Mission accomplished
for Wheaton Academy
Warriors win 1st title with 5-1 win over St. Joseph
boys soccer – Class 2A state final – 11/8/14
By Matt Le Cren
HOFFMAN ESTATES – Wheaton Academy had been hungry all season.
On Saturday, the Warriors feasted.
Lucas Hoepner and Reid Culberson scored two goals each and Jha’Lon Johnson had one as Wheaton Academy (25-1-1) routed previously unbeaten St. Joseph 5-1 to capture the Class 2A state championship at Hoffman Estates.
The title is the first for the Warriors, who earned six trips to the state finals including the previous two seasons, but never advanced to the championship game.
“This group is a really special group,” Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. “We’ve got more seniors than I think we’ve ever, had and they just laid down a chemistry that was going to be about team, that it was going to be about each individual day.
“I remember back in August, September and even October when we were focusing on today, we were focusing on that day. And to have that type of focus from high school students, I’ve just been nothing but impressed.
“Then when we show up at the state finals, the guys were ready to go yesterday, they attacked with energy and pace. I thought there was even an extra level of focus today, to score goals and to defend. They’ve been hungry since day one and as a coach that’s all you can ask for.”
St. Joseph (23-1-1) also sought its first crown having lost in its only previous title match back in 1997.
Both teams set a school record for victories this fall, but the Warriors did it with a much more experienced roster and against a much tougher schedule that included 10 Class 3A opponents.
Those factors came into play Saturday in a match that the Warriors controlled. Wheaton Academy scored a pair of early goals and led 3-0 before Victor Moreno put the Chargers on the board with 4:10 left in the first half.
Ironically, Wheaton Academy star striker Ty Seager was held without a goal, but he did play a part in three scores.
His first came when when Seager took a ball to the right endline and passed to Hoepner in front for an open shot that caromed off the underside of the crossbar and came down over the goal line at the 10 minute mark.
The second followed seven minutes later when Seager again dribbled in close and gave it up to Hoepner, whose point-blank shot was turned away by St. Joseph goalie Jonathan Rosales. The rebound came out to Culberson, who quickly slotted a left-footed shot through traffic, past the prone Rosales and inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.
“I think it was huge,” Seager said. “Especially early in the season, game in and game out, we were scoring early and getting a lot of early goals and putting teams away. We always emphasize getting that third goal, especially after those quick first two.
“In the game between (Saint) Viator and St. Joseph (in the semifinals), (Saint) Viator was up 2-0 and it proved that you have to finish because (St. Joseph) came back and ended up winning the game. The emphasis was on not stopping and continuing after the quick start.”
The Warriors did that, going up 3-0 on Hoepner’s second goal with 5:30 remaining in the first half. Senior Hunter Finnegan heaved a throw-in from the left side into the box to Seager, who tapped the ball into the middle of the box for Hoepner to bury an eight-yard shot.
Seager scored 39 goals this season, including three in Friday’s 4-0 semifinal defeat of Springfield. For St. Joseph to be down 3-0 despite holding him off the scoreboard was devastating to the Chargers.
“(The early deficit) definitely impacted us,” St. Joseph senior Eduardo Gutierrez said. “We just kind of put our heads down. We slowed down.
“We didn’t come out ready enough to play. But that being said we had eight sophomores on the team. When you’re playing with young talent, experience is a lack, so I think that was definitely a factor.”
Moreno’s score, which came on a 20-yard shot after he intercepted a clearing attempt, gave the Chargers hope, though not for long.
“I think we can play with them,” St. Joseph coach Stan Niemiec said. “The score reflected that they’re a better team. It’s unfortunate the start that we got. I think we came out the second half a whole lot better and had we gotten another goal I think it would really have made a difference.”
Instead, the Warriors continued to attack with vigor after the intermission. Rosales gave an inspired effort, making 11 saves, but Wheaton Academy broke through with a double-tap midway through the period that finished the Chargers hopes.
Johnson made it 4-1 with his fourth goal of the year with 21:26 to go and then Culberson capped the scoring 2:21 later with a great individual effort, dribbling past a defender into the left side of the penalty area before beating Rosales with a sharp shot to the far post.
“Ty has put the ball in the net this year,” Brooke said. “Ty has been the first one to say the guys around him do the work. Our system is in place and guys have bought in, whether they get the stats or not. Those guys have always been ready when their name has been called.
“Today when Lucas finds a ball coming across the 18, he prep touches it, he shelves it, and he runs to his spot. Reid, I told him to be hungrier, and he gets around the edge with an eliminating touch that set up the far post.”
Often overlooked but just as effective this fall was Wheaton Academy’s defense. Finnegan and fellow defenders Michael Carver, Andrew VanNispen and Parker Setran were solid again in limiting the Chargers to seven shots, and just Moreno's impressive goal. Senior goalkeeper Drew Sezonov made three saves in his final high school appearance between the pipes.
“We showed an ability to possess the ball but also a killer instinct,” Brooke said. “I think our back four plus our goalkeeper haven't gotten enough credit all year.”
It all ended in a glorious moment of school history as the Warriors saluted their fan section by holding the championship trophy aloft. It will eventually reside in a display case next to the two championship trophies won by the girls team in 2004 and 2009.
“We’ve been working day in and day out to try and work towards this goal that we set at the beginning of the year,” said Hoepner, who was named Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match. “It’s just amazing that it’s become a reality now that we can all experience.”
It is said that championship teams must experience the agony of defeat before they can truly appreciate the joy of victory. The Warriors experienced that with their 2012 and 2013 semifinal losses.
“That was the main drive,” Culberson said. “The last two years we couldn’t quite pull it out so we knew that we were only going to have one shot with this team. We knew we had a good team. And so we really wanted to win this game, and that’s what drove us.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK Drew Sezonov
D Michael Carver
D Andrew VanNispen
D Parker Setran
M Lucas Hoepner
M Grant Rogaus
M Jha;Lon Johnson
M Jacob Kapitaniuk
F Luis Rocha
F Reid Culberson
F Ty Seager
St. Joseph
GK Jonathan Rosales
D Isaac Barboza
D Toni Orozco
D Sebastian Gomez
M Victor Moreno
M Jacob Hansen
M Aaron Rivera
M Manny Lopez
M Anthony Gulli
M Jovani Aceves
F Eduardo Gutierrez
Man of the Match: Lucas Hoepner, Wheaton Academy
Officials: -Jeff Ryder (center), Richard Goldberg, Gene Matlock, Jose Gonzalez (fourth)
for Wheaton Academy
Warriors win 1st title with 5-1 win over St. Joseph
boys soccer – Class 2A state final – 11/8/14
By Matt Le Cren
HOFFMAN ESTATES – Wheaton Academy had been hungry all season.
On Saturday, the Warriors feasted.
Lucas Hoepner and Reid Culberson scored two goals each and Jha’Lon Johnson had one as Wheaton Academy (25-1-1) routed previously unbeaten St. Joseph 5-1 to capture the Class 2A state championship at Hoffman Estates.
The title is the first for the Warriors, who earned six trips to the state finals including the previous two seasons, but never advanced to the championship game.
“This group is a really special group,” Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. “We’ve got more seniors than I think we’ve ever, had and they just laid down a chemistry that was going to be about team, that it was going to be about each individual day.
“I remember back in August, September and even October when we were focusing on today, we were focusing on that day. And to have that type of focus from high school students, I’ve just been nothing but impressed.
“Then when we show up at the state finals, the guys were ready to go yesterday, they attacked with energy and pace. I thought there was even an extra level of focus today, to score goals and to defend. They’ve been hungry since day one and as a coach that’s all you can ask for.”
St. Joseph (23-1-1) also sought its first crown having lost in its only previous title match back in 1997.
Both teams set a school record for victories this fall, but the Warriors did it with a much more experienced roster and against a much tougher schedule that included 10 Class 3A opponents.
Those factors came into play Saturday in a match that the Warriors controlled. Wheaton Academy scored a pair of early goals and led 3-0 before Victor Moreno put the Chargers on the board with 4:10 left in the first half.
Ironically, Wheaton Academy star striker Ty Seager was held without a goal, but he did play a part in three scores.
His first came when when Seager took a ball to the right endline and passed to Hoepner in front for an open shot that caromed off the underside of the crossbar and came down over the goal line at the 10 minute mark.
The second followed seven minutes later when Seager again dribbled in close and gave it up to Hoepner, whose point-blank shot was turned away by St. Joseph goalie Jonathan Rosales. The rebound came out to Culberson, who quickly slotted a left-footed shot through traffic, past the prone Rosales and inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.
“I think it was huge,” Seager said. “Especially early in the season, game in and game out, we were scoring early and getting a lot of early goals and putting teams away. We always emphasize getting that third goal, especially after those quick first two.
“In the game between (Saint) Viator and St. Joseph (in the semifinals), (Saint) Viator was up 2-0 and it proved that you have to finish because (St. Joseph) came back and ended up winning the game. The emphasis was on not stopping and continuing after the quick start.”
The Warriors did that, going up 3-0 on Hoepner’s second goal with 5:30 remaining in the first half. Senior Hunter Finnegan heaved a throw-in from the left side into the box to Seager, who tapped the ball into the middle of the box for Hoepner to bury an eight-yard shot.
Seager scored 39 goals this season, including three in Friday’s 4-0 semifinal defeat of Springfield. For St. Joseph to be down 3-0 despite holding him off the scoreboard was devastating to the Chargers.
“(The early deficit) definitely impacted us,” St. Joseph senior Eduardo Gutierrez said. “We just kind of put our heads down. We slowed down.
“We didn’t come out ready enough to play. But that being said we had eight sophomores on the team. When you’re playing with young talent, experience is a lack, so I think that was definitely a factor.”
Moreno’s score, which came on a 20-yard shot after he intercepted a clearing attempt, gave the Chargers hope, though not for long.
“I think we can play with them,” St. Joseph coach Stan Niemiec said. “The score reflected that they’re a better team. It’s unfortunate the start that we got. I think we came out the second half a whole lot better and had we gotten another goal I think it would really have made a difference.”
Instead, the Warriors continued to attack with vigor after the intermission. Rosales gave an inspired effort, making 11 saves, but Wheaton Academy broke through with a double-tap midway through the period that finished the Chargers hopes.
Johnson made it 4-1 with his fourth goal of the year with 21:26 to go and then Culberson capped the scoring 2:21 later with a great individual effort, dribbling past a defender into the left side of the penalty area before beating Rosales with a sharp shot to the far post.
“Ty has put the ball in the net this year,” Brooke said. “Ty has been the first one to say the guys around him do the work. Our system is in place and guys have bought in, whether they get the stats or not. Those guys have always been ready when their name has been called.
“Today when Lucas finds a ball coming across the 18, he prep touches it, he shelves it, and he runs to his spot. Reid, I told him to be hungrier, and he gets around the edge with an eliminating touch that set up the far post.”
Often overlooked but just as effective this fall was Wheaton Academy’s defense. Finnegan and fellow defenders Michael Carver, Andrew VanNispen and Parker Setran were solid again in limiting the Chargers to seven shots, and just Moreno's impressive goal. Senior goalkeeper Drew Sezonov made three saves in his final high school appearance between the pipes.
“We showed an ability to possess the ball but also a killer instinct,” Brooke said. “I think our back four plus our goalkeeper haven't gotten enough credit all year.”
It all ended in a glorious moment of school history as the Warriors saluted their fan section by holding the championship trophy aloft. It will eventually reside in a display case next to the two championship trophies won by the girls team in 2004 and 2009.
“We’ve been working day in and day out to try and work towards this goal that we set at the beginning of the year,” said Hoepner, who was named Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match. “It’s just amazing that it’s become a reality now that we can all experience.”
It is said that championship teams must experience the agony of defeat before they can truly appreciate the joy of victory. The Warriors experienced that with their 2012 and 2013 semifinal losses.
“That was the main drive,” Culberson said. “The last two years we couldn’t quite pull it out so we knew that we were only going to have one shot with this team. We knew we had a good team. And so we really wanted to win this game, and that’s what drove us.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK Drew Sezonov
D Michael Carver
D Andrew VanNispen
D Parker Setran
M Lucas Hoepner
M Grant Rogaus
M Jha;Lon Johnson
M Jacob Kapitaniuk
F Luis Rocha
F Reid Culberson
F Ty Seager
St. Joseph
GK Jonathan Rosales
D Isaac Barboza
D Toni Orozco
D Sebastian Gomez
M Victor Moreno
M Jacob Hansen
M Aaron Rivera
M Manny Lopez
M Anthony Gulli
M Jovani Aceves
F Eduardo Gutierrez
Man of the Match: Lucas Hoepner, Wheaton Academy
Officials: -Jeff Ryder (center), Richard Goldberg, Gene Matlock, Jose Gonzalez (fourth)