Marquez, Cerda PK stars
in West Aurora win over Waubonsie Valley
Shootout win earns regional final date with Naperville C.
By Derek Wolff
NAPERVILLE — Robert Marquez was nearly speechless moments after he led West Aurora to a loud opening-round statement win over Waubonsie Valley in ISHA 3A regional play on Tuesday night.
The junior goalkeeper came up huge for the Wildcats in the win, stopping two shots in a penalty shootout to give Paul Cerda the chance to play hero after Marquez’s save in the seventh round.
Cerda stepped up and slotted home the game winner, and West Aurora advanced to play Naperville Central on Saturday with the 1-1 (6-5 PKs) win over Waubonsie Valley.
Marquez, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, made the first save of the shootout in the second round, besting Waubonsie Valley’s Henry Zehnal.
But Marquez’s counterpart, Warriors goalkeeper Eddie Sanchez, answered in the third round, stopping Wildcats forward Christian Martinez.
Five new shooters were selected after the sides split the opening five kicks 4-4, with West Aurora deciding to shoot last on the second go-round.
The strategy paid off after a pair of scores made it 5-5. It was then Marquez dived to his left to punch away Nate Bailey’s seventh-round attempt.
“On a penalty, you look straight at the guy,” Marquez said. “I picked my side. I had already told myself in my head he was going that side. I dove to that side and made the save.”
Cerda’s game-winning penalty kick a moment later was something he’d prepared for after a previous miss in middle school.
“I’ve had previous experience taking PKs, and it hasn’t always gone my way,” Cerda said. “In an eighth-grade tournament, I missed a PK in the final; we still won.”
But Cerda wasn’t going to miss this time around.
“I just took it and visualized making a goal before I shot it and just placed it where I wanted to put it," he said. "I executed what I wanted to do.”
The win felt well-earned to the Wildcats, who led for most of the game after a strike from midfielder Juan Pablo Morales found the back of the net in the 20th minute.
Wildcats coach Joe Sustersic was pleased the junior found a way to score in a crucial moment.
“Morales has been snake-bitten all year,” Sustersic said. “We’ve been joking that his sister was going to have more winning goals than him. Pablo kept the best for last and scored in a game where it really did matter.”
As the game wore on, the physical play picked up and Waubonsie Valley, which was operating with an almost nonexistent bench, started to create momentum in the final 20 minutes.
Warriors forward Tyler Barker scored on a header off a looping cross from the far post, a ball that Sustersic thought Marquez misread.
But the redemption his goalkeeper would get in the shootout propelled the team through to the next round.
“We have to look at the good and the bad,” Sustersic said. “He was able to pick up his teammates and get the two saves and win us the game. There are times where Robert does the great things, saves two penalty shots where it’s 'How the hell did he get to that ball?' and there’s times where it’s like, 'Robert, what did you do?' ”
Neither team generated a quality scoring chance in the overtime period, which consisted of two 10-minute sets before the penalty shootout.
It was certainly a tough way to go out for Waubonsie Valley after forcing the overtime and then shootout with essentially a 12-man roster due to injuries.
Sustersic said his team has played through adversity all season, so the late goal and the overtime didn’t deter it when it came crunch time.
“That’s not anything new,” he said. “My kids have been fighting the whole year. Sometimes we’ve been successful at the end and sometimes we haven’t. It is nice for them to see their careers continue another three days or four days.
“They played well. They have good hearts and the will to win, so it was nice to see them get the victory.”
Marquez said the team has something to prove after stumbling at this hurdle last season.
“This is just incredible. Last year we couldn’t make this, but we’re going to redeem ourselves and we’re going all out this year.”
With regional host Naperville Central defeating Oswego 3-1 in the afternoon game on Tuesday, the Wildcats and Redhawks will square off on Saturday, with a familiarity still lingering a year removed from conference play against one another.
Sustersic said the prior history will prepare his side for a tough challenge, but one that some of his athletes have experience in.
“We’re a little bit more war-ready playing against a team that we do have some knowledge of. They’re still Naperville Central, they’re still the Redhawks and we need to be ready to bring our A game. We have our work right now cut out for us. We want our kids to respect them but we have to be willing to challenge them, mano y mano.”
But if the momentum from Tuesday’s victory is any indication, the Wildcats will come out fired up and hungry for the upset.
“It is tremendous confidence for the next game on Saturday,” Cerda said. “We’re going to be here and we’re going to win this game against Naperville (Central).”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK-Robert Marquez
M-Jacob Sheldon
M-Luis Gallegos
IMF-Oscar Gaytan
OMF-Geovanni Martinez
M-Juan Pablo Morales
IMF-Junior Espino
M-Riley Roos
OMF-Jose Gallegos
F-Christian Martinez
F-Julio Mejia
Waubonsie Valley
GK-Eddie Sanchez
D-Rogelio Grimaldo
D-Jeff Ito
D-Justin Damon
D-Jason Wolfe
M-Drew Valek
M-Jon Braun
M-Henry Zehnal
M-Leo Mendoza
M-Stephan Spano
F-Tyler Barker
Man of the Match: Robert Marquez, West Aurora
in West Aurora win over Waubonsie Valley
Shootout win earns regional final date with Naperville C.
By Derek Wolff
NAPERVILLE — Robert Marquez was nearly speechless moments after he led West Aurora to a loud opening-round statement win over Waubonsie Valley in ISHA 3A regional play on Tuesday night.
The junior goalkeeper came up huge for the Wildcats in the win, stopping two shots in a penalty shootout to give Paul Cerda the chance to play hero after Marquez’s save in the seventh round.
Cerda stepped up and slotted home the game winner, and West Aurora advanced to play Naperville Central on Saturday with the 1-1 (6-5 PKs) win over Waubonsie Valley.
Marquez, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, made the first save of the shootout in the second round, besting Waubonsie Valley’s Henry Zehnal.
But Marquez’s counterpart, Warriors goalkeeper Eddie Sanchez, answered in the third round, stopping Wildcats forward Christian Martinez.
Five new shooters were selected after the sides split the opening five kicks 4-4, with West Aurora deciding to shoot last on the second go-round.
The strategy paid off after a pair of scores made it 5-5. It was then Marquez dived to his left to punch away Nate Bailey’s seventh-round attempt.
“On a penalty, you look straight at the guy,” Marquez said. “I picked my side. I had already told myself in my head he was going that side. I dove to that side and made the save.”
Cerda’s game-winning penalty kick a moment later was something he’d prepared for after a previous miss in middle school.
“I’ve had previous experience taking PKs, and it hasn’t always gone my way,” Cerda said. “In an eighth-grade tournament, I missed a PK in the final; we still won.”
But Cerda wasn’t going to miss this time around.
“I just took it and visualized making a goal before I shot it and just placed it where I wanted to put it," he said. "I executed what I wanted to do.”
The win felt well-earned to the Wildcats, who led for most of the game after a strike from midfielder Juan Pablo Morales found the back of the net in the 20th minute.
Wildcats coach Joe Sustersic was pleased the junior found a way to score in a crucial moment.
“Morales has been snake-bitten all year,” Sustersic said. “We’ve been joking that his sister was going to have more winning goals than him. Pablo kept the best for last and scored in a game where it really did matter.”
As the game wore on, the physical play picked up and Waubonsie Valley, which was operating with an almost nonexistent bench, started to create momentum in the final 20 minutes.
Warriors forward Tyler Barker scored on a header off a looping cross from the far post, a ball that Sustersic thought Marquez misread.
But the redemption his goalkeeper would get in the shootout propelled the team through to the next round.
“We have to look at the good and the bad,” Sustersic said. “He was able to pick up his teammates and get the two saves and win us the game. There are times where Robert does the great things, saves two penalty shots where it’s 'How the hell did he get to that ball?' and there’s times where it’s like, 'Robert, what did you do?' ”
Neither team generated a quality scoring chance in the overtime period, which consisted of two 10-minute sets before the penalty shootout.
It was certainly a tough way to go out for Waubonsie Valley after forcing the overtime and then shootout with essentially a 12-man roster due to injuries.
Sustersic said his team has played through adversity all season, so the late goal and the overtime didn’t deter it when it came crunch time.
“That’s not anything new,” he said. “My kids have been fighting the whole year. Sometimes we’ve been successful at the end and sometimes we haven’t. It is nice for them to see their careers continue another three days or four days.
“They played well. They have good hearts and the will to win, so it was nice to see them get the victory.”
Marquez said the team has something to prove after stumbling at this hurdle last season.
“This is just incredible. Last year we couldn’t make this, but we’re going to redeem ourselves and we’re going all out this year.”
With regional host Naperville Central defeating Oswego 3-1 in the afternoon game on Tuesday, the Wildcats and Redhawks will square off on Saturday, with a familiarity still lingering a year removed from conference play against one another.
Sustersic said the prior history will prepare his side for a tough challenge, but one that some of his athletes have experience in.
“We’re a little bit more war-ready playing against a team that we do have some knowledge of. They’re still Naperville Central, they’re still the Redhawks and we need to be ready to bring our A game. We have our work right now cut out for us. We want our kids to respect them but we have to be willing to challenge them, mano y mano.”
But if the momentum from Tuesday’s victory is any indication, the Wildcats will come out fired up and hungry for the upset.
“It is tremendous confidence for the next game on Saturday,” Cerda said. “We’re going to be here and we’re going to win this game against Naperville (Central).”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK-Robert Marquez
M-Jacob Sheldon
M-Luis Gallegos
IMF-Oscar Gaytan
OMF-Geovanni Martinez
M-Juan Pablo Morales
IMF-Junior Espino
M-Riley Roos
OMF-Jose Gallegos
F-Christian Martinez
F-Julio Mejia
Waubonsie Valley
GK-Eddie Sanchez
D-Rogelio Grimaldo
D-Jeff Ito
D-Justin Damon
D-Jason Wolfe
M-Drew Valek
M-Jon Braun
M-Henry Zehnal
M-Leo Mendoza
M-Stephan Spano
F-Tyler Barker
Man of the Match: Robert Marquez, West Aurora