Bremen gains Windy City Ram final
with 2 OT win over Bolingbrook
Seesaw battle decided by goal with 15 seconds left
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — Ricardo Avalos felt very much in the moment. He just wondered if he was somehow cursed. He watched one beautiful arching shot bound off the crossbar. Another time, he beautifully split two defenders and finessed a one-touch headed for an available net, only to watch a Bolingbrook defender come from nowhere and clear it off the line.
What he also has is an innate flair for the dramatic.
The Braves' junior forward collected a deep cross and rocketed home a left-footed blast with 15 seconds remaining that catapulted Bremen to the thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory over the Raiders in the semifinals of the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis on Tuesday.
The victory propelled the Braves into the championship Monday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview against Cristo Rey.
Bremen junior midfielder Christian Lopez earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for scoring a goal and providing the game-winning assist for the Braves (4-0). The sequence was textbook, yet a little controversial. Bolingbrook coach Jamie Clemmons thought one of his players was fouled inside the Braves' box in the moments leading to the winning sequence.
"Christian just looked for me and sent me long," Avalos said. "I just got the ball and wanted to just see if I could finish it."
He scored his third goal of the year and finished what Lopez started. "In that situation we knew we had to not get our heads down, keep pushing forward and just continue to fight," Avalos said.
As a team leader and tactical leader, Lopez is the engine that drives the Braves. He played the role brilliantly. "When we were switching for that second [overtime], I just told [Avalos] to go because I trust him. We've been playing a long time.
"I didn't see anybody in front of me, and I looked up and I crossed it. He was there, and it was one touch, one finish."
Like a lot of early season games, this one had a crazy and disruptive flow. Both teams took their turns dominating the field of play. Bremen had the clear early advantage. After playing cautiously and on their heels through much of the first half, Bolingbrook (3-1) found its rhythm late in the first half.
Midfielder Erick Gonzalez had the best scoring opportunity. He drilled a hard-and-low ball that curved perfectly before violently hitting off the near post.
"I celebrated a little too early," he said. He found his redemption late in the first half, scoring in the final minute off a beautiful drive from Jacob Perakis. He slotted a perfect ball that Gonzalez finished in front of an open net.
"At first it started off rough, but then we started getting back into the game slowly," Gonzalez said. "We were building up the confidence because they were pressuring us up high. We got that goal, and then we got into the game."
Bolingbrook rode the late first half momentum to clearly enjoy the superior play of the second half. Forward Luis Flores had two strong shots on goal that senior Bremen keeper Jose Chavez denied. Jorge Morales also found a seam and was dangerous. Bolingbrook could not get on the end.
It was an echo of the first half. Lopez's brilliant all-around play makes the Braves go. His goal in the fifth minute staked the Braves to the quick lead. His first shot, at the two-minute mark, set the aggressive tone for Bremen.
Bremen could not put the game away early when it had the better play. "I know it's early in the season, but we've gone through this for three games already," Bremen coach Steven Granat said. "We knock on the door, but we just have trouble finishing.
"We have finishers, but it's just early in the season. It's hard to say it is a huge thing, but it is something we're working on."
He knows he has a special player in Lopez. "He is one of the more skilled midfielders we've ever had in the Bremen program," he said. "He can do a lot of things with the ball. His 1 v. 1 skills are tremendous, and so is his shooting.
"He is one of those players who has all the tools."
The flow and energy made for some exciting soccer. "Nobody could really crack the [final] 18," Granat said. "Everything was off of quick counters. We scored on the first counter. They scored on the second counter, and then we scored on the third one.
"It was not really a build up. It was a quick counterattack and we're obviously pretty quick on our feet."
Now Lopez has his team on the verge of a significant early season accomplishment. "All of these games we've been playing pretty good," he said. "It gets a little frustrating sometimes to play like that and not finish some of those shots.
"You just have to work as a team and come out with the win."
Starting lineups
Bolingbrook
GK: Brandon Murillo
D: Jacob Perakis
D: Jarrid Gordon
D: Tyler Elmore
D: Christopher Zermeno
M: Erick Gonzalez
M: Jorge Navas
M:Christian Maldonado
M: Javier Chavez
M: Anguel Sanchez
F: Luis Flores
Bremen
GK: Jose Chavez
D: Felipe Lopez
D: Christian Alva
D: Jaret Ahern
D: Sam Grutzius
M: Fabian Lopez
M: Jorge Villanueva
M: Russell Pruitt
M: Fernando Bravo
M: Christian Lopez
F: Ricardo Avalos
Man of the Match: Christian Lopez, MF, Bremen
with 2 OT win over Bolingbrook
Seesaw battle decided by goal with 15 seconds left
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — Ricardo Avalos felt very much in the moment. He just wondered if he was somehow cursed. He watched one beautiful arching shot bound off the crossbar. Another time, he beautifully split two defenders and finessed a one-touch headed for an available net, only to watch a Bolingbrook defender come from nowhere and clear it off the line.
What he also has is an innate flair for the dramatic.
The Braves' junior forward collected a deep cross and rocketed home a left-footed blast with 15 seconds remaining that catapulted Bremen to the thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory over the Raiders in the semifinals of the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis on Tuesday.
The victory propelled the Braves into the championship Monday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview against Cristo Rey.
Bremen junior midfielder Christian Lopez earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for scoring a goal and providing the game-winning assist for the Braves (4-0). The sequence was textbook, yet a little controversial. Bolingbrook coach Jamie Clemmons thought one of his players was fouled inside the Braves' box in the moments leading to the winning sequence.
"Christian just looked for me and sent me long," Avalos said. "I just got the ball and wanted to just see if I could finish it."
He scored his third goal of the year and finished what Lopez started. "In that situation we knew we had to not get our heads down, keep pushing forward and just continue to fight," Avalos said.
As a team leader and tactical leader, Lopez is the engine that drives the Braves. He played the role brilliantly. "When we were switching for that second [overtime], I just told [Avalos] to go because I trust him. We've been playing a long time.
"I didn't see anybody in front of me, and I looked up and I crossed it. He was there, and it was one touch, one finish."
Like a lot of early season games, this one had a crazy and disruptive flow. Both teams took their turns dominating the field of play. Bremen had the clear early advantage. After playing cautiously and on their heels through much of the first half, Bolingbrook (3-1) found its rhythm late in the first half.
Midfielder Erick Gonzalez had the best scoring opportunity. He drilled a hard-and-low ball that curved perfectly before violently hitting off the near post.
"I celebrated a little too early," he said. He found his redemption late in the first half, scoring in the final minute off a beautiful drive from Jacob Perakis. He slotted a perfect ball that Gonzalez finished in front of an open net.
"At first it started off rough, but then we started getting back into the game slowly," Gonzalez said. "We were building up the confidence because they were pressuring us up high. We got that goal, and then we got into the game."
Bolingbrook rode the late first half momentum to clearly enjoy the superior play of the second half. Forward Luis Flores had two strong shots on goal that senior Bremen keeper Jose Chavez denied. Jorge Morales also found a seam and was dangerous. Bolingbrook could not get on the end.
It was an echo of the first half. Lopez's brilliant all-around play makes the Braves go. His goal in the fifth minute staked the Braves to the quick lead. His first shot, at the two-minute mark, set the aggressive tone for Bremen.
Bremen could not put the game away early when it had the better play. "I know it's early in the season, but we've gone through this for three games already," Bremen coach Steven Granat said. "We knock on the door, but we just have trouble finishing.
"We have finishers, but it's just early in the season. It's hard to say it is a huge thing, but it is something we're working on."
He knows he has a special player in Lopez. "He is one of the more skilled midfielders we've ever had in the Bremen program," he said. "He can do a lot of things with the ball. His 1 v. 1 skills are tremendous, and so is his shooting.
"He is one of those players who has all the tools."
The flow and energy made for some exciting soccer. "Nobody could really crack the [final] 18," Granat said. "Everything was off of quick counters. We scored on the first counter. They scored on the second counter, and then we scored on the third one.
"It was not really a build up. It was a quick counterattack and we're obviously pretty quick on our feet."
Now Lopez has his team on the verge of a significant early season accomplishment. "All of these games we've been playing pretty good," he said. "It gets a little frustrating sometimes to play like that and not finish some of those shots.
"You just have to work as a team and come out with the win."
Starting lineups
Bolingbrook
GK: Brandon Murillo
D: Jacob Perakis
D: Jarrid Gordon
D: Tyler Elmore
D: Christopher Zermeno
M: Erick Gonzalez
M: Jorge Navas
M:Christian Maldonado
M: Javier Chavez
M: Anguel Sanchez
F: Luis Flores
Bremen
GK: Jose Chavez
D: Felipe Lopez
D: Christian Alva
D: Jaret Ahern
D: Sam Grutzius
M: Fabian Lopez
M: Jorge Villanueva
M: Russell Pruitt
M: Fernando Bravo
M: Christian Lopez
F: Ricardo Avalos
Man of the Match: Christian Lopez, MF, Bremen