Devil Cup against an elite opponent was the first dividend of that decision.
“It’s huge,” St. John said. “Downers Grove South earlier in the week (a 4-2 win) was a good test certainly, and so was Morton of course.
We came into this with a state tournament-type mentality, and we plan to continue that kind of mentality the rest of the season and see where it takes us.”
The win gave Hinsdale Central its second Red Devil Cup win in the past three years and a measure of revenge. Morton beat the Red Devils 3-0 in the final last year.
Next up for the defending state champs is the start of their defense of West Suburban Conference Silver Division dominance.
“We now turn our focus to York High School, in an effort to extend our West Suburban Conference unbeaten streak that dates back over three years, with 18 wins in a row," said Wiggins. "The next two days will provide our guys a chance to rest up and be prepared come Tuesday.”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK- Billy Castro
D- Juan Salas
D- Diego Lopez
D- Rodrigo Gutierrez
MF- Baltazar Duran
MF- Danny Sanchez
MF- Rigo Lozano
MF- Leo Delgado
MF- Aiden Carriedo
F- Malik Jones
F- Steven Tovar
Hinsdale Central
GK- Ethan Gama
D- Max Snodgrass
D- Nikash Tejpal
D- Daniel Lillard
D- Stephen Coan
MF- Jim Walker
MF- Louis St. John
MF- James Mathew
MF- Mitchell Collins
F- Rigoberto Rojas
F- Bryan Loebig
Man of the Match: Louis St. John, Hinsdale Central
Morton in early-September classic
4-2 shootout win allows hosts to regain Red Devil Cup
By Dave Owen
HINSDALE- The calendar said Sept. 5, but the caliber of play, intensity and drama screamed late October.
Saturday’s Red Devil Cup championship match between defending Class 3A state champion Hinsdale Central and powerhouse Morton featured amazing shots, last-second regulation drama, and a decisive versatile performance in the penalty kick session.
When the heavyweight battle ended between second-ranked Morton and the third-ranked Red Devils, the hosts survived a last-minute Mustang goal in regulation (which tied the match 2-2) to take the PK session 4-2, claim the Red Devil Cup and make a huge early-season statement.
“We talk about what the preparation is for the end of the season, and how important it is to put ourselves in these situations,” Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins said. “I certainly didn’t want to put ourselves in that situation with 37 seconds left (a tying goal by Morton’s Leo Delgado), but the best part about that is you can’t create that type of thing. So for us it’s something we can draw upon.
“Our season’s just beginning, so it’s beneficial to be able to play a team like this that’s one of the best in the country in Morton. We continually find ourselves in situations that we will benefit from at the end of the year.”
The big beneficiary of Saturday’s experience was senior goalkeeper Ethan Gama.
Playing behind all-stater Wes Bergevin in goal last fall, Gama made the most of his first big moment as the Red Devils’ starter.
Not only did Morton (6-1) convert on just 2 of 4 PK tries against Gama, but the senior experienced a dream back-to-back sequence in the session.
As a shooter, he scored to put the Red Devils up 3-2. Moments later back on his line, a diving save to his right set up teammate Rigo Rojas’ win-clinching PK finish.
“I’ve been in that situation (shooting PKs) before in club and had that confidence,” Gama said. “I’ve always been looked to for that, and I was confident.
“It’s definitely credit to them (Morton) for pulling that (late tie) off. Leo went down the line and tucked it in. After that we (the Red Devils) got together, kept composed and knew the things we needed to do.
Gama continued the Red Devils’ mastery of PK’s that Bergevin (now playing at Penn State) perfected in last year’s amazing postseason run to a state title.
“That guy (Bergevin) is my mentor,” Gama said. “A big shout out to him. We’re good friends, we still stay in touch, and I got so many helpful tips from him with all his knowledge that he passed on to me.
“I’ve been in that situation in the past as a goalkeeper,” Gama added, “now with three years on varsity. Being behind Wes Bergevin, I’ve had my practice.”
So much so that Gama mirrored Bergevin, who made a last-minute PK stop to save Hinsdale Central in a thrilling 3-2 sectional upset win over Morton last November 1.
After seeing Gama in practices this season, Wiggins had total confidence.
“I think that (PK save) changed things,” Wiggins said. “We know what Ethan’s got, and we practice this stuff, and he has so much fun stuffing our own guys that it gets to the point that we kind of worry about the confidence of our own shooters because he’s so strong in practice.”
Red Devil PK shooters Bryan Loebig, Louis St. John, Gama and Rojas all scored in the session against Morton. Besides Gama’s save, the first Mustang shooter missed over the net.
“Obviously in PKs anything can happen,” Morton coach Mike Caruso said. “We didn’t hit our best ones, they hit some good ones, and their keeper made some nice saves there.
“Two great teams, and at least it was entertaining for the fans. I thought it was a great all-around game, and that’s what you get with top-ranked teams.”
The marquee matchup exceeded its high expectations from start to finish – although Morton endured its share of early frustration.
While Morton goalkeeper Billy Castro made a diving save to deny Loebig’s rebound attempt off a Rojas shot nine minutes in, the Mustangs generated several of their own great chances.
In quick succession, a Malik Jones 8-yard header on goal, a Jones shot just over the net and a Danny Sanchez shot deflected inches wide were near misses.
“I thought we came out strong and we left a couple of goals on the field in the first 10 minutes,” Caruso said, “and you probably figured it would come back to bite us. If we put two easy ones away early that we mistouched or whatever, it puts us in better shape.”
The Mustangs finished a chance with 19:45 left until halftime when quick and elusive Baltazar Duran slipped between defenders to line a 15-yard shot inside the post for a 1-0 lead.
“The first half they had us quite a bit in our half, and we had to deal with it,” Wiggins said, “so we grew up a lot tonight.”
The decision by elite club players Rojas and St. John to join the Red Devils this season has certainly aided the team’s post-championship rebirth. And St. John made two huge offensive plays to put Morton on its heels.
After Mitch Collins was fouled left of the box with 8:42 left in the first half, St. John lined the ensuing 22-yard direct kick just inside the far (right) post for his fifth goal of 2015 and a 1-1 halftime tie.
Then with 27:11 left in regulation, St. John turned a literal long shot chance into a great set-piece finish.
This time lining up a free kick from 61 yards, St. John rocketed a high shot that Castro had to leap to deflect near the crossbar. Hinsdale Central's Michael Usher gathered the deflection in the crease and booted in the rebound for a 2-1 Red Devil lead.
“That’s kind of our go-to play,” said St. John, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. “I try to dump it in there, and we have a huge team obviously. We try to get guys on the ball and do everything we can to put it in the back of the net.”
That goal came 10 minutes after a great early second-half Red Devil chance. Off a Rojas send to the net with 37:35 to play, Collins’ point-blank header was somehow blocked by goalkeeper Castro. Morton’s Rigo Lozano then controlled the rebound.
Hinsdale Central remained on the attack up 2-1, as a St. John 25-yarder off a Loebig pass with 17:50 left went over the net.
Morton upped its forward push with 10:50 to go, mustering three elite chances in six minutes. First, a Nikash Tejpal clear denied Duran’s run into the box.
Then after the big scare of a Duran 25-yard rocket off the crossbar with 9:45 left, the Red Devils rose to the test with 4:30 to go with Gama’s leaping catch of a 31-yard Duran free kick.
“We came out obviously to bring up the intensity and go at them as hard as we could,” St. John said of Morton, “because we knew they were going to be good. They were on the ball, moving fast and going to goal.”
The Red Devils answered with their own huge threat with 3:30 to go. Off Edgar Astorga’s cross from left of the goal, Rojas was robbed on a 6-yard blast by a one-handed Castro save. St. John again initiated that chance with a 35-yard direct kick.
“They’re dangerous with 15 (St. John) and 7 (Rojas) up top, so they have firepower,” Caruso said of the Red Devils. “Hinsdale Central’s usually more methodical, but with those two weapons they’re very dangerous this year. Hinsdale played a great game, but we kept working and got one at the end. We didn’t panic.”
Just when the back-and-forth attacks seemed to be ending on a nice Stephen Coan steal with 1:05 left, Morton made its last ditch threat count when Mercado lined a 20-yarder left of the goal just inside the right post to tie the score 2-2.
The game went directly to penalty kicks – and the Red Devils were ready. After beating Morton 3-2 in last year’s sectional finals, Hinsdale Central again narrowly got the best of the Mustangs.
“This is definitely big,” Gama said. “Morton’s one of our biggest rivals every year. They always have a powerful team. Credit to them for playing a good game.”
To Wiggins, a great learning experience came with a huge win.
“A lot of guys who weren’t part of the group last year now understand what the level is that we talk about,” he said. “And it sets us up for a good showing next weekend in Peoria (at the Notre Dame tournament).”
St. John is no stranger to high-level matches, but the dramatic experience added an element of school pride was new territory Saturday.
“(The Red Devils’ state title) was a pretty big motivation,” St. John said of his shift to high school soccer. “My plan before the team was able to win state was to come back and join some of my buddies senior year. I was glad they were able to get that (title), that’s for sure.”
Helping his new team win the Red Devil Cup against an elite opponent was the first dividend of that decision.
“It’s huge,” St. John said. “Downers Grove South earlier in the week (a 4-2 win) was a good test certainly, and so was Morton of course.
We came into this with a state tournament-type mentality, and we plan to continue that kind of mentality the rest of the season and see where it takes us.”
The win gave Hinsdale Central its second Red Devil Cup win in the past three years and a measure of revenge. Morton beat the Red Devils 3-0 in the final last year.
Next up for the defending state champs is the start of their defense of West Suburban Conference Silver Division dominance.
“We now turn our focus to York High School, in an effort to extend our West Suburban Conference unbeaten streak that dates back over three years, with 18 wins in a row," said Wiggins. "The next two days will provide our guys a chance to rest up and be prepared come Tuesday.”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK- Billy Castro
D- Juan Salas
D- Diego Lopez
D- Rodrigo Gutierrez
MF- Baltazar Duran
MF- Danny Sanchez
MF- Rigo Lozano
MF- Leo Delgado
MF- Aiden Carriedo
F- Malik Jones
F- Steven Tovar
Hinsdale Central
GK- Ethan Gama
D- Max Snodgrass
D- Nikash Tejpal
D- Daniel Lillard
D- Stephen Coan
MF- Jim Walker
MF- Louis St. John
MF- James Mathew
MF- Mitchell Collins
F- Rigoberto Rojas
F- Bryan Loebig
Man of the Match: Louis St. John, Hinsdale Central